The hottest toys and gifts of 2008

Each year, parents scramble to find out what toys their kids will want most and which ones to buy early before they’re all gone.  This guide will help you to identify some of the extraordinary toys you should be looking out for.  These popular toys christmas 2008 are the ones you’d better buy now, rather than later.

 

1. TMX Elmo

Elmo is certainly no stranger to the spotlight when it comes to the Christmas rush.  Several times he has been the major player in the market, beginning with Tickle Me Elmo ten years ago.  This year Mattel division Fisher-Price has come out with a new version of the Tickle Me Elmo called the TMX Elmo, or “tickle me extreme elmo.”  The TMX is said to also stand for tickle me ten, for the tenth anniversary of the original giggling monster doll with its addictively adorable little laugh.  This little guy will run you around $40 if you can find one.

Elmo tmx is not the only Elmo product on the hot list this year though.  Two more offerings of the little red guy are out there as well.  The Fisher-Price Elmo Live is another hot toy this season and in fact is already sold out in many places.  This version of Elmo will set you back around $90 or so.  Rounding out the big Elmo offerings this year is Elmo’s restaurant, which runs around $100.

 

2. Star Wars Toys – anything from the recently released animation movie “Clone Wars”

Yet again, Star Wars toys top the list of popular toys for boys.  With the newly released Star Wars: Clone Wars movie recently in theaters and the highly anticipated new animated series to go with it, Star Wars is not losing it’s Vader-like grip on pre-teen boys.  Star Wars toys are a pretty safe bet for boys this year and rest assured that there will be multiple large play sets in this category to choose from.

~

3. “My Lovin’ Pup, Biscuit“&”Wow Wee”

This year’s winner for Fur Real Friends is “My Lovin’ Pup, Biscuit.”  This life sized electronically interactive dog will be a big hit for kids, but also a big hit for your pocketbook at nearly $200.  In a similar vein, but far less expensive are the Wow Wee Alive Cubs.  These toys are also interactive and come in lion, tiger, polar bear and panda varieties.  These are considerably less painful on the budget, coming in at around $60 or $70 apiece.

 

4. Anything from Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, & High School Musical 3

Big sales this year on the tween front will come from Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, High School Musical and related properties.  Disney has the tween market almost completely locked up with the knock out combination of these mega-hit properties.  Toys, CD’s, DVD’s and other products related to any of these will be very hot sellers this year.

5. Webkinz

Another very safe bet this year is the line of Webkinz plush dolls.  The folks at Ganz regularly come out with new additions to this ultra-hot line of toys, which each come with a year’s free subscription to their equally popular website.  Some of the newest additions to the line are hummingbird, porcupine, clownfish, buffalo, bat, camel, parakeet, cardinal and orca (they didn’t want to call it a killer whale).  Others that have been out longer but are hard to find and still very popular are the dragon and dinosaur.

6. Video Games: Guitar Hero World Tour, Grand Theft Auto 4, Far Cry 2

This year the Wii is still on top as the hottest system, with the Sony playstation three (ps3) in second.  Particularly hot is the Wii Fit, since it’s a popular choice not only for kids, but for seniors wanting to use the system to stay in shape as well.

The hottest games are the ones that require more than simply using the controls that come with the game, such as Guitar Hero, Rock Band and U-Dance.   Each of these come with special equipment required to play the game.  These are also very popular choices with many parents because the games burn considerable calories while playing.

For several years running, the hottest hand-held system has been Nintendo’s DS lite.  This game system is available in multiple colors, but some colors are only available at certain retail outlets, making those choices more popular and harder to come by.

Whether you’re shopping for a toddler or a teen, if you want to be assured of getting your hands on any of these popular toys christmas 2008, start early and look everywhere, because most of these items will get harder and harder to find as we get closer to the big day.