Last year, holiday history repeated itself when the highly-coveted Zhu Zhu Pet -- a $10 battery-operated hamster -- echoed tragic toy crazes of previous years, including the Cabbage Patch Kids insanity of 1982, when parents lined up in front of toy stores hours before the doors opened and trampled each other once inside for the chance to buy a soft-faced doll.
And it got worse: In the ‘90s, the "Tickle Me Elmo" frenzy left two moms, a dad and a Walmart clerk in critical condition. In 1998, the holiday Furby frenzy prompted two suicides, a shoot-out and a million-dollar lawsuit.
For some parents, it becomes more about the quest than the gift. The fact is, by January or February, these impossible-to-locate toys are overstocked on end caps in stores across the country. But that doesn’t matter the week before Christmas, when some parents become obsessed with getting their hands on the goods du jour for Juniorette.
Will there be a toy this year that will make parents completely lose their cookies? So far, there doesn’t seem to be one gift that’s stealing the limelight.
Toys R Us published its list of Hot Holiday Toys for 2010 which includes a cache of cuteness like Blink Toys’ Squinkies, which are miniature figures that fit inside a toy vending machine, and the colorful, singable Sing-a-ma-jing plush dolls.
It seems the hottest gifts this year, like the Zhu Zhu Pets, are under $20. Whereas many kids might have visions of PlayStations, the price of adorable sugarplum-type toys like the above mentioned affordable options -- now available for both boys and girls -- are probably more realistic.
Annabelle Gardner has three kids and describes her family as "under-employed" compared to last holiday season.
"My husband went from getting overtime every week to being lucky if he got scheduled for 30 hours," she says. "I appreciate these cheaper toys that will allow us to have cool gifts for the kids to open that we can actually afford."
Other seasonal big sellers will most likely include Lalaloopsy dolls, which retail for about $25, and are similar in concept to the Cabbage Patch doll. Each Lalaloopsy comes with her own story, what she was sewn from, the date she was sewn, a poster and a pet. Doll owners are also invited to "play" with their doll online.
Nerf continues to corner the market on big plastic weapons that won’t shoot your eye out. But those same eyes might not like what they see on the pricetag. For $53, the Nerf N-Strike Stampede ECS is going to be one of the big mainstream boy toys this year. Even though many parents do not permit their mini men to bear plastic arms, these "blaster" toys continue to clean-up in the sales department.
The holiday season is make-or-break for most holiday retailers because, for many toy companies, half of their annual revenue is made during the month of December. Toys are somewhat recession proof because parents will cut back on themselves -- or even ignore basic-need expenses to have cash on hand -- but lower-dollar options will most likely sell more than the pricier items.
Silly Bandz -- rubber band "bracelets" shaped like anything from sea creatures to numbers -- might have peaked in popularity this summer, but they will still rank as one of the top stocking stuffers of the season. Silly Bandz sell for under $5.
"I already stocked up on Silly Bandz for the kids. I am trying to take note of the cheap stuff they want when we’re out and about and then going back for it later," says Gardner.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
