Best Children Toys

Nintendo has been the top gaming console since its inception way back when, with a variety of games which seemed to solely feature Mario, Luigi, and their various buds.  It went through a lapse in popularity with some of its later models, but with the GameCube and the Wii, especially, it has hopped back up as a contender.  I only mention all of this because in researching the top toys for this week, I happened upon the Toys “R” Us web site and decided to take a look at their top selections.  Most of them are games for the Nintendo DS, a cute, cunning little personal game console which rather makes the Gameboy look like a big, hulking block of obsolete technology.

You can get the Nintendo DS for prices starting at a maximum of about $130.00.  Yeah, some places have the price jacked extremely high, but most of the time you can find it at quality retailers for $130.00 or less.  If you do your Christmas shopping early, think about getting your kid one of these little marvels – which do a variety of things, not limited to playing games – between now and Thanksgiving, when you’re likely to get the best price.

Mattel is all over it for the Christmas season – they are not playing around.  Ladies and gentlemen, may I present the Hot Wheels R/C Extreme Moto-Cross Cycle 27MHz.  The commercials for this cycle are plastered all over the TV already, and I can only imagine the number of boys – and girls, because this thing looks just plain fun, no matter what your age or gender – clamoring for it.  It has front air shocks, knobby tires guaranteed to grip well, and even the rider gets into the fun, making it possible to do wicked stunts and get some seriously sick air.  By far, this seems like the most innovative radio controlled toy to come out this season and at under forty dollars, it’s a complete steal.  This is also great for older kids and adults, especially for collectors of R/C toys.

Hey all you parents out there – if your daughters are anything like I was when I was younger, the highlight of Christmas morning was seeing how many new Barbie goodies would be waiting for me.  Back then, the height of Barbie-rama meant getting a big, beautiful house for all my dolls.  Barbie’s Dream House is still a huge Christmas morning staple – but it’s undergone a lot of dazzling renovations.  For instance, this is not just the Barbie Dream House, oh no – it is Barbie’s 3 Story Dream House.  Better still, it’s more than three feet tall as well, which leaves a lot of run for your little girl’s creativity to run wild.  The kitchen is state of the art, the living room is absolutely luscious, and there are too many working parts to even count.  The spiral staircase is a great touch – plus check out the little attic room!  And honestly, the fact that there is a bathroom complete with classy bathtub – goodness, I want this dream house too!

Folks are getting serious about kids’ toys these days.  It isn’t just about having fun; it’s about learning too – which, of course, is what every parent wants.  Right now, one of the biggest sellers at Toys ‘R Us are the EyeClops Night Vision Goggles.  You read that right – night vision goggles for kids   The recommended age range is ages 8 to 16 and above – so really, these can hardly be classified as a toy.  At just a little under $80, who knows, they might give those man sized goggles a run for their money.  These allow your child to see in pitch black darkness – at distances up to fifty feet   It also has a portable microscope, mounted right on top of the goggles themselves.  That will allow your son or daughter to actually zoom up close at whatever he or she’s looking at – which means that the kids might have to fight with dad over who gets to play with this toy first

That’s right, everyone’s favorite pint-sized poster girl for fruity-smelling sweetness has gotten a much needed makeover.  The idea is, of course, to make her more interesting to today’s little girls.  The big premise is this: those of us who grew up in the 1980s played with the scrumptious little Shortcake.  So now, as we begin to have little shortcakes of our own, naturally her manufacturers want us to buy Strawberry and her friends for her daughters.  However, the bloomers, wild and curly hair, and floppy, strawberry-shaped hat just weren’t cutting it.  As a result, Strawberry Shortcake v2.0 has an altogether hipper look, from her sleek red hair to her cool newsboy cap.

Barbie had better watch out.  With a whole slew of friends, pets, and accessories, Strawberry Shortcake might be giving the reigning queen a run for her money!

