Predicted to be the most popular and best selling products of Holiday 2009, the Time to Play Most Wanted list is organized in ascending age order. Following is a detailed description of each of the 16 products named to the list. Would you like to see the items and find out why the editors selected each one? Then, check out the official Most Wanted page on TimeToPlayMag.com by clicking here!
(Mattel; Ages 3 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: basic dolls: $11.99)
Barbie has a whole new look-and it’s all fashion all the time. Every girl can express her fashion personality with the Barbie Fashionistas. Each doll has 12 points of articulation, more than 100 different poses, and a distinct personality (Glam, Cutie, Girly, Wild, Sassy, and Artsy) reflected in her clothes and accessories. These dolls are really gorgeous and reflect today’s girls’ awareness and appreciation of fashion. The Barbie designers have gone all out to create dolls that work as play dolls and even as entry level collectibles. Plus, the lower price delivers great value without cutting corners on high style.
(Wild Planet; Ages 3 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $9.99 & up)
Color, build, and play in the world you create with Crayola Crayon Town where kids create an entire town, complete with three-dimensional structures to color and build. There are five themed collections, and each set includes Crayola crayons, coloring sheets, corrugate pop-up buildings, and accessories. Once the environments are colored and constructed, kids use the accompanying figures and vehicles to engage in their own imaginative scenarios.
But there’s new use and life for the crayons, too. Use them to build different characters or pieces such as trees, animals, and other objects to populate your town. It’s a perfect use for old or broken crayons, too.
(Mattel; Ages 3 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $59.99)
The classic dump truck just got a burst of personality! Meet Rocky the Robot Truck, a bright yellow and black, fully functional dump truck. Rocky is a free-wheeling dump truck, but he’ll have kids laughing and dancing as he stands up, squats, shakes, tells jokes, and even dances. Kids will delight as Rocky says, “Shake what your mama gave you!” and wiggles and jiggles to his own fun music.
Activated by interactive sensors and featuring motorized movement, his headlights flash and he says more than 100 phrases such as “Rocky reporting for duty” and “Let’s get to work.” His rugged design and full-tilting bed add to the great play value. Boys will be fully engaged as they get ready to load ‘em up and move ‘em out with real hauling and dumping action.
CANDY LAND SWEET CELEBRATION GAME
(Hasbro; Ages 4 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $29.99)
Design your own path to King Kandy’s party in the Candy Land Sweet Celebration Game. Players link together individual paths to make up the freestanding game board, allowing players to shorten or lengthen the game depending on the time allotted. (This is a great asset for parents who can adjust the game based on their kids and the time they want to spend).
Game play is similar to the original Candy Land game, using color matching, counting and other basic preschool skills to create a colorful adventure. Players race through a variety of 3-D locations, and outwit Lord Licorice, to win the game.
(Cepia; Ages 4 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $7.99 & up)
Zhu Zhu Pets are innovative, interactive battery-operated hamsters. Kids will spend hours watching the hamsters talk and move around in specially designed playsets that kids can customize. The hamsters include two play modes: nurturing mode where the hamsters coo and purr and adventure mode where the hamsters explore their habitat with intelligent audio and mechanical responses to various habitat stimuli. It sounds high-tech, but these cute hamsters are easy for all ages to play with. One of the things we love about this is that the technology is virtually invisible. All kids see is a cute pet they’ll love playing with.
BAKUGAN 7-IN-1 MAXUS DRAGONOID
(Spin Master; Ages 5 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $39.99)
Bakugan, a collectible game combining cards and dimensional transforming playing pieces has been a major hit among boys for the past two years, and the momentum shows no sign of slowing down. The next evolution of the game takes the popular pieces and allows seven of them to interconnect, creating the largest Bakugan character yet, Maxus Dragonoid. The pieces can also be used individually in the game. Your boys can follow the story; you just need to know they’re cool and in high demand.
(Mattel; Ages 5 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: Dora Links Doll: $59.99, Dora Fashion Doll: $19.99)
Dora the Explorer is growing up! She’s moved to the big city, attends middle school, and has a whole new fashionable look. What’s more, she now has a rich online world in which girls can explore, play games, customize, and solve mysteries with Dora and her new friends.
The line includes two dolls – fashionable interpretations of Dora as a tween. The first, the Dora Links doll, plugs into the computer and opens up an interactive, online world. As girls are playing online, they can customize their doll and watch as it magically transforms right before their eyes! Plus, as girls explore and solve mysteries online, the doll’s speech will change to correspond with their play.
The Dora Fashion Doll is a basic fashion doll has the great look and fashions of the new, older Dora and inspires basic, open-ended play with a newly “grown up” friend.
