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TMCNet: All they want for Christmas: Parents seek hottest toys to put under tree

[November 27, 2009]

All they want for Christmas: Parents seek hottest toys to put under tree

Nov 27, 2009 (The Decatur Daily - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Christmas shopping season is a time for children to dream and parents to stress.

Finding the top toys children fantasize about unwrapping can be as frustrating as trolling for a parking space on Black Friday.

Zhu Zhu Pets and Mindflex are the top two must haves, according to a Target employee who was working the toy aisle at the Decatur store. The store is frequently sold out of both items.

Pet alternative Zhu Zhu Pets are an alternative to live hamsters. They dart through hamster tubes, squeak and respond to petting but never poop or eat.

An electronic hamster retails for about $10 with the accessories ranging from $10 to $25.

Mattel's Mindflex, for ages 8 an up, is a wireless headset that reads a player's brainwave activity. Concentrate, and the ball will rise on a cushion of air. Relax, and the ball descends. It retails for about $60.

Finding Mindflex and Zhu Zhu Pets could put parents' brains into overdrive.

"We never know for sure when we'll get a shipment, so I don't know if we'll have either item for Black Friday," the Target employee said. "Your best bet is to keep checking with us on shipments." Other store Web sites list these items as "out of stock," including Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.

Hard-to-get toys at Wal-Mart are the Merry Madagascar plush characters.

Wal-Mart teamed with DreamWorks Animation on its Christmas animated movie "Merry Madagascar" and is selling character pajamas, fleece throws and plush animals. The plush animals are $9 each and include the hippo, lion and penguin characters.

The week of Nov. 3, when Wal-Mart released the items, the Athens store sold out. Madison mother Jennifer Janzen found only two plush animals remaining at that week's end.

Not all children have holiday visions of fake hamsters, mind-reading games and plush Madagascar characters.

Tess Hicks, 5, of Athens memorized her list for her visit with Santa at the annual Christmas Open House in downtown Athens.

"A Bolt animal, computer and video game," Tess said, and then clarified, "a Bolt stuffed animal." Bolt is a Disney dog character.

The video game Tess wants under her tree is an iCarly Wii game. The game, based on the Nickelodeon television show, allows players to design their own Webisodes.

Santa said Tess wasn't the only child interested in Wii games. The Wii video game system, Nintendo DS and scooters were the most requested items during his trip to Athens.

"And Barbie is still going strong," Santa said.

To see more of The Decatur Daily, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.decaturdaily.com Copyright (c) 2009, The Decatur Daily, Ala.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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