The Nintendo trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere this year. The stores are, of course, already gearing up for Christmas, so we here at Best Children Toys are officially beginning a Countdown to Christmas series! One out of every three posts will be dedicated to the toys that look like they’ll be hot sellers for Christmas — and Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, and wintertime birthdays — you get the idea! Mind, it’s kind of sad when they start advertising holiday toys when it’s still summertime but hey, it happens. Yours truly is not a mother yet but I have this feel that, when I am, I’ll likely start stocking up on Christmas toys on December 26, just so I can make sure I’ve spoiled my little guy or girl rotten by the next year.

Anyway! Like say, the Wii’s guaranteed to sell like hotcakes again during this holiday season. For those of you concerned about letting your little boy or girl play video games, rest assured that you don’t have to worry about this here. Between the educational games and all the games that encourage activity and exercise, the Wii is well worth its price. Plus, this is definitely something the whole family can do together — invest in the WiiFit, in fact, and you can start working off all that delicious food while you’re playing with your kids!

The 2008 Holiday Barbie is out!  Repeat — the 2008 Holiday Barbie is out!  And she is absolutely gorgeous!

This is the 20th anniversary of the collectible Barbie, whose official title has gone through several evolutions.  Back in the day, however, she was the Happy Holidays Barbie.  Yours truly, in fact, is only missing 1988 and 1989 — naturally, two of the most expensive years, being the beginning ones — out of the collection.

I love a lot of the Bob Mackie dolls, but I’m glad he didn’t design the outfit this year — and I am so glad it’s silver.  Along with the new Barbie body mold — which, while still slightly unrealistic (in that she looks more like a waifish runway model — i.e., lovely for what it is but not realistic), is extraordinarily classy — her special pose makes this an exquisite Barbie who is all about glamor without having to be portraying Audry Hepburn or an old time Jazz baby.  She’s just herself!

No matter how well the new Star Wars movie, The Clone Wars, ends up doing, the toys associated with it are already shaping up to become a huge success.  The premise of the movie involves Anakin and others trying to rescue Jabba’s son, who has been kidnapped.  They do so during The Clone Wars.  The above action figure depicts Anakin Skywalker, meticulously detailed and clearly determined to do his duty, rescue the innocent bystander, and open up free passage all throughout the system of the Hutt.  Included is a lightsaber and a ninja styled weapon.  There is also a firing force blaster with its own projectile, which you can actually launch.

I confess – when I was a little girl, I had nearly as many My Little Pony toys as I did Barbie, friends of Barbie, and accessories. I even had the very special My Little Pony hair salon, complete with heart shaped sink. I’m much too old to do anything more than feel nostalgic; nevertheless, I was extremely sad when they stopped making new ponies. Like so many other popular toys from the eighties and nineties, however, Hasbro is bringing the My Little Pony collection back with a vengeance. There are all kinds of new ponies, play sets, and other accessories, but if you, too, find yourself nostalgic for all the fun you used to have with these sweet little toys, then this My Little Pony Collector Pony Pack is an ideal present for your little girl. There are six ponies in all, celebrating 25 years of pony fun. All of the ponies in this pack represent an emotion: Pinkie Pie represents joy; Star Song represents dreams; Toola Roola is creativity; Sweetie Belle is love; Scootaloo represents friendship; Rainbow Dash is hope; and Cheerilee represents beauty.

WALL-E is big. WALL-E is huge. Right now, a lot of the kids flocking to see the Pixar classic-in-the-making may not realize how deep the movie is (c’mon, if you’ve seen it, you have to agree), but they are all over the little guy who looks Number 5 from 1986’s Short Circuit. WALL-E toys are already making huge waves, especially the U Command WALL-E. Just like the name implies, your kids will be delighted with all of this toy’s animated moves, his cute voice, not to mention all his sound and lighting effects. He can move forward, backward, and he can dance! There are over one thousand combinations he can do, as a matter of fact, including those already infamous eye gestures. WALL-E comes with an IR controller and stands more than nine inches tall.