The Scotsman

Flushed with success for Christmas

● Toilet game tipped as one of the toys most likely to be on wishlists

- By JANE BRADLEY Consumer Affairs Correspond­ent

It is an unusual take on the Russian roulette-style games which have become popular in recent years.

But now a board game which requires players to flush a toilet and risk being sprayed with water has been named among the likely festive bestsellin­g toys this year.

Toilet Trouble, which comes the year after Pieface, which sees players risk being hit in the face by whipped cream pies, was popular on children’s lists to Santa, has been tipped as being among the top 12 products to be sold at Christmas this year.

The game is joined on the list by toys including a brightly coloured monkey small enough to cling to a finger, an Enchantima­ls Playhouse Panda Set and a £74.99 Hatchimals Suprise.

Decided by a panel of leading toy retailers in the UK, The Toy Retailers Associatio­n’s Dreamtoys event publishes an annual list of the top 12 toys likely to be a big hit with youngsters

Gary Grant, chair of the Dreamtoys committee, said: “This year’s Dreamtoys Top 12 is an exciting range of innovative toys that demonstrat­e the creativity of the toy industry and the magic of Christmas.

“From the biggest collectibl­e trends and licenses of 2017 to exciting action products and board game sensations, this year’s list is incredibly diverse and with price points to suit all budgets.”

He added: “With so many products vying for a child’s attention it’s pleasing to be able to pick a list that promotes togetherne­ss, innovation and creative play that will capture the imaginatio­n this Christmas.”

Just 39 per cent of toy presents bought for children at Christmas will be directly driven from children’s wish lists or letters to Santa, while the rest of the presents will be chosen by parents who gain inspiratio­n from lists such as Dream Toys, the organisati­on said.

It added that “traditiona­l play patterns” were increasing­ly popular among youngsters, with games and puzzles and “plush and dolls” listed as the fastest-growing categories to date The collectibl­es craze continues this year with the L.O.L. Surprise Series 2, which requires children to peel back layers to find a small toy doll inside and tiny toy monkeys.

 ??  ?? 0 A girl plays with Toilet Trouble, one of the toys to make it on to the festive top 12 list. The toilet is part of a board game
PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES
0 A girl plays with Toilet Trouble, one of the toys to make it on to the festive top 12 list. The toilet is part of a board game PICTURE: GETTY IMAGES

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