By doing so the child can get a toy that actually will help them develop and you get to rest easy with the satisfaction that you have made a positive contribution on their life.

One of the most popular tech-smart toys this year is the Nitro Web Notebook ‘Safe Surfing” product which has 70 interactive activities programmed into it that teach children everything from Spanish to science to art to maths.  The tiny classroom learner is also connected to the web, which means the content can always be updated and allows children to interact with peers also using the same device.

For younger children, the perfect gift may be the Kidizoom Digital Camera Plus, which allows small children to use the miniature digital camera that allows them to store up to 2000 photos of their own.  It is equipped with 2.0 mega pixel resolution and can be connected to a home computer or television so that children get to share their art with friends and family.

Finally, one more option for the child who is hard to shop for is the Expanded V Smile Motion Smartridge Library which contains titles from all of the most popular children’s characters such as NASCAR, Ni Hao Kai Lin, Handy Manny, UP, and plenty more.

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The poison scare sent the toy industry into a temporary meltdown sending shares of its distributor, Character Group, down by 8pc in the UK.  Still, the £10 toys are well on their way to be being the largest Christmas toy this season with an estimated figure of 600,000 expected to be sold by Christmas in the UK alone.

Good Guide, the US consumer group that raised the alarm, may be in hot water however, as the US producers Cepia are considering filing a damages lawsuit against the company for their misleading public statements.

Character Group released a press statement that said Mr. Squiggles the hamster in question is perfectly safe and passed all of the toy industry tests with remarkable colours.

Executive chairman of the group Richard King stated that the company was rocked by the claims due to their disruptive nature and the timing of the claims but that it is all part of the market game.

Good Guide stated last weekend that they had found the chemical anomaly in the toy only to then recant their statement, saying there was some confusion over the figures and that their testing techniques were different.

After the claims were made public Character Group sent the toy through a series of tests that affirmed the toy is safe.

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Toy specialist Character Group expects that there will be many children disappointed with Santa on Christmas morning, given the fact that some of the most anticipated toys of the season will be out of stock. In particular the group predicts that the Peppa Pig products and Go Go Pets will come up short this year.

At the same time, its results for the full year have still suffered a bit after Woolworths collapsed last year with stock meant for Woolworths from 2008 swamping the marketplace and diverting profits.

Thus, the company was forced to record that they suffered a pre-tax loss of £2m for the year out of which £1m was left over from Woolies, which was drastic compared to its report of a £5m profit the previous year. However, due to some good Christmas trading this year the company has a lot of hope towards the future.

Richard Hickinbotham a prominent analyst said that Character Group will start out in the market place in 2010 in a much better position than last year and with a new focus on their products they should be able to continue the profitability turn around that they exhibited in the second half of 2009.

Next year the group already plans to put together new ranges for the Doctor Who line along with a new Fireman Sam line and more Go Go Pets.

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This year’s top Christmas toy, The GO GO Hamster, has got parents as worked up as Tickle Me Elmo did in the past, as many parents are reporting stress from trying to obtain the toy and online sellers are racking up a large amount of business at hiked up prices.

Normally, the small cuddly toy costs about ten pounds, but greedy sellers are auctioning or selling the toy online for over six times that amount, because apparently parents without other choices are buying them at an alarming rate.

In fact, a complete set of the hamsters which include Mr. Squiggles, Pipsqueak, Chunk, and Num Nums went for about £150 on eBay a few days ago. The large turnaround online is due to the fact that most stores ran out of the popular toy with over a month to go until Christmas.

Owner of the toy shop chain Entertainment, Cary Grant, who is also the Toy Retailers Association chairman, stated that the reason prices are so high now is because many people loaded up on the toys before heading to eBay making them a scarce commodity in stores.

He said that while it is always hard to tell which toy will be ‘the toy’ of the year, speculators that compile lists actually usually result in people buying up large numbers of toys and hoarding them, which drives their value up online.

Grant also added that one of the reasons that the Go Go Hamsters may hold such a versatile appeal to parents as a gift for their children is due to the fact that they are the closest thing you can buy to a pet without worrying about the mess or responsibility that a pet typically entails

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It is no surprise that every year there are always a few toys that take on the title of the most wanted toys for Christmas right up there with the Tickle Me Elmo’s of the past. However, the larger question outside of what these toys will be each year is how they end up to be the biggest thing since Furbys.

