Toys kids will ask Santa for
Plenty of newbies but Lego still a favourite
WITH Christmas just around the corner parents are pounding the pavement, or keyboards, looking for gifts to leave under the tree.
While some newbies have made it into toy stores and onto Christmas lists this year, toys such as Lego building kits, appear to be evergreen. As there are so many toys and gadgets on the market and most wish lists are no doubt very long how do you whittle it down?
To help you, the Daily Dispatch has compiled a list of top toys drawn from best sellers at local toy stores and various online sites. The prices included are average prices at the time of writing. The list is in no particular order:
● Disney Tsum Tsum Lights and Sounds Plush Toy (ages 3+) R149.90. A soft toy that comes to life with lights and sounds.
● Shopkins S5 Collectors Case R299.90. Shopkins is a range of small, collectable plastic figurines each with a unique face and name. These toys have spawned a line of books and trading cards, as well as a YouTube channel. In SA the toy line is currently in season five.
● Selfie Mic (ages 5-11) R399.90. An adjustable selfie stick with karaoke microphone, earpiece and free StarMaker app.
● Foda Quadcopter, R899.90, is a mini quadcopter which can perform rolling stunts;
● Yokai Season 1 Yo Kai Watch and two medals (ages 4+) R399.90. When used with the medals, the Yokai watch plays sounds, music, and phrases. It recognises over 100 collectible medals;
● Chatimals (ages 3) R169.90. A “I Say What You Say” talking soft toy.
● Lego City 60121 Volcano Exploration Truck (ages 5-12) R299.90. Featuring off-road tyres, bullbar on the front, a drill to crack boulders open, a lifting hook and space in the back to transport a “boulder”, plus a boulder with a crystal element inside. Includes two mini figures;
● Pie Face Showdown Game (ages 5+) R225.49. Players load the arm with whipped cream (not included) or the included sponge. Then each player places their chin on one of the chin rests and at the count of three, rapidly mashes the button nearest to them, which activates the hand on the throwing arm. The player who doesn’t get “pie-faced” wins;
● Lego Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster Building Kit (ages 812) R1131.83. This lego set is full of detailed functions and accessories for a day at the iconic Amusement Park. Includes mini-doll figures.
● Trolls Operation Board Game (ages 6+) R268.70. In the Operation Game: DreamWorks Trolls edition, Poppy and her friends have tiny charms stuck in their flowing hair and need help getting them out. When all of the charms have been collected, the player with the most charms wins.
● Lego Disney Princess Belle Enchanted Castle Building Kit (ages 612) R565.84. Features a two-story enchanted castle with a ballroom area, kitchen, dining room, bedroom and balcony room;
● Trolls Glitterific Guy Diamond (ages 4-18) R282.85. Kids can recreate and imagine scenes from the movie with this totally poseable doll. He comes with two accessories: his superstar shades and a comb.
● Mota JetJat Ultra drone with One Touch Take Off and Landing (ages 8 and up) R2 500. Take photos and video. Impress your friends with aerial flips. This drone can perform advanced stunts right from the palm of your hand!
● Luscious Skates Pure Passion R1 119. Retro-designed skates for either indoor or outdoor.
● LeapFrog Count and Colours Band (6 months t-3 years) R380. Get little ones jamming to early development skills. Play five instruments, explore three learning modes.
● Peg Mini Bean Longboard R1 000. A high performance junior skateboard with a small standing platform that is ideal for cruising and free-riding.
● Monopoly Board Game (ages 8 and older) R270. Own it all as a high-flying trader in the fast-paced world of real estate; and of course
● Playstation 4 500GB slim console R4 999.
Slaters Toy Magic owner Debbie Maclachlan said since the beginning of October, parents had been stocking up on a variety of toys in preparation for the festive season.
For boys, Maclachlan said the new trolls figurines and Lego and Nerfs guns had been flying off the shelves. Little girls also favoured Lego, with Shopkins and the My Little Puppy collections also on top.
