Christmas 2006 Hot Toys!

Toys R Us Holiday Specials - Take Some Time And Read The List, there are some GREAT deals!

I just received the below email from Costco

Dear Costco Member,

You requested to be notified when the Sony PlayStation 3 Bundle is available for purchase at Costco Wholesale. This item will be available for purchase on costco.com on Friday, November 17, 2006 at approximately 8:00 a.m. Pacific Time. The item will be prominently displayed on the homepage of costco.com until it is sold out.

Due to an extremely limited supply, we can accept orders from current Costco members only on a first come, first served basis, with a limit of one unit per household. The Costco warehouses do not have units available at this time.

Orders for the Sony PlayStation 3 Bundle will be shipped via UPS by Monday, November 20, 2006. Tracking information will be available on costco.com.

We hope to receive additional quantities in our warehouses and on costco.com prior to Christmas, but we do not have an estimated arrival date, or approximate quantity at this time. We apologize in advance if you are unable to purchase this item from Costco Wholesale.

Wal-Mart corporate says, “We currently have plans for a Thursday, Nov. 16 midnight event to launch PS3. In addition, Wal-Mart store #890 in Orlando, FL will host the Playstation Patrol truck Friday-Sunday.” As for the Wii, Wal-Mart corporate says they are currently not accepting online pre-orders due to the popular demand, but are evaluating options for additional pre-orders before the official launch on Nov. 19. The Wii pre-order is online only, not in stores. They will let Joystiq know when a decision is made regarding the pre-order. Although the “Wal-Mart Wire” speaks directly to a midnight launch for the Wii, as does the poster above, details and confirmation can not be given at this time.

Full Story: Official Wal-Mart launch details - Joystiq

UltimateRollercoaster.com is giving away an xBox and a copy of Lucas Arts new game “Thrillville”. Sign up at UltimateRollercoaster.com for a chance to win.

Online auction giant eBay launched eBay Pop beta last week.  According to eBay.com “eBay Pop is intended to capture some of the excitement of shopping on eBay in a fun, informative and creative way – with a twist of pop culture and current events. Your feedback and comments on eBay Pop are welcome – please email us. Enjoy the site!”   Check it out here.

The Quick Version - KBtoys.com

“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]

PITTSFIELD, Mass., Oct. 31 /PRNewswire/ — KB Toys, the nation’s largest mall-based specialty toy retailer, today announced its annual Hot Holiday Toy List for 2006, featuring a wide selection of the season’s “must have” toys that will delight children and parents alike. Featured toys are available this holiday season at KB Toys stores nationwide, and include toys that laugh, dance, race and even come from outer space!

“We are really excited about this year’s toy offerings. Some of the big trends are film-inspired merchandise and new iterations of classic games and toys including the new 10th Anniversary T.M.X. Elmo and Monopoly: Here & Now,” said Greg Staley, CEO of KB Toys. “The early launch of Elmo got people thinking about toys in September and the season is already off to a great start.”

KB Toys has trained its staff and hired additional seasonal sales help to help busy shoppers find just the right gift. Further enhancing the shopping experience, KB Toys is in the process of remodeling its more than 600 stores to offer a new parent and kid-friendly store format with easier to navigate wider aisles and a brighter and cleaner look. All stores this holiday season will offer a better selection of brand name and best selling merchandise with interactive play areas to allow children and parents to try out toys before they buy. KB Toys closely follows the hottest trends to offer the most popular toys and even carries unique products only available at KB Toys.

For those running out of gift ideas, KB Toys Gift Cards are available featuring popular characters such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora The Explorer. These are perfect for the gift giver that knows a child’s favorite character but not a specific toy he or she wants.

KB TOYS HOT HOLIDAY TOY LIST FOR 2006 (alphabetical) “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

From toddlers to tweens, KB Toys has your holiday shopping list covered with a range of toys to suit children of all ages!

Toddlers “T.M.X.” ™ Elmo from Fisher-Price(R)

The ultimate Elmo with three interactive tickle spots on his chin, tummy or toe that evokes gales of laughter and riotous movements. Ages 18 months & up.

V.SMILE Baby from V-Tech

A development platform for infants creating a fresh interactive method of learning that Mom and baby share together. Wireless activity panel interacts with the TV screen. Interactive color and shape buttons, along with roller ball and sound effect button are perfect for little hands. Ages 9-36 months.

