Earlier this week, the girls and I went to New York City for a day, just for the Time to Play Holiday Showcase. Hosted by toy experts Jim Silver and Chris ‘The Toy Guy’ Byrne from TimetoPlayMag.com, this event is recognized as the kickoff to the holiday family entertainment editorial season.
We arrived about 5 minutes before the press conference started, and headed straight to our seats. Maya insisted we sit in the front row, where she had a perfect view of the presentation, and was able to film it all with her handy Fisher-Price Kid Tough Video Camera that her grandpa gave her for her birthday last week. I haven’t played with the camera much, but I’ll look at it further and post a review soon. I can tell you that the video quality isn’t as good as my Flip, but it’s decent, and at a great price point. Maya’s not a bad videographer! Now if she could only upload and edit the videos as well…
During the press conference, Jim and Chris shared their predictions on what they believe will be the hottest toys this holiday season. You can watch Maya’s video (about 10 minutes long) or read a summary of the presentation below. The girls are also featured in The New York Post’s coverage of the event, at :30, :39, and 1:47 or so.
As far as consumer trends go, this year overall price points have come down. In fact, 11 out of the 16 top toys are under $30! Families are looking for value – a toy that will be played with for more than 30 minutes… toys that engage a child’s imagination and allow them to express themselves.
Time to Play: Most Wanted 2010
The products predicted to be the best selling products this holiday season!
in alphabetical order
| Air Hogs Moto Frenzy from Spin Master “It has the thrill of racing and a variety of tricks and stunts… the kind of product that will engage even grownup boys.” – Chris Byrne These remote control motorcycles have a unique fly wheel mechanism that keeps them upright. According to Spin Master, it’s the world’s smallest remote-control motorbike. You get one remote control motorcycle and one controller in each set. For boys ages 8 and up. |
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| Disney Princess & Me Dolls from JAKKS Pacific “The underlying message is, a princess is first and foremost a good friend.” – Chris Byrne With accessories and furniture available, and even a matching replicas of the gowns for little girls to dress up just like their doll friends, these 18-inch poseable dolls remind me a little of the American Girl line. Choose from Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, Ariel, and Tiana. For girls ages 5 and up. |
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| Hot Wheels R/C Stealth Rides “Great performance, great price, and an amazing transformation.” – Chris Byrne This R/C vehicle folds flat and fits in a slim carrying case, which doubles as the controller. It may be pocket-size, but still packs a lot of power.A fun stocking stuffer! For boys ages 6 and up. |
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| Leapster Explorer from Leap Frog “Leap Frog has really taken it to the next level, with a new level of functionality, increased hardware, complimented by outstanding content…” – Chris Byrne Children can learn school skills plus creativity, life skills and more, through 40+ games and activities and downloadable learning apps. It even has a camera! Parents can then follow their child’s play and learning progress online with the LeapFrog Learning Path. For boys and girls ages 4 and up. |
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| LEGO Games “They combine great play and Lego construction… a very immersive game.” – Chris Byrne LEGO has an entire line of games now, but the Time to Play favorite is LEGO’s “Harry Potter Hogwarts” board game. You start off by building the board itself, in this case, a castle, which you then have to navigate to collect all of your “homework.” For boys and girls ages 7 and up. |
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| Loopz from Mattel “A hilarious challenge for people of all ages.” – Chris Byrne This is a skill and action music memory game that can be played solo, head-to-head or with up to 4 players. The “loops” flash with ever-quickening patterns of light and music which players must mimic by waving their hands through the corresponding loops. Motion sensors in each loop read the action to ensure each sequence was repeated correctly. The longer you play, the faster it gets! But pay attention – miss 3 times and you’re out! For boys and girls ages 7 and up. |
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| Monster High Dolls from Mattel “Twilight and Vampire Diaries are the hot genre right now, and Mattel’s timing couldn’t be better…” – Jim Silver This is a new line of trendy, teenaged, high school monster dolls, are a little smaller than Barbies. They are the daughters of famous monsters! Draculaura, for example, is the daughter of Dracula. In addition to the dolls, Mattel’s Monster High brand includes dolls, books, clothes, a Web site and other accessories. For girls ages 6 and up. |
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| Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS Blaster from Hasbro “If you want to be king of the playground (or the office) this is the blaster you have got to have.” – Chris Byrne This is the first fully automatic NERF Clip System blaster to date. It features a new pop-out bipod, which doubles as a handle, and a removable shield allowing players to transition to Attack Mode. It requires six “D” batteries, which add a little weight to it. For boys ages 8 and up. |
