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“CARS” Fast Talking Lightning McQueen Remote Control Vehicle Ages 3 & Up Mattel(R) Chinese New Year Barbie(R) Ages 6 & Up Mattel(R)
Hot Wheels(R) Radar Gun Ages 7 & Up Mattel(R)
I-DOG & I-CAT Ages 8 & Up Hasbro(R)
Kid-Tough(TM) Digital Camera Ages 3 & Up Fisher-Price(R)
MONOPOLY: Here & Now Edition Ages 8 & Up Hasbro(R)
Speed Stacks(R) StackPack(R) Ages 4 & Up Play Along(R)
Tap Dancing Mumble Ages 3 & Up Thinkway Test Tube Aliens(TM) Ages 7 & Up 4Kidz “T.M.X.”(TM) Elmo Ages 18 months & Up Fisher-Price(R)
V.SMILE Baby Ages 9-36 Months V-Tech We Did It! Dancing Dora(TM) Ages 3 & Up Fisher-Price(R)
Xtreme Performance Vehicle Ages 8 & Up Jakks Pacific

[tags]kb toys, hot toys, christmas toys, holiday toys[/toys]

Toys ‘R’ Us Unveils Top Five Toy Trends for the 2006 Holiday Season
PRESS RELEASE

From Products that Mimic Grown-Up Gadgets to Toys that Encourage Bilingual Skills, The World’s Greatest Toy Store Identifies the Hottest Trends for Christmas

WAYNE, N.J., Oct. 25 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Toys “R” Us announced the five toy trends that will influence shoppers’ toy-buying decisions this holiday season. After months of researching and evaluating thousands of new toys in preparation for the Christmas shopping period, The World’s Greatest Toy Store has identified these dominant toy trends for Holiday 2006: Just Like Mom and Dad, Bilingual Toys, Interactive Experiences, Electronics Not Included and Imaginative Play.
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“As the toy authority, Toys “R” Us takes the lead in identifying toy- buying trends and predicting the hottest items for the Christmas season,” said Ron Boire, President, Toys “R” Us, U.S. “We are constantly asked if electronic toys are replacing traditional toys. This year’s trends clearly indicate that electronic toys continue to augment the toy business, but that toys without electronic bells and whistles also hold an important place in our assortment and in the hearts of parents and children.”

Following are the five toy trends identified by Toys “R” Us for Holiday 2006, accompanied by some of the best product examples in each category. All toys are available at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide or online at Toysrus.com.

Trend #1: Just Like Mom and Dad

Children are constantly imitating their parents through actions and in language. With the 2006 selection of holiday toys, children now have access to kid-size versions of adult products. Designed with toddlers in mind, The Kid-Tough(TM) Digital Camera from Fisher-Price® has a tough exterior and big buttons that make it a perfect fit for small hands. For budding musicians, the Acoustic Student Guitar from First Act(TM) is a junior-sized steel guitar featuring strings set low for easier playability. The Power Wheels® Ford Mustang from Fisher-Price® lets kids get behind the wheel of their very own car that drives on either hard or grass surfaces at a speed of five miles per hour forward and 2.5 miler per hour in reverse. Technology aficionados will appreciate Massively Mini(TM) Media from Tiger Electronics®. It puts videos, music and photos into the palms of kids’ hands. This lightweight, easy-to-use, multi-media device includes earbuds with a unique design that allows kids to wear the player around their neck, touch-screen controls and a color display.

Trend #2: Bilingual Toys

Catering to the growing demand for products that promote dual language skills among children, toys that boast English and Spanish capabilities have gained momentum this year. Leading the list of bilingual toys for the toddler set are the Learn and Groove(TM) Alphabet Drum and the Learn and Groove(TM) Musical Table from LeapFrog®, both of which introduce the alphabet and encourage physical movement, vocalization and musical exploration in both English and Spanish. Taking a cue from two popular Nickelodeon programs, Fisher-Price® has introduced toys based on the adventures of Dora the Explorer(TM) and Go, Diego, Go!(TM) The Go, Diego, Go!(TM) Diego’s Talking Rescue Center lets children go on rescue missions with Diego and his animal friends, while providing commentary from Diego in both English and Spanish. Dora the Explorer(TM) Magic Hair(TM) Fairytale Dora allows kids to imagine whisking Dora away on adventures through magical lands while she offers them encouragement in English and Spanish. The Pink Nitro Notebook(TM) from VTech® features Spanish language activities for developing readers.