TRANSFORMERS MOVIE CONSTRUCTICON DEVASTATOR
(Hasbro; Ages 5 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $99.99)
The top-of the line Transformers toy is really five amazing vehicles in one. It was featured in the battle-fueled climax of the blockbuster movie, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Devastator is actually several vehicles (called the Constructicons) – Scavenger, Scrapper, Hightower, Overload, Longhaul, Rampage, and Mixmaster-in one giant robot. This is the must-have toy for Transformers fans who want to recreate the film’s awesome action sequences or create their own.
(MEGA Brands; Ages 6 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $9.99-$34.99)
Battle Strikers are the ultimate kid-controlled spinning top battling system! The advanced design allows kids to customize their tops for ultimate performance – speed, power or strength. When the top is assembled, attach it to the handheld Turbo Launcher, push the button, and they power up. When the tops are spinning, a quick flick of the wrist drops them and they’re ready to take on all comers. Plus, magnetized finger covers let you control your tops’ movements as they battle. The last top standing wins.
NERF N-STRIKE RAIDER RAPID FIRE CS 35 BLASTER
(Hasbro; Ages 6 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $34.99)
This is the highest dart capacity Nerf blaster yet, the next big thing from Nerf’s popular N-Strike line of dart blasters. It features a collapsible stock and a new drum magazine that holds 35 darts and is interchangeable with other Nerf N-Strike blasters.
By holding the trigger and pumping, players can instantly transition between single fire and slam fire mode, unleashing a rapid stream of 35 darts! The removable shoulder stock and Tactical Rail System allows players to customize their blaster for each mission.
(Techno Source; Ages 6 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $19.99)
This creative activity toy leverages technology already in the home (computer and printer) to give kids hours of creative play. Design online at MyPrinties.com (a safe, secure COPPA compliant site), print on both sides of the Printies fabric sheets using any inkjet printer, tear along the perforated shape, and pop out the Printies design! Then stuff it and put it on display. The MyPrinties.com online studio features thousands of design tools and art elements to help kids design their Printies. The site includes quick-start templates, a sketch book, design inspiration, online tutorials, and more! It’s so easy for kids to use and get creative!
(Spin Master; Ages 8 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $69.99)
Believe it or not, it’s the 10th anniversary of Spin Master’s Air Hogs. The new Air Hogs Switchblade is a two-in-one flyer unlike anything ever seen before in remote-control action. Hover like a UFO or fly like a plane – the Switchblade can do both through a magical in-air transformation using the latest in-flight technology. The incredible flyer takes off like a UFO and transforms in the air into a high-powered aircraft.
EYECLOPS NIGHT VISION GOGGLES
(JAKKS Pacific; Ages 8 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $59.99)
First launched in 2008, the Eyeclops Night Vision Goggles, have been improved with a better design that lets users see with both eyes instead of just one and a major drop in cost. The new handheld Night Vision Goggles allows visibility up to 50 feet in completely dark environments. This is real technology that really works, and provides a unique and versatile play experience for kids. Naturally, parents and caregivers will want to set ground rules with kids for how they use these and when and where they play.
GIRL GOURMET SWEETS CANDY JEWELRY FACTORY
(JAKKS Pacific; Ages 8 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $29.99)
Look deliciously sweet and stylish with your own unique, candy jewelry creations! The Girl Gourmet Sweets Candy Jewelry Factory allows girls to design, bake, wear, and eat scrumptious candy jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, and rings! The set features a small baking oven and a variety of molds to create jewelry charms and sweet gems. The Sweets Candy Jewelry Factory includes a baking oven, molds, accessories, and more.
(LEGO; Ages 8 years & up; Approximate Retail Price: $12.99 and up)
It’s rare that we would acknowledge an entire product line, or, as one might say, a universe of product. But LEGO Star Wars truly ranks among the best of the best. Celebrating 10 years and as one of the all-time top-selling construction toys, these models and sets allow kids (and many grown ups) to replicate key items from the movies and create their own Star Wars worlds and adventures. There are lots of different sets at different complexities and various price points to delight the hardcore fan or the casual player.
(Harmonix Systems; Rated E for Everyone; Approximate Retail Price: $59.99-$249.99)
Who could have guessed that the band our parents listened to on vinyl records 40 years ago would become one of the most talked about video games of 2009? The Beatles: Rock Band is the latest Rock Band game and gives players the ability to jam along with the Fab Four or, at least, digitally animated versions, through a collection of songs that span the band’s career. Songs include hits from the early small club days in 1963 Liverpool such as “Twist And Shout” and “I Saw Her Standing There” to that famous final performance on the Apple Corps rooftop of “Don’t Let Me Down”. Plus, this will introduce a whole new generation to the music of The Beatles.
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Play Categories: holidays, products
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