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| Paper Jamz by WowWee “This toy is a real breakthrough. 5 years ago, it couldn’t have been made for anywhere near this price point.” – Jim Silver I reviewed this product a few months ago… Paper Jamz instruments are thin, battery-operated guitars and drum sets that feature Active Graphics Technology, which means that music is played based on embedded touch sensors. The guitar and drums are super-lightweight and can be played in several fun modes. For boys and girls ages 5 and up. |
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| Real Construction by JAKKS Pacific “A natural for young boys, this toy might make them useful husbands later in life.” – Jim Silver (Haha!) Made out of the same kind of material as pool noodles, this product allows kids to practice real sawing, cutting and nailing with realistic-looking wood and tools. Kids can build anything they want, or use the included project book. For boys and girls ages 5 and up. |
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| Scrabble Flash by Hasbro “An engaging, great game, a real breakthrough and a wonderful move for the Scrabble brand.” – Chris Byrne This electronic version of the classic SCRABBLE game puts your skills to the test with three different solo and competitive games. Slide, swap and shuffle your way to a win! For boys and girls ages 8 and up. |
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| Sing-A-Ma-Jigs by Mattel “Every once in a while, you see a toy that really makes you smile. This is it.” – Chris Byrne Squeeze these adorable little guys and they’ll open their mouths and sing! Every Sing-a-ma-jig has three modes of play where they chatter, sing their own song, or sing in harmony with their other Sing-a-ma-jig friends. For boys and girls ages 3 and up. |
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| Squinkies by Blip Toys “As we saw last year, it’s possible for a small toy company to have a huge hit… this year, the surprise hit comes from a small toy company called Blip Toys.” – Jim Silver These are tiny, squishy toys that come packed in a translucent, bubble-like ball – similar to the toys you get from those little machines at the grocery store. Small and fairly inexpensive, and with hundreds to choose from, Squinkies are definitely a collectible toy, plus they double as pencil toppers! Playsets in the shape of dispensers are also available. For girls ages 4 and up. |
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| Tonka Chuck & Friends Chuck’s Stunt Park Playset by Playskool “A creative, whimsical toy that engages kids.” – Chris Byrne The original Chuck My Talking Truck was a big hit, and this new, smaller version gives the adorable character a new way to play. Kids can watch Chuck the Dump Truck as he zooms and flips through the Chuck’s Stunt Park playset, which features lights, sounds, moveable track pieces, and a hand-crank elevator. Like the original Chuck, it also comes with a Tonka Chuck & Friends storybook. For boys and girls ages 3 and up. |
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| V.Reader by VTech “In three words, it’s… Kindle for kids!” – Jim Silver With this reading system, kids will discover the joy of reading while seeing well-loved characters like Shrek and Disney Fairies in stories with fun animations and sounds. Storybook cartridges are sold separately; each one includes a fully narrated and animated story, 8 reading skill games, and a story dictionary. For boys and girls ages 3 and up. |
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| Zoobles by Spin Master “Taking the magic of Bakugan, and translating it into a girls’ toy isn’t easy, but Spinmaster has done the trick with Zoobles!” – Jim Silver These collectible spheres spring to life, “popping” open into fun and cute characters when placed on their magnetized “Happitat” board. There’s no game involved; it’s just free imaginative play. There are many cute characters and themes, including underwater and tree house playsets. For girls ages 4 and up. |
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The guys at Time to Play announced their first-ever hot list for family friendly video games, The Power Ups. With appropriate content for kids of all ages, these games will likely be big sellers this holiday season. The games, which can be pre-ordered now, are:
- Kirby’s Epic Yarn ($49.99, available for the Wii on 10/17/2010)
- Disney Epic Mickey ($49.99, available for the Wii on 11/30/2010)
- Dance Central ($49.99, available for “Kinect” for Xbox 360 on 11/4/2010)
Toy manufacturers, retailers, and entertainment companies were also in attendance at Tuesday’s event, exhibiting hundreds of new toys, video games, and entertainment products. I played with lots of (and even brought home a few) toys that I’m looking forward to telling you about in the coming weeks, including the new Kidz Bop Dance Party for Wii, Lennon Sisters dolls, Squinkies, Leapster Explorer, Crayola Molding Magic, ZhuZhu Pets, Dinosaur Train, Velcro Kids, Fisher-Price iXL, Hexbugs, MixPups, and more… stay tuned!
I saw the Sing-A-Ma-Jigs by Mattel at Toys-R-Us a few weeks back and they were hilarious. They are no doubt going to be a big hit; not only with kids, but teens too haha.
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Will you be getting one in your stocking? 😛
I wish I had gone!! Couldn’t though 🙁 Thanks for sharing!
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My kids love Squinkies and Monster High Dolls. Boy, it’s going to take some time to collect all of the Squinkies. Luckily, we bought the Monster High dolls early so we’re only missing the new one Jackson Jekyll.
The Squinkies remind me of the Littlest Pet Shop. Too cute..
Alva´s last blog post ..Where to Buy Squinkies Toys and Gift Sets! updated Wed Dec 8 2010 3-46 pm CST