Are these top toys actually any cooler or better than other toys, or are they simply the products of the best marketing?

Marketing campaigns for toys start as soon as they hit the market, but become the largest in the two months leading up to Christmas when television ads during children’s programming really start to take off in an attempt to hook children rather than their parents.

Among the tools in a professional marketer’s bag of tricks are bright colours, brand names, cool characters, and fun music. Although the advertisers know that children are not heading out to the stores to buy their items, they are hoping that the children will want the toys badly enough to pester their parents until they get them.

Advertisers are now taking a slightly different turn while promoting their toys switching to integrated marketing campaigns that include television ads but focus heavily on tie-ins with comic books and films, so that children see the characters and hence the toys everywhere they go.

Of course, the intent is to make sure that the parents see them also so that it becomes unavoidable that the toys will get snatched up by frenzied consumers.

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Even though there are still six shopping weekends until Christmas rolls around, in order to get the best toys at the best prices, or sometimes even at all, bargain hunters know that now is the time to start looking for the hot items on their gift lists.

At the top of the list of many top Christmas toy lists this year are the ever so cuddly Go Go Hamsters, which allow parents to give their children talking and moving pets at a low cost (£9.99 at John Lewis) without worrying about the clean up and responsibility that comes with a pet.

However, even this early in the season many retailers are already out of stock of the hamsters and those that still have the Go Go Hamsters have inflated the price as high as £54.99. For these items internet shopping may be the best bet although when it comes to the internet sooner is better than later since shipping times must be accounted for.

Of course, for those who are thinking about heading online for Christmas gifts this year there are a few pointers that you need to adhere to since the shopping atmosphere and experience is vastly different than most people are use accustomed to.

The most important tip is perhaps to remember that every item that is ordered will come with shipping or delivery charges. If you are not careful, especially on auction sites with crafty third party sellers, the shopping charges can make the item higher priced than at the stores.

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This Christmas independent toy shops are seeing an increase in sales due to the closing of Woolworths at the beginning of this past year.

The closure of the large retailer has brought a surge of customers into local toy stores instead of other large retailers according to industry experts and toy retailers.

Principal lecturer of marketing from the University of Glamorgan Heather Skinner, stated that after Woolworths closed their doors customers were left looking for a more personal approach for shopping than supermarkets outside of their towns could provide.

Skinner stated that people are tired of going to retail shops that are replicas of each other and have decided to search out local options, which is why toy shops are benefiting.

According to Skinner, independent toy stores have seen their sales rise by approximately ten percent if they are located in an area where Woolworths used to be located. She added that the reason why is because these stores cater to those who want to buy unique presents such as a wooden jigsaw that only Woolworths would have carried.

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For those who want to get the best deal on the best selling toys of Christmas 2009 the key may lie in getting out next week in search of Transformers, Zhu Zhu Pets, Legos, and the rest of the top ten list.

Those who remember the rush to get Tickle Me Elmo or Furbies may not relish the thought of once again heading out to beat the masses to the favourite toys of the year, but at least you may have at least learned that waiting until the last minute to get them is not the way to go.

In fact, some of the best toys are already selling out before December even arrives, so shopping online may be the most effective way to search for the toys you need.

To aid you in your search, it may be useful to know what you are looking for while searching through the internet. To start with the hottest girl’s toy for 2009 is still a Barbie doll. The only difference is that this year the top Mattel Barbies will be fashioned after pop culture icons such as Hannah Montana, Twilight dolls, or the new Britney Spears action figure.

In another throw back, the hottest boy’s toys for Christmas will once again be trucks and dolls, but this time they will be in the shape of the new Transformers line as well as the new GI Joe Rise of Cobra action toy.

Finally, the best toy this Christmas and apparently the very hottest since it is already sold out in most places is the Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster. So if you are able to find a few of these monsters on the back of a virtual shelf you better grab them because you can trust the next place you will see them is for double the price on Ebay.

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Go Go Pets are quickly becoming the must have toys for Christmas, given that they are charmingly interactive and furry without any of the mess that comes from real pets and need cages cleaned.

The new line of toys are actually battery powered hamsters that cost less than a tenner. At the moment stock of the funny animals are flying off the shelves in both America and the UK with a new market slowly developing on eBay as well.

