Hawkin’s Bazaar forecast for top 2008 Christmas toys

Since 1973, Hawkin’s Bazaar has been offering a unique and extensive range of unusual toys, gifts, gadgets and curiosities. With 45 shops across the UK and a fantastic website where you can buy the most extraordinary toys online.

Hawkin’s Bazaar is not just another toy-shop, or indeed just another mail-order company. They work hard to source out-of-the-ordinary products and to offer something different, a range of toys and gifts that will appeal to many ages and tastes.

They have now issued their forecast top Christmas sellers as follows:

10136 GUITAR ROCKSTAR £14.99
10087 PLASTICINE MORPH SET £9.99
05280 EMU £14.99
05275 STYLOPHONE £14.99
10061 REMOTE CONTROL FALCON £39.99
09813 RUBIK’S CUBE £12.99
10099 NON STOP SPINNING TOP £7.99
07802 MR POTATO HEAD £7.99
10091 VENTRILOQUIST KIT £14.99
07979 HUGE SILLY MONSTER PUPPET £24.99
10167 SPROUT CLOCKWORK CRACKERS £9.99

Here is a detailed run through each of the toys on their Christmas list.

Guitar Rockstar £14.99

Never before has there been anything to compare to the air guitar until now! ‘Guitar Rockstar’, available from Hawkin’s Bazaar, is providing wide appeal from kids to big kids like Jeremy Clarkson, who featured Hawkin’s amazing Guitar Rockstar on Top Gear!

The fret-shaped device contains eight pre-programmed rock classics, such as Queen’s ‘One Vision’ and ‘Wild Thing’ by the Troggs. When one of these is selected, a backing track plays, the guitar part is played by strumming through the invisible infrared beams and cleverly, each chord is corrected and all songs are played in tune and even better…to perfection!

Act out your rock star fantasises, play and write your own songs and impress your mates with all out talent! A 35mm output socket even allows amplifiers and speakers to be plugged in, or headphones – all at only £14.99 this new musical instrument is set to rock.

Buy Guitar Rockstar – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Plasticine Morph Set £9.99

Before Teletubbies, Fimbles and Tweenies, there was Morph and he was brilliant! Peter Lord, the creator of Morph introduces the enclosed DVD, by showing how he goes about modelling Morph in simple steps, so anyone can make their own pliable pal out of the generous blocks of Morph coloured Plasticine provided. There are also five Morph accessories such as a miniature skateboard, cricket bat and fake beard so some of the winsome character’s classic antics can be re-enacted. For inspiration the DVD also contains 15 original Morph episodes. The Plasticine never dries out so he can be endlessly modelled, shaped and re-made at a later time – in between he can live in the kit’s wood-effect box that looks much like Morph’s original home. All very charming. 22cm.

Buy Plasticine Morph Set – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Emu £14.99

Yes, the beak is back! Emu is starring in a brand new TV show with Toby, son of Rod Hull who along with his feathered friend was a regular fixture on children’s TV throughout the 70s and 80s, lived in a pink windmill and whose antics produced the most infamous edition of Parkinson’s chat show of all time. These superb hand puppets are a smaller version of the real thing, with trademark yellow beak, soft blue fur and long neck. Even the small version is large enough that most adult hands fit, whilst the head at least, of the large version must be almost full size. With simple arm and hand movements, all of Emu’s expressiveness and madcap antics can be enacted at home – prepare to see feathers fly!
Small version 75cm, large version 1m – beak to toe.

Buy Emu – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Stylophone £14.99

Anyone of a certain age will remember this iconic noise maker (or pocket electronic organ as it is promoted) from the 70s and the forerunner of personal keyboards. Packed with resistors, oscillators and diodes, it’s played by touching a stylus against a metal keyboard to make stylised electronic sounds that have inspired musicians like David Bowie, Pulp and The White Stripes. It was famously promoted by Rolf Harris at the end of the 60s and went on to sell over three million pieces. This re-launch is very close to the original with volume control, vibrating effects and now the ability to plug in to an MP3 player and play along with the songs.

Buy Stylophone – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Remote Control Falcon £39.99

Based on a peregrine falcon, this ingenious remote control toy is a true ornithopter – which means its flight relies on the thrust and lift generated purely by flapping its wings, just like a real bird – something that’s very difficult to replicate. In fact the R/C Falcon’s flight is so realistic that prototypes of the toy have been attacked by real birds of prey during testing. And it works brilliantly! The controls are easy to master. Direction and height can be managed acceptably with very little practice. When the power is reduced, it naturally swoops and glides realistically, but is persuaded to flap higher again with slight pressure on the remote. Made from ultra-light materials, it’s suitable for use indoors or out, with a range of up to 40metres and has a flight time of about ten minutes after being charged directly from the handset. During flight the eyes and head are illuminated.

