With the holidays come some amazing new toys - if you know where to look. Take the guesswork out of selecting the perfect holiday gifts for your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. Get the lowdown on the prices and details of six of the best Christmas toy ideas on the 2011 Holiday Hot Toy List from Toys 'R Us.
2011 Best Girls Toys This Christmas
Xia Xia Pets, $12.99
Xia Xia (pronounced: Sha-Sha) are sparkly, lovable hermit crabs that skitter across the floor when you touch their claws. A tiny friend is hidden inside their interchangable shells, making them fun to collect and share. Your daughter can also expand her collection with interlocking Xia Xia pet homes, sold separately. Think of them as the new Zhu Zhu pets. Recommended for ages four and up.
Bizu Style Studio, $19.97
Girls choose their beads, watch them slide down the rotating storage dispenser like candy, and bead them to create up to 4 bracelets with the included elastics and beading tool. Bracelets can be worn alone, hooked together to make a necklace, or twisted to transform into a little animal to play with or hook on a backpack or cell phone. No batteries are required. Recommended for ages six and up (beads are a choking hazard for kids under three.)
Fijit Friends, $39.99
The Fijit Friends are four colorful, interactive 11" robotic friends with cute names and personalities to match. They dance, play music, talk, tell jokes, laugh, and respond to over 30 voice commands. The voice recognition software may be difficult for younger children to master, though, and requires little background noise and a loud, clear speaking voice. Each Fijit Friend is sold separately and requires 5 AA batteries. Recommended for ages six and up.
2011 Top Boys Toys for Christmas
Hot Wheels Wall Tracks Starter Set, $29.99
The standard Hot Wheel race track complete with flips, loops, and jumps gets a makeover with Hot Wheels Wall Tracks. The tracks stick to the wall with non-marking command hooks (and come with easy-to-follow directions so you know exactly where to put them.) Most boys have dozens of Hot Wheels cars already, and parents will love that the track runs on gravity - not batteries. Start with the starter set and add extras like the Drift Rally Spinout, Downhill Flip Drop, Daredevil Curve, and Gorilla Attack. Recommended for ages four and up.
The Trash Pack Garbage Truck, $19.99
This plastic garbage truck is not only fun for your little guy to drive around his room, it's also a storage device for Trashies. Trashies are tiny, collectible, tradable figures for boys. Each squishy little mini monster comes with its own pop-top garbage can for storage. The garbage truck comes with flip and dump action to toss and launch the Trashies. This toy is available only at Toys 'R Us and is recommended for ages five and up.
Transformers Dark of the Moon Ultimate Optimus Prime, $79.99
Measuring 22" with wings fully extended, this is the biggest Optimus Prime figure on the market. Boys who love Transformers will want to get their hands on this leader of the autobots, which can be played with in robot mode, truck and trailer mode, or power up mode. Optimus Prime comes with built in weapon enhancements, battle lights, and sound effects. Batteries are included. Recommended for ages five and up.
These six hot toys for Christmas 2011for girls and boys will sell out quickly this holiday season, so make your list and shop early! These popular Christmas gift ideas for kids are engaging, fun, and appeal to a wide variety of age ranges and budgets.
Sources:
Toys 'R Us 2011 Hot Holiday Toy List (accessed October 26, 2011.)
Target.com (accessed October 26, 2011.)
Jenny Evans - Jenny Evans is a freelance writer and editor specializing in parenting and the family. She is also the Mormonism Topic Editor for ...
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