In order to keep up with the demand, UK distributors of the popular toy, Character Group, are flying in new Go Go pets from China. The demand is so high that chief executive of the US toy store, Toys R Us stated that that the craze is about equal to the 80’s demand for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Last month, the Toy Retailers Association placed the line of toys in the ‘dream dozen’ for this year’s Christmas present, while Argos the retailer placed then in their top ten Christmas gift list.

One reason for the toys popularity may in part be its small price given the fact that many people are not willing or able to fork out a lot of cash for presents this winter, with the current economic conditions.

Managing director of Character Group, Jon Driver, stated that 600,000-700,000 of the accessory packs have also been sold in the UK along with the toys. He said that the craze is just incredible with many people making multiple purchases of everything that is related to the Go Go Pets brand.

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10. Rubber Band Plane

Rubber Band Plane

Before battery power was affordable the only way to fuel a toy plane was with a rubber band.  This unique idea has come back to life this year with the Rubber Band Aeroplane that is a stunning representation of a small propeller plane straight off of a private runway. It comes in an easy to assemble kit, so children can have fun putting it together before it goes on its maiden flight. For added enjoyment, the rubber hand is made of the most durable materials on the market for unlimited hours of fun.

More info here.

9. Bag of Farm Animals

Every child that has a doll house or farm set will love adding in some of these plastic farm animals to their decorations.  The plastic animals are solid and able to stand on their own and thus are perfect additions to any child’s play set.   Included in the small affordable set are horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, and lambs.

More info here.

8. Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope

Before every toy was made from plastic there was wood, and this old fashioned wood kaleidoscope is capable of portraying each of the same wonderful rainbow designs that their contemporary plastic versions can.  For children who love colorful displays, the kaleidoscope is able to provide plenty of multi-colored designs.  On the outside the kaleidoscope is black with stars embossed across the cover.

More info here.

7. Rainbow Spinning Top

Rainbow Spinning Top

For children over a year old, this colorful top is a wonderful distraction and play toy.  Made of strong metal the top is capable of spinning for hours to a subtle but pleasing humming tune. Low priced and equipped with a base for storage the rainbow spinning top is the perfect gift for the curious toddler in your life.  It is also fun for older adults who enjoy a flashback to their younger days.

More info here.

6. Soft Babies Jingling Ball

Soft Babies Jingling Ball

Plush, soft, and full of colour, the soft babies jingling ball is made to please children from the day they are born.  Completely safe and durable, the ball can bring hours of excitement to babies as they explore how to use their hands to shake the ball and hear its delightful jingle. Even better, as babies grow older they can use the ball to play fetch and toss making it a timeless toy that will last your child for quite some time past their infant years.

More info here.

5. Metal Spud Gun

Toy guns go hand in hand with childhood like mud on a rainy day.  Luckily, if you never grew up or want to give your children the same fun that you had you can enjoy the metal spud gun which comes in a delightfully vibrant red colour.  Even better, the spud gun is not only able to fire small pieces of potato, but also rubber pellets, caps, and even a small amount of water if loaded correctly.

More info here.

4. Fun Snap Bangers

Every kid loves a sharp noise, especially if it is one that they can create on their own.  With the fun snap bangers you can let your kids make their own snaps whenever they like simply by tossing one onto the ground.  Since they are cheap and small in size you can easily pick up a few boxes of the fun snap bangers to fill up a stocking on Christmas Eve.

More info here.

3. Wooden Letter Train

Wooden Letter Train

If you want to give your child a Christmas present this year that is personalized to for them consider getting a wooden letter train for them this Christmas.  All children love the charm of a wooden trail that they can pull along with them, but yours will love theirs better if it spells out their name or a personalized message of your choosing.  The wooden letter train can also be used for a room decoration as well if you are looking for something to spice up your child’s room.

More info here.

2. Penguin Race Game

Penguin Race Game

At 32cm tall the penguin race game is able to entertain young children for hours as the little penguin is able to climb the steps until it makes its descent back down to the bottom to begin all over again.  Assembly is easy making it a gift that your children can start playing with on Christmas morning and all it needs to continue working is one D battery so make sure to include one in the wrapping paper.

More info here.

1. Guatamalan Worry Dolls

Guatemalan worry dolls

At the top of the top ten Christmas toy list this year are the adorable small handheld Guatemalan worry dolls.  Made for children who are past the age of placing small objects in their mouth the worry dolls are perfect for children who are still scared of the dark.  The box contains a small leaflet that tells your child how having the dolls near you as you sleep will relieve them of any worries.

More info here.

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