Krista QQ(www.123giftfactory.com) asked:


All toy companies are eager to grow sales in a stagnant $22 billion market, they want to know which toys are “hot” for the year. Invariably, the toy trends for the year are strongly influenced by movies being released that year. This year, there are some awesome icons vying for our attention - Indiana Jones, the Incredible Hulk, Iron Man and Batman. Aside from these superheroes, the hot toy trends for 2008 also include dinosaurs, robots, musical toys and of course, web connected toys!

Aside from these, “Electronics and the Internet. That’s what kids are obsessed about today,” said Jim Silver, editor and co-publisher of Toy Wishes magazine. “They have an iPod, they are on Facebook and some are e-mailing by age five.”

1. Web Connected Toys

IToysWe all know and love Webkinz, the pioneer of the “virtual toy” revolution. Webkinz is still doing very well and now has been joined by several other toy manufacturers. Russ’s Shining Stars, TY Girlz, Barbie and now even TY’s Beanie Babies. Aside from dolls and plush toys, there’s a brand new preschool game which nicely incorporates play and technology. It’s called Me2 from IToys. Also worth noting is Clickables, a wonderful line of toys from Technosource. Clickables integrates the virtual world of Disney Fairies with toys for girls. There are a lot of other web connected toys and dolls. My collegue, the Doll Collecting guide, has a great article up on the virtual doll trend.

2. Dinosaur Toys

Dinosaurs have been around for a while now, (remember the very recent Pleo?), but they certainly made their presence felt at the Toy Fair! Here is one dinosaur which was hard to miss - Kota the Triceratops from Playskool. This friendly creature is pretty tall at approximately 40 feet and is equipped with sensors, which when activated, make him move his head, tail and horns. Kids will enjoy sitting on this playful (and very pricey) creature. Another dino in the spotlight comes to use from Mattel. D-Rex, a remote controlled dinosaur with a lot of different sounds and realistic motions aims to fascinate kids this year.

3. Indiana Jones Toys

HasbroIndiana Jones is really something to look forward to this year. The movie Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is slated to be one of the hot movies of 2008. It’s no wonder then, that Lego, Hasbro and the rest have jumped onto Indy’s bandwagon! The plot of the movie isn’t yet revealed fully. Still, Lego had some wonderful sets based on Indiana Jones. The Indiana Jones LEGO sets include Indiana Jones Temple Escape, Indiana Jones Race for the Stolen Treasure, Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb and Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase. Some of Hasbro’s Indiana Jones offerings include Mr Potato Head: Taters of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones Sound FX Whip and of course Indiana Jones action figures.

4. Science and Nature Related Toys

Jakks PacificI noticed a large variety of Science Kits and nature themed toys at this year’s Toy Fair. Elmers (the glue company) had some really cool science kits represented by Bill Nye, the science guy. Scientific Explorer had a lot of fun kits to offer where kids can experiment with fascinating stuff like bubbles, perfumes, volcanoes and more. The biggie in the science category is none other than EyeClops from Jakks Pacific, which has updated versions(read night vision and higher magnification) available. Also, Uncle Milton of the Ant Farm fame had some cool Indiana Jones based products to show.

5. Batman - The Dark Knight Toys

MattelThe new Batman movie, The Dark Knight is slated to be released later this year. Mattel has a host of Batman related toys and action figures up their sleeve. The Stealth Batmobile and the Wayne Tech Tri Fire Blaster are must haves. Apart from those two, there are a lot of pretend play options and Batman action figures from Mattel. Lego also has some great Batman themed construction sets for release this year.

6. Speed Racer Toys

MattelSpeed Racer is another big movie franchise on which Mattel has a great lineup of toys. I know that Hot Wheels has a Morph Mach 6 vehicle and an interactive helmet to offer as well as the Speed Racer Sky Jump Track Set among other toy vehicles. The movie should spark off a craze for racing and toy cars which is going to be huge. Lego also had some great Speed Racer kits on display at Toy Fair. Personally, I think this is THE franchise to watch out for.

7. Animated Toys/Robots

Fisher-PriceOk, so by now everyone must have heard of Elmo Live, right? Well, the animated toy trend seems to be very prevalent this year with Elmo Live, Hasbro’s Biscuit, Playskool’s Kota the Triceratops, Tomy’s ISobot and more. While I’m on the topic, let me mention that I just previewed an adorable duckling from Hasbro’s Furreal Friends line - it’s too cute for words. Just like me, it seems like everyone enjoys seeing animated animals nowadays!

8. Iron Man Toys

HasbroHasbro has a fantastic line of action figures based on the Iron Man. This is another movie franchise for this year which is going to be popular with Marvel fans.

9. Green Toys

It’s no wonder that everyone is focusing on healthy and safe play this year. The “green” theme is predominant with many toy firms promoting their eco-friendly products. One toy manufacturer which I really liked was Plan toys from Indonesia which had a wonderful lineup of natural wooden toys. There were some toys made out of recycled milk bottles from a company called Green Toys. They had tea sets, gardening sets and beach sand sets on display which looked very appealing. I also noticed the Kapla line of wooden construction planks which falls into the “green” category as well. 12. Classic Toys - Lots of Anniversaries!