Ages 2 & Up We Did It! Dancing Dora(TM) from Fisher-Price(R)

Exclusively at KB Toys, Dora dances and sings “We Did It” from her popular television show, Dora The Explorer. Dora twists and moves her arms to dance. Dora says phrases in both English and Spanish.

Ages 3 & Up

“CARS” Fast Talking Lightning McQueen Remote Control Vehicle from Mattel(R)

Exclusively at KB Toys, animated eyes and vinyl-animated mouth make this the ultimate toy inspired by the Disney/Pixar movie, “Cars.” Race Lightning McQueen with the tethered control for forward movement and reverse turns!

Kid-Tough(TM) Digital Camera from Fisher-Price(R)

A great fit for the aspiring preschool photographer equipped with two-eye-viewing, handgrips and large buttons.

Tap Dancing Mumble from Thinkway

Mumble, the star of Warner Bros. Entertainment’s animated film “Happy Feet,” tap dances his way into your heart! Play the built-in music or use an external source like an MP3 player, stereo or radio, and Mumble reacts in sync with tap dancing and all out wing-flapping action.

Ages 4 & Up Speed Stacks(R) StackPack(R) from Play Along(R)

Sport Stacking is a new competitive sport of speed, action and coordination. Speed Stacks allows kids to compete against the clock to improve their own stacking time and participate in team events.

Ages 6 & Up Chinese New Year Barbie(R) from Mattel(R)

Exclusively at KB Toys, Barbie is dressed to celebrate the festival of the Chinese New Year in a traditional Chinese red dress with traditional Chinese motifs and a mandarin collar.

Ages 7 & Up Hot Wheels(R) Radar Gun from Hot Wheels(R)/Mattel(R)

Read the speed of your favorite Hot Wheels racing vehicles with point-and-read real life styling and super cool graphics.

Test Tube Aliens(TM) from 4Kidz

Launching in the U.S. exclusively at KB Toys, Test Tube Aliens hatch and allow their owner to nurture them into full-grown aliens. With an interactive website, the alien can be fed, rested and survive into adulthood. Test Tube Aliens’ special sensors react with any home personal computer screen and will detect encoded messages.

Ages 8 & Up I-DOG & I-CAT from Hasbro(R)

Plug them into your music player and I-DOG/I-CAT plays your music through their built-in speakers or headphones. I-PETS work with most portable and non-portable electronic audio devices.

MONOPOLY: Here & Now Edition from Parker Brothers/Hasbro(R)

America’s favorite board game with cool tokens that are iconic of life here and now and popular destinations from across the United States.

Xtreme Performance Vehicle from Jakks Pacific

Drive Fly Wheels XPV on the ground like a car and then take off and fly like an airplane. The XPV can reach amazing heights of more than 20 stories and at speeds approaching 30 MPH. On the ground it can go over all sorts of terrain like concrete, grass and off roads speeds reaching 20 MPH.

About KB Toys

KB Toys, Inc. is the nation’s largest mall-based specialty toy retailer, operating more than 600 stores in 44 states, the American Territory of Guam and the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Headquartered in Pittsfield, Mass., the privately-held company has been delighting children and parents alike with the fun of toys for more than 80 years.

From a tipster to Kotaku.com.   This is a rumored list of Best Buy locations that plan to open at 12AM on November 17th for the PS3 Launch.  I suggest you call your store to confirm.  I’ll post more stores if I come across them.

• Park Lane, TX
• West LA, CA
• Chesterfield, MO
• El Cajon, CA
• Superstition Springs, AZ
• Chapel Hill, OH
• Richfield, MN
• Galleria, TX
• Butterfield RD, IL
• Wester Hollywood, CA <---- West Hollywod I would think......
• Ann Arbor, MI
• Gwinnet, GA
• Hialeah, FL
• South Tampa, FL
• Mt Laurel, NJ
• Manhattan NoHo, NY
• Landmark, MA
• Manhattan Midtown, NY

The order page is still up.  That makes at least 5 hours by my estimate.  Odds are this is a big mistake and many many people are going to be getting cancellation emails.  Reports from people Calling Tiger Direct are supporting both the “oops, didn’t mean for that to be up” theory.  But, there remains the outside chance that this presale, or at least part of it, is legitimate.  Stay tuned…..

If you are in a time zone where you can still get to a Toys R Us before it opens today (Sunday 29th of Oct) you probably have a decent chance of getting at TMX Elmo as reports have most stores getting 80-100 of the little guys.