Buy Remote Control Falcon – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Rubik’s Cube £12.99

Rubik’s Cube became the biggest and fastest selling cult toy of all time. Once the colours are jumbled up, twist and twirl the squares to return them to their original place. The latest online craze is to complete the fastest….Not as easy as it looks.

Buy Rubik’s Cube – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Non Stop Spinning Top £7.99

This amazing evolution of a traditional spinning top appears to defy physics and gravity. Just a quick twist gets it started and, as the spin becomes smoother, it actually speeds up. On a flat, smooth surface it will remain like this for hours (literally), as long as it remains untouched. All the time it is in motion it throws out changing patterns and colours of light – visible during the day and spectacular in the dark. We couldn’t get more information on exactly how it works – it would be nice to believe the cell batteries were just for the lights and magic did the rest. Even if that’s not true, it’s still ingenious and unlike anything we’ve seen before. This year’s ‘must have’ stocking filler!

Buy Non Stop Spinning Top – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Mr Potato Head £7.99

The return of a much loved favourite, bigger and better than ever. Mr Potato head was invented by George Learner and first released in 1952. It is believed characteristics from George’s own family inspired the accessories, with the green baseball cap and bushy moustache (still part of the kit) coming from his father. The interchangeable components allow a great variety of funny faces and portly characters to be created. Presumably a real potato could still be used, but a clean, plastic version is provided, with a secret panel in the back allowing spare bits to be safely stored. Suitable for 2 years plus – irresistible to all ages.

Buy Mr Potato Head – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Ventriloquist Kit £14.99

LEARN TO SPEAK WITHOUT MOVING YOUR LIPS (who said that?)

Not only does the kit teach the owner how to become a ventriloquist, but it provides everything needed to make the puppet. In fact, the materials allow a choice of two different puppets to be made, using papier-mache and the kit’s components. The full colour, 50 page book takes the puppet maker through the construction method as well as giving breathing exercises and speaking techniques to practice, with lots of advice for perfecting a performance.

The contents include paints, coloured felt material, glue, brushes, balloons and lots more to help bring the puppet to life. A poster to advertise the show and even twelve invitations are also provided. The whole kit is top quality – even the slide opening box is a nice touch. Box 33cm.

Buy Ventriloquist Kit – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Huge Silly Monster Puppet £14.99 and £24.99

New for this Christmas is the range of Silly Monster Puppets from Hawkin’s Bazaar. They are adorable, colourful, cute and silly! There are two to choose from, Silly Monster Puppet (£14.99) and Huge Silly Monster Puppet (£24.99) available in lime green, blue and purple.

The Huge Silly Monster Puppet comes with a detachable metal rod, giving greater potential for expression than other puppets…You can make the Monster Puppet come to life with a wide range of gestures, making him dance, shiver, chew its fingers or even hold a conversation!

Impossible to put down these Silly Monster Puppets are almost strangely human! Make them do the silliest things and get them to entertain your friends and family this Christmas!
Buy Huge Silly Monster Puppet – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Sprout Clockwork Crackers £9.99

Love them or hate them, they always seem to end up on your dinner plate at Christmas time. However you will be more surprised to find the cute clockwork sprouts racing around your dinner table. Each cracker contains the customary snap, joke and hat, but the real delight is the racing sprout which you can race on the dinner plate track on the back o f the box! A box of six is £9.99.

Buy Sprout Clockwork Crackers – Save £5 by using CHRISTMAS08 at check out on orders over £30

Woolworths Top 10 Christmas Toys for 2008

Back in July, Woolworths predicted their top 10 toys for Christmas 2008.  There is something for everyone, with the return of 80s classic the Rubiks Cube, toys from new Star Wars and Indiana Jones films, a pen that reads books to children and Upsy Daisy from In The Night Garden predicted to be the hottest toys this Christmas.

So let’s analyse some of the items in the list.  One of the most eye catching is the return of the Rubiks Cube. Invented in 1974 and massive in the 1980s, the Rubiks Cube is the puzzle where players battle with colours and cubes to get all nine squares on every side to match.

It fell out-of-favour in the 1990s but is experiencing a revival thanks to the popularity of competitions, brain teasers and speedcubing – how fast you can complete the Rubiks cube.