10. The Incredible Hulk Toys

HasbroThe Hulk was at a lot of places at Toy Fair 2008. I specially loved the Kid Designs line of Hulk laptops and learning toys. Hasbro has a fantastic lineup of Hulk toys including the much awaited Hulk Smash Hands, a plush animated Hulk toy, conventional Hulk action figures, a Hulk power glow electronic mask, a Hulk dart blaster and much more. Looks like “green” is popular in more ways than one!

11. Musical Toys

KID Designs For the last couple of years, toys based on musical instruments have really grown in popularity. Remember Piano Wizard, Piano Made Easy, I Can Play Guitar, Guitar Hero and the other toys on similar lines? This, along with musical toys based on celebrities like Hannah Montana and hit TV shows like American Idol practically dominated the musical toy scene. This year, the trend continues with some more Hannah Montana toys, new DVD games based on American Idol (KIDDesigns has an awesome American Idol DVD game) and much more. Stay tuned. (pun not intended)

12. Keyboard for toddlers, Wallcrawler Spiderman

The portable DVD player is made to withstand a kid’s abuse. It features a 3.2-inch color TFT screen, rechargeable batteries with a two-hour lifespan, an anti-skip buffer, grip handles and a stand for hands-free viewing. The player, which plays DVDs and CDs, comes with a battery charger and wall power unit, a video output jack, and a headphone jack.

13. Wall Crawler Spider-Man

“Wall Crawler Spider-Man” is a standout innovation from Hasbro. The remote-controlled Spider-Man toy, which incorporates vacuum-pump technology, actually crawls ups and down walls.

Last, but not the least, classic toys are very much in the forefront. This year, many classics were celebrating their anniversaries. Hasbro’s My Little Pony celebrated their 25th anniversary with a lovely birthday party at the Hasbro showroom, complete with a cake cutting! Cabbage Patch Kids celebrates it’s 25th anniversary as well. The LEGO brick celebrates its 50th anniversary with a commemorative gold brick. Other brands celebrating this year include Scholastic’s Clifford, the big red dog, the Toy Company’s Wham-O and Mary Meyer (who is turning 75 this year). We’ll wind up with congratulating Hasbro’s Mr Potato Head who is turning 80 this year. Way to go!

Jeffrey Fang asked:


Webkinz are the big buzz in kid’s toys today. So first of all, what exactly are Webkinz? Webkinz are stuffed toy animals released by the Ganz corporation in April of 2005. The toys are similar to regular plush toys except for the fact that they come with a special code on their labels that allows for special access to the hugely popular “Webkinz World” which is a site that operates as a “virtual” version of the individual pet for complete virtual interaction. Smaller, less expensive versions of the toys, called “Lil Kinz” are also available. The appeal of collecting webkinz is that the more webkinz you buy, the more rooms, money and other items you get. Webkinz has also opened it’s very own online eStore in June of 2008.

Regular Webkinz cost around $15, while the Lil Kinz cost around $10. The only difference between the two is that the Lil Kinz are cheaper. The tag is found on it’s paw. When you open this tag, you will find a special code. You then go to the webkinz website and click on the “new member” tab. Or if you already have a Webkinz account, you login using that account. Ms. Birdy, the website’s adoption bird, will be your guide through the website.

When you create an account is when the fun actually begins! When you adopt a Webkinz toy, you also receive 2000 kinz cash. Kinz cash is the currency of Webkinz, or just simply Webkinz money. You can do a lot of things with this money such as decorating your room, buying cool, funky clothing or you can even go to the Webkinz Academy and pay for classes to make your pet smarter. It is important to remember that kinz cash has no real value in the real world. Additionally, you will receive a free medium sized room for your house. A welcome gift with three exclusive items are also included. Exclusive items can usually be interesting furniture.

It’s easy for kids to totally fall in love with Webkinz. Additionally there are various other Webkinz merchandise. Each of which comes with the feature code which unlocks amazing prizes! Webkinz charms is a classic prize example. With this charm you can unlock the Magical Charm Forest and hunt for virtual charms, or win additional kinz cash, secret food recipes and so many more amazing prizes!

With Webkinz the possibilities are endless! Getting started with Webkinz is easy, so go out and get a Webkinz and be prepared to enter the coolest virtual world ever created!

Webkinz Tips For Parents

Staying on top of your kid’s interests can be a very difficult task for parents. Especially when you have multiple kids who like different things. As a parent you want to be able to give answers to you kids when they come to you for help. Well Webkinz and Webkinz World are no different.

As a parent of a kid who is into Webkinz, having Webkinz Tips and information at your finger tips can be invaluable. Just knowing that information can be available in those difficult times gives you a warm feeling. Here are a few resources you can go to to get the Webkinz help you need…

Webkinz Search - Performing a search on Google for the terms Webkinz tips, Webkinz help, Webkinz information can give you a lot of resources to research. But there is no interactivity.

Webkinz Forums & Blogs - Forums and Blogs about webkinz can be the best place to visit to ask your question. When you post to either a Blog or Forum there is interactivity. Hopefully some one sees your post and is knowledgeable about your subject. They provide you the answer you need. There are thousands of people that all they do is sit in forums answering question.

Webkinz Site - The Webkinz site has a limited set of information to help the parent understand Webkinz World

Webkinz Print Media - For those that are not the best learners on-line. There are quite a few books that you can get a hold of that provide Webkinz tips and help.