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Nov. 16, 2012
Among the top 10 gifts
Big sellers – think Pet Rock – are hard to predict.
GARY AND MISTI MUSSATTO
There are so many top 10 toy lists, how do you know which one is in the actual top 10? Before providing an answer, recall this list of toys that have made the top 10 over the past half-century or so: 1958 – Mexican Jumping Beans (seed pods with living larva); 1975 – Pet Rocks, an actual rock that you could “train” to be a pet; and, more recently, 1996 – Pokemon cards, a Japanese word meaning “you will spend your money on anything, won’t you?”
All top toys, but if you really want to give a top 10 toy to a child this Chanukah, make sure of the following:
1) That the toy allows the child to use their imagination.
2) Purchase quality toys. Once a toy is broken, it won’t be played with and might be a safety hazard.
3) It should be fun! It should stimulate their senses and contribute positively to their development as they grow.
Remember that it’s too soon to tell which items the manufacturers have “under-ordered.” This typically results in high demand for a toy product, which creates a “hot” toy for the season. (Remember Tickle Me Elmo?) Those top picks usually pop up in early December.
After researching and playing with hundreds of toys this past year as toy buyers, here are some key toys that will be in the top 10 for various age groups:
1) Teaching Cash Register from Educational Insights (ages three-nine): A great toy for teaching addition, subtraction and coin recognition, and it even introduces a credit card. It comes with pretend Canadian money and features a built-in scanner. Maybe you can write off the lemonade stand as leasehold improvements! (Requires batteries.)
2) Playmobil Pirate Adventure Island (ages four-10): Playmobil is awesome for imaginative play. This set features a secret code to enter a fire cave, falling rocks and cannons that shoot. (Requires batteries for lights and sound effects.)
3) Corolle Tidoo Raspberry or Poppy Doll (ages 18 months and up): Designed for bath time, this doll is soft, poseable and so light it floats. It is quick drying and known for its mild vanilla scent, quality materials and craftsmanship.
4) Hoot Owl Hoot Cooperative board game (ages four and up): Players take turns and work together moving owls from start to nest before the sun rises. Cooperative games build self-esteem and teach kids that working together can be fun. (It won a Parents Choice Silver Award and an Oppenheim Platinum Award 2011.)
5) Straws and Connectors, 400-piece set (ages four and up): Super creative, super flexible and super fun. This set allows kids to build larger-than-life models of rockets, boats or whatever creative design they can come up with.
Looking into a crystal ball ... what will not be “hot” this holiday season: Canucks hockey tickets.
Gary and Misti Mussatto, the “Toy Couple,” are co-owners of the Toybox and Toy Jungle toy stores in Vancouver. For more information about these toys or any others, call 604-738-4322.
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