It used to be all about whether or not you could complete the Rubiks Cube, today there are tutorials and speed demonstrations on Youtube, groups on facebook a World Cube Association and ever tumbling world records. The current world record, 8.72 seconds, was broken in May and is held by Yu Nakajima from Japan.

Now Woolworths will stock the cube again this Christmas and it is expected to be a massive seller.

If you were a kid in the 1980s you will also recognise two other entries in the top 10 list – Star Wars and Indiana Jones toys.

With the release of a new animated film, Star Wars toys will be on most wanted lists again this Christmas. Lego Star Wars toys are expected to be the most popular with new ‘Clone Wars’ ranges now in the stores.

With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull already topping the UK box office charts, toys from the film will be big sellers this Christmas. Woolies expects the £19.99 replica whip to be the best seller.

The most hi-tech entry this year is a toy that makes reading fun for young children.

The Leapfrog Tag is a pen-shaped instrument that uses computer and infrared technology to read to children as it runs over specially created books. It also plays reading games that work on vocabulary, comprehension and rhyming letters and sounds.

Children’s classics are set to be available in the Leapfrog Tag format as well as books featuring Diego (from Go Diego Go), SpongeBob SquarePants and Kung Fu Panda.

The continued popularity of BBC TV show In The Night Garden means that for the second year running a character from the show is in the top 10. This year the best seller will be Upsy Daisy In Her Bed. Loveable Upsy Daisy has her own special bed in the show and she often has to catch it when it runs away. Her catchphrase is ‘Daisy Doo!’.

Hot toys for boys this year include the Ben 10 deluxe Omnitrix, Bakugan Battle Arena and Catcha Beast.

The Ben 10 Omnitrix is a watch-like device from the popular TV cartoon character series Ben 10. Ben 10’s Omnitrix gives him special powers to transform into a variety of alien creatures with unique powers.

New on the shelves for boys this Christmas will be the Bakugan Battle Arena, a Beyblades-style card-based warrior game, and Catcha Beast. Catcha Beast allows kids to trade, battle and play with collectable electronic beasts and ghouls.

For girls this Christmas it’s all about Meebas and sing-a-long High School Musical Dolls.

Meebas are similar to Tamagotchi, you care for and love your Meebas and are rewarded by a fully grown plush doll if you are good owner.

Parents should also prepare for their daughters singing-a-long to High School Musical hits on Christmas day. There are three new High School Musical Dolls (Sharpay, Troy and Gabriella) coming this Christmas and they all come with a microphone and play hits from the second movie.

Top 10 toys for Christmas 2008 as listed by Woolworths in no particular order is:
• Rubiks Cube, £9.99
• Star Wars Clone Wars Lego, from £34.99
• Meebas, £16.99
• Ben 10 deluxe Omnitrix, £15.99
• High School Musical Sing Together Dolls, £20.99
• Bakugan Battle Arena, £29.99
• Leapfrog Tag, £39.99
• In The Night Garden Upsy Daisy In Her Bed, £34.99
• Indiana Jones Whip, £19.99
• Catcha Beast, £19.99

Argos Announce 2008 Top Christmas Toys

The UK’s number one toy retailer, Argos announced its the top ten toys for 2008 back in July.

As well as being an all-time favourite, Lego, which is 50 years old this year, also appears in Argos’ top ten toys for 2008, along with a host of more high-tech choices.   These include a waterproof digital camera, a light and sound gadget watch, digital makeover system and electronic touch-and-talk reading device, are all expected to be high on the modern kid’s Christmas list.

Ian Chaplin, Toys Trading Manager for Argos said: “A key toy trend for winter 2008 is high-tech, with the strong emergence of electronic and gaming toys. But, there is also a revitalisation of classics like Lego and Rubik’s Cube, and with kids growing up fast these traditional classics will always be important in offering parents a balance of traditional and modern toys for their children.”

A couple of classics remain popular with Lego and the Rubik’s Cube featuring in both this year’s top ten and in the top toys over the last 35 years. Toys from well-known films and TV shows such as High School Musical, In the Night Garden, Star Wars and Ben 10 are also featured in this year’s favourites.

The top ten toys for 2008, all featured in the brand new Argos catalogue and online at www.argos.co.uk are:

- Leapfrog Tag Reading System
- In the Night Garden Upsy Daisy and Her Chase ‘n’ Play Bed
- Fisher-Price Kid-Tough Digital Camera
- High School Musical Figurine 6 Pack
- Girl Tech Stylin’ Studio
- Baby Born with Magic Potty
- Bop It Extreme
- Lego Star Wars V19
- Rubik’s Cube
- Ben 10 Omnitrix