Trend #3: Interactive Experiences

As kids constantly clamor for the latest technology-driven toys, products that allow players to become part of the action will be in high demand this holiday season. With both the Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes and the Blue Man Group Keyboard Experience from ToyQuest®, aspiring musicians can learn how to perform like the stars of the wildly popular stage show by playing replicas of the PVC pipe percussion tubes and electronic keyboard made famous by the flashy performers. The next generation of robots is here with MINDSTORMS® NXT from LEGO®, the strongest, smartest and most advanced LEGO robot ever. Including drag-and-drop software that works with PCs and Macs to make programming a snap, kids use their imagination to design, build and program their own robot to obey their commands. Kids who love puppies of all shapes and sizes will adore the Vmigo(TM) from Jakks Pacific(TM). From German Shepherds to Yorkshire Terriers, dog lovers can plug the game into a TV docking system to turn their dog loose on the big screen or take the portable version with them for hours of puppy fun on the go.

Trend #4: Electronics Not Included

On the flip side of interactive toys are items that don’t include electronic bells and whistles. It’s back to basics with a mixture of electronics-free new products and updated favorites. The Fisher-Price® Medical Kit comes with everything a physician-in-training needs for regular check-ups, including a working stethoscope, thermometer, blood pressure cuff and more. The Giggle Gear(TM) Mega Fort from Cranium® is a building system that lets kids build secret spaces to play and hide. With more than 100 building pieces, it’s easy to create hundreds of fantasy environments. With 45 accessories and 26 molds, the Play-Doh® Creativity Center(TM) from Hasbro® is an activity-filled table that offers plenty of open-ended play. A four-picture activity mat encourages kids to mold meals, make faces, decorate a party scene and create jungle friends. In the climactic Battle of Endor that helped destroy the Empire in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, one of the key weapons in the Empire’s arsenal was the AT-ST, an armored scout transport. Now, collectors can build their own version of the AT-ST using more than 1,000 LEGO® bricks with Star Wars(TM) Ultimate Collector’s AT-ST(TM) from LEGO®.

Trend #5: Imaginative Play

Among this year’s new trends are toys that truly inspire imagination and creativity. The “must have” items in this category for the holiday season include the Sound City Railway from Imaginarium, a 115-piece train set that comes with a deluxe train table for years of imaginative adventures. When the trains chug over one of six different sections of the track, they come to life with exciting train-themed sounds and motions. The Spark Art Creativity System(TM) Easel from Fisher-Price® inspires kids to be creative like never before and is sure to be loved by all budding artists. With a combination of built-in interactive content and media, including magnets, dry-erase sheets, 3D models and more, this system encourages kids to explore their inner artist. The Color Explosion Spinner(TM) from Crayola® provides another outlet for artistic expression, allowing kids to create wild, multi-colored effects with a single color-reveal marker or drops of color-reveal solution. Kids can pretend to cook to their heart’s content with Disney’s The Little Mermaid Magical Talking Kitchen from Creative Designs International. Featuring Ariel from the popular animated Disney movie, the kitchen comes with all of the accessories needed to prepare an imaginary feast.

About Toys “R” Us, Inc.

Toys “R” Us is the world’s leading specialty toy retailer. Currently it sells merchandise through more than 1,400 stores, including 587 stores in the U.S. and 658 international toy stores, including licensed and franchise stores as well as through its Internet site at http://www.toysrus.com. Babies “R” Us is the largest baby product specialty store chain in the world and a leader in the juvenile industry, and sells merchandise through 245 stores in the U.S. as well as on the Internet at http://www.babiesrus.com.

Milwaukee, WI (PRWEB) October 21, 2006 — Just in time for the holidays, the Premiere Issue of Marianne Szymanski’s Toy Tips and Parenting Hints magazine is hot off the presses. Chock-full of unbiased reviews and advice, Toy Tips offers everything parents need to make informed, smart toy choices.

You’ll find ideal toy suggestions for shy children, cooking with kids, new mom gifts, travel toys, bathtime fun, boredom busters, outdoor gear, classic games, and much, much more.

Marianne is the founder of the Toy Tips Institute and America’s most popular consumer advocate for toys and family products. She appears regularly on national television including Oprah, The Today Show, The Early Show, Good Morning America, Fox News, and CNN.

Marianne’s research is conducted by a team of psychologists, educators, child-care and health professionals and all the reviews are unbiased, because toy manufacturers have never paid Marianne a fee to submit a product for review, nor paid for advertising on the website (www.toytips.com) or in this new magazine. She has tested over 35,000 products in the last 15 years.

Marianne’s philosophy has always been to steer parents away from hot toy lists and toward making smart toy choices for their individual children. Toy Tips reviews are based on a product’s ability to develop a child’s intellectual, social and motor skills, and to enhance the child’s personality.

