I finally got a good connection of the internet at my house so now I can write weekly. Tis the season to start thinking about gifts. Gifts for friends, family, associates , you name it.
I am going to give you my own list of the toys I just KNOW are going to be hot this holiday season. Most people would use the word "prediction". I wont use that word because predictions can be wrong. I believe 100% in what I am saying and in what I know, so here is my list of " Toys that will be HOT during the 2007 Holiday Season".
" Toys that will be HOT during the 2007 Holiday Season":
1. The Fisher-Price Digital Arts and Crafts Studio- this thing is amazing. I HAVE TO GET ONE FOR XMAS!!! Who is going to get one for me?Hopefully my dear, lovely, doctor sister will because I love her with all of my heart. This studio is amazing!! It allows you to draw, color, everything- it hooks up to your computer and you can save your art. Do you guys remember the guy on PBS who had the afro- he painted "Happy Trees" - he would start with a blank slate and end up with a canvas that was absolutely amazing. Sometimes , while painting, he would dip his brush in some paint, and you'd be like," Hey man, what are you doing, now you KNOW that color isnt right!". BUt somehow, at the end of the show, everything would blend and his canvas would be amazing- he always drew landscapes. So having the Arts and Crafts Studio is like having your own PBS show.You can print and save everything you've created. Mark my world AMERICA- this WILL Be the best selling toy this season. Its only $44.
2. Aqua Dots - This is a device that allows you to create items using dots, then the dots bind and you have your masterpiece, voila. This is really neat too. Im going to buy this for myself. This will be a big seller.
3. The Fisher Price Light Sketcher - This is so COOL!!! Maybe somebody working for Fisher Price will send me one of these. This is like the Magna Doodle, but only better. It allows you to draw with light. So when you are in a car, and its dark, and you're bored, you can take out your Light Sketcher and draw-I love it!!! This is $29.99 at Target.You can draw in 3 different patterns - line, dotted line, or dashes. This is going to be a top seller.
So Fisher Price will definitely have at least 2 of the top 5 toys this season. Wow, Fisher Price is on a roll. They always are. F-P and the Sesame Street gang- I wonder what type of Elmo will be invented this season??
Now the rest are just dashed because I think they are interesting but I have not ranked them yet and I dont know if they deserve to be ranked.
- GI JOE Collection box- For all of us between the ages of 20-35, we all remember GI JOE. G.I Joe, American Hero. Hasbro has created a GI JOE Anniversary Collectors box that commemorates the 25th anniversary of GI JOE. The "gift box" is nice and simple. I like it. BUt if I got one , I wouldnt play with it. I would keep it nice and closed so it would be worth money at the 50th anniversary celebration. So if anyone buys one of these, I think they will have to buy 2: one they can play with and one they would reserve. This might make Hasbro some money. But not as much money as F-P's going to be making with that Art Studio.
- Nerf: Nerf has come up with a NERF Disk Shot that has 6 darts and 6 foam discs that can be shot through the air. The concept is neat but I dont know how safe it is. What happens if I shoot my sister in the face with it. Is the foam soft enough that it wont hurt anyone? Thats my only concern. But Nerf has really come out with some great products this season.
- Transformers- Transformers are a brand, not a company. Walking into the toy store, you would think it was the opposite.There are WAY too many Transformer toys. With the release of the Transformers on DVD, it will spark an interest in their toys. Lots of money has been spent on the trasnformer Toys. The Optimus Prime Voice Changer is cool. You know whats even cooler? The Transformers Projector System which allows you to project a stencil drawing on a sheet of paper, and then you can stand at your big piece of paper and draw whats being projected. This is really neat. You see how arts and crafts are really big this season? Kids like to do things with their hands and use their imagination. The F-P arts and Crafts studio uses the imagination more than this Transformers Projector System, but yet this Projector system is neat.
- Rose Art: Rose Art needs to be bought by Hasbro. They are always doing great things. I dont know how many times I need to say this. If Hasbro doesnt buy them, Mattel will. Mattel makes their money from acquisitions. This is what Hasbro needs to start doing. Rose Art creates a lot of "do it yourself" toys. I have their cotton candy machine, which works quite well. Rose Art now has a "Hover & Spin Paint Machine". This is so cool. You stick your paper on the machine. The paper spins and you drop paint on the spinning paper, different colored paint, which eventually creates a painted masterpiece. State fairs usually have this spinning art thing. Now you can have one in your own home, and its only $14.99. This is going to be a hot toy once people see it. Rose art toys dont get good diplays in toy stores. I should rank this- this is my 4th top pick.
Rose Art also has a deluxe pottery wheel and a on the Go Art cup which is ideal for little kids.
-- SpinMaster - another company that needs to be acquired. Spin Master is really making their mark, coming up with innovative technologies. The Spin Master Tech Deck and skateboards are quite nifty. So is the Girl Crush Air Brush Tattoo system, which allows you to airbrush a fake tattoo onto your skin or your friends skin. No longer do you have to rub fake tatoos on.
The following toys are interesting to look at and may interest you:
The Spider Man and friends toy collection. The toys have soft upper bodies, which make them ideal for little kids.
Playskool's Spider Man Sing Along - Now when I think of Spider Man , I think of a big tough guy. Who in the world created a sing along spider man?? HUH?? Thats like creating a sing along BatMan or a sing along Transformer?? Im surprised this toy made it through quality control at Hasbro. However, this toy is intended for kids 5 and below, in my opinion. At that age, kids dont know that Spider Man is supposed to be tough. So in actuality, this toy may work. All the kid wants to do is sing, so I think this toy may sell well, but the age group that likes this toy will be very specific- I say 5 and below.No 9 year old kid is going to want this toy. This Spider Man even has a soft soothing voice. When is Hasbro going to make a GloWorm that talks and can say goodnight in English and Spanish??
If I had a baby, I would buy the kid a Fisher Price learning DJ. The Dj has moving eyes and rocks to the beat of ABCS and 123. This toy is HOT!!! IF you know any kids below the age of 7, you really need to get them the F-P Learning DJ. Its interactive as well. Ill rank this as #5, especially for kids below the age of 7.
I like the Wish with Me little Cinderella & Little ARiel. It doesnt do anything. I just like the sounds it makes and the way the crown lights up. I really like the way the crown lights up. The Barbie Glamour Pup toy is okay too, if youre into Barbie. Im not.