It’s October, and fall is officially in full swing. (How did that happen so quickly?)
Even though the season is just now starting to change, media and bloggers alike have had the holidays in mind for months now. In fact, I think I went to my first holiday preview back in May?
Nevertheless, I’m excited once again to curate—what I consider—cool new kid gear that would make fun gift for the holidays. But this week, to get the season started right, I had the chance to attend Time to Play magazines Holiday Showcase here in NYC.
The pros, Chris Byrne, content director, and Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of TimetoPlayMag.com unveiled Time to Play’s Most Wanted list, the 16 toys they predict will be the “must haves” for the upcoming holiday season. And once again, NKT was onhand to check things out and tweet all about it.
And here they are, TimetoPlayMag.com’s Most Wanted List for the 2010 Holiday Season:
- AIR HOGS MOTO FRENZY
(Spin Master/Ages 8 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $24.99)
- DISNEY PRINCESS & ME DOLLS
(JAKKS Pacific/Ages 6 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $49.99)
- HOT WHEELS R/C STEALTH RIDES
(Mattel/Ages 6 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $24.99)
- LEAPSTER EXPLORER
(LeapFrog/Ages 4 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $69.99)
- LEGO Games – LEGO Systems
(LEGO/Ages 7 years & up/Approx. Retail Price $29.99)
- LOOPZ
(Mattel/Ages 7 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $29.99)
- MONSTER HIGH Dolls
(Mattel/Ages 6 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $16.99)
- NERF N-STRIKE STAMPEDE ECS Blaster
(Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $49.99)
- PAPER JAMZ
(WowWee/Ages 5 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $24.99)
- REAL CONSTRUCTION
(JAKKS Pacific/Ages 5 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $24.99)
- SCRABBLE FLASH
(Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $29.99)
- SING-A-MA-JIGS
(Mattel/Ages 3 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $12.99)
- SQUINKIES
(Blip Toys/Ages 4 years & up /Approx. Retail Price: $6.99)
- TONKA CHUCK & FRIENDS CHUCK’S STUNT PARK Playset
(Hasbro Playskool/Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $39.99)
- V.READER
(VTech/Ages 3 years & up/Approx. Retail Price: $59.99)
- ZOOBLES
(Spin Master/Ages 4 years & up/ Approx. Retail Price: $4.99)
They also highlighted three family-friendly video games, which include:
- Kirby’s epicYarn
- Epic Mickey
- Dance Central
Most of the toys at the showcase were toys that I’ve had the chance to check out at Toy Fair, at media previews or have even been dubbed NKT faves, so some of the “must haves” were no surprise. They’re all great picks, but I have several more on my radar that I think should’ve made the mark. I’ll be sure to share those in my holiday gift guide, which is coming soon.
Do you guys see any toys that you think might be the “it” toy this year?
Whatever you think might be hot, put it on your radar NOW. Time to Play’s sage advice for consumers and industry insiders alike: “If you see it early, grab it early.”