“Year after year, parents complain that many ‘hot’ toys were not as well received and played with by their child as expected,” reports Szymanski, who fields hundreds of emails from parents looking for toy-shopping advice. “This happens mostly because the toy is not appropriate for the child’s age, interests or current skills.”

Listmakers certainly do not know what is best for all children. Their own parents do. It’s easy to learn how to be your child’s own toy expert and it does not take much time.

Look for Toy Tips and Parenting Hints magazine at Barnes and Noble, Target, Wal-Mart, Albertson’s, Kroger, Wegman’s and on newsstands where magazines are sold.

In addition to reviews, Toy Tips magazine includes inspirational parenting advice and child development research studies conducted by psychologists, doctors and child development experts. For example, Magnet Swallowing Safety Alert informs parents about a deadly but relatively unrecognized danger of toys that contain magnets. There are also many surprises (such as urging readers to look for a hidden drumstick), quizzes and clues on how to win 23 prizes!

Before you start your toy shopping this Christmas season, check out Toy Tips Magazine and www.toytips.com.

– Elmo is back! Ten years after taking the country by storm, one of the hottest, hardest to find toys of all time returns to shelves this holiday season with Tickle Me Elmo TMX. The new Elmo has three tickle spots that trigger infectious laughter and movement from the furry red citizen of Sesame Street.

– PLAYSTATION 3 (PS3), Sony’s long-awaited next-generation video game console, is due to be launched November 17. Its high-definition graphics, a huge hard drive and a Blu-ray disc player all-in-one will have HD aficionados and gamers alike salivating at the thought of adding this big ticket item to their living room. The price tag is $499-$599, depending on whether you want 20GB or 60GB.

– Going head-to-head with the PS3 is Nintendo’s entry into the next-generation video game console world, the Nintendo Wii (pronounced “we”). This new platform features a motion sensor wireless remote which gives a brand new element to the gaming experience. Wii hits stores on November 19 and will cost approximately $249.

Also included on Shopzilla’s Hot Toy List:

– Kid Tough Digital Camera from Fisher Price, a real digital camera built tough enough to withstand the wear and tear of the youngest photographers

– Blue Man Group Percussion Tubes from ToyQuest, make your own music just like the world famous Blue Man Group

– Little Leaps Grow-With-Me Learning System, an on-screen learning experience for children between 9 and 36 months from award-winning company LeapFrog

– Mindstorms NXT from Lego, imagination, creativity and construction come to life in the form of a robot

– Speed Stacks StackPack from Play Along, test your coordination and speed with the sport of competitive stacking

– Laugh & Learn Baby Grand Piano from Fisher-Price, teaches babies music and more

– My Scene(TM) Fab Faces(TM) Dolls from Mattel are the ultimate teenage drama queens! The first and only fashion dolls to have moveable facial features

While TMX Elmo, Wii and Play Station may be the headliners this holiday season when it comes to toys, retailer Zeebop! is banking on the fact that learning and fun are not mutually exclusive terms.   Stimulating the mind is the forefront of Zeebop’s toy line for the 2006 holiday season.

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It’s not like this wasn’t expected!  I think the “selling” is bit misleading as that’s the listing price.   I also find it funny that as soon as ABC hits the wires with this story, there are a flood of $1,000,000+ listings that pop up!

Legitimate sales for individual TMX Elmos seem to be topping out around $120 or so.  I’m sure that will go up as C Day approaches.

ABC News: Tickle Me Elmos Selling for $5,000

But if youre willing to pay a few thousand dollars, there are more than a few sellers at online auction sites like eBay willing to part with theirs — at least one seller is asking for $5,000 for the little guy.

PlayStation.com - PLAYSTATION®3

Go Nintendo » Blog Archive » Toys “R” Us Wii reserves on the 29th confirmed- What are you waiting for?

November edition of “Child Magazine” to list Top 50 Toys of 2006. List to Follow

Wal-Mart cutting prices on more than 100 toys - USATODAY.com
Wal-Mart Stores (WMT) on Wednesday declared an early start to the holiday shopping season, cutting prices on more than 100 toys and games, effective immediately.

The world’s biggest retailer said the markdowns were “just the start of thousands of price cuts on key gift, entertaining and holiday items,” setting the stage for a fiercely competitive finish to the year.

Wal-Mart said the price cuts include the Hot Wheels Radar Gun, made by Mattel (MAT), for $20, down from $29.74, and board games such as Hasbro’s (HAS) Monopoly Here & Now for $15, down from $28.96.