“Lego is an old favourite for the children which never goes out of fashion. There are new ranges right now which the kids just love,” she said.
“The Nerfs guns are hugely popular right now, although they are not new to the market. They come with rubber bullets although there are bullets which come without the gun – parents can come and stock up again if the kids run out.”
Maclachlan said the Shopkins miniature toy characters come with their own collector’s case, just like the Puppy in my Pocket.
“A surprise one is how popular the Rubick’s Cube is, which has made a huge comeback for both girls and boys. The manufacturers have made ones for the little ones as well which are slightly different in size and design from the ones we know.
“For the younger children, which are in the age group of six to 36 months, the most popular toys are those in the Fisher Price and Leap Frog range. Kids [this age] just love toys that light up and make noises.”
Looking at hit toys internationally, although both have been introduced in SA – Pie Face was voted game of the year by the International Toy Industry Association and then there is the Hatchimals range which has practically sold out worldwide.
These interactive furry creatures hatch from an egg to produce one in a range of five bird-like species.
Toys R Us marketing manager Nicole Annells said the shortage of Hatchimals could mean many children will not have one under their Christmas tree this year.
“Hatchimals have been extremely popular and the demand continues to grow nationwide but at this stage most of our stores are sold out with the exception of a few, which have limited stock available,” she said.
According to Annells, popular toys this year are tech and interactive toys, collectibles and franchise merchandise.
“Popular classics such as dolls, cars, plush toys, figurines and educational toys have proven to remain firm favourites year on year.
“Technology and gaming remains a leading toy trend while toys inspired by popular animation blockbusters also continue to propel the industry.”
For children who love gaming, BT Games have listed war, shooter and dance games among their 2016 best sellers.
Marketing manager Karl Klöpfer said for boys Fifa 17, Lego Dimensions, WWE 2K17, Forza Horizon 3, Battlefield 1, Rugby Challenge 3, Uncharted 4 and Steep for the snowboarding and skiing lovers came out on top.
“The girls loved Just Dance 2017, released a couple of weeks ago. It is great fun and interactive and girls love the dancing thing, and boys too,” Klöpfer said.
“The Sims 4: City Living is also popular and was released as an expansion pack for Sims 4. Sims games are still popular.
Lastly let’s mention Pokémon Sun and Moon. This is brand new and was massively popular given the Pokémon Go craze that hit earlier this year.”
Besides gaming, smartphone apps are also gaining popularity in keeping children entertained.
Most of the apps are usually linked to a popular toy available on the market.
In a story which appeared in the Sunday Times recently, John Jordaan, managing director of Prima Toys, said there was a growing interest in app-related toys.
Jordan said one popular app is Stikbot, which uses stick characters to create videos.
Available in 12 different colours with suction-cup hands and feet that can stick to almost any flat surface, the little figurines are also able to make poses.
The StikBot Studio app is able to take individual photos and animates the characters into a film, complete with music and sound effects.
Jordan was quoted as saying: “We don’t have a benchmark so we can’t say by how much sales are up. Stikbot is new to South Africa. The whole category of app-related toys is growing internationally. A lot of major toy manufacturers are looking at tech as a next sort of avenue. Up to 10 years ago kids up to the age of 12 were still playing with toys. But now you have lost them by the age of eight to technology.”
Two parents spoken to said the modern toy selection left them stumped when it came to Christmas shopping, but their children were still fans of classics such as Lego.
Kathy Nawdish, shopping for her 10-year-old son, said Lego was still a huge hit in her home.
“But he loves the novel things too. I was in Port Elizabeth the other day and I found a hover soccer ball which I thought was simply fantastic and I know he’ll love it too,” she said.
Another parent, Phumeza Dumbashe, said her two boys and girl loved to try new things. “If they see a toy on TV chances are they’ll ask me for it. Right now it’s the Trolls and the Shopkins because everyone at school has them but I don’t know what they might like for Christmas, I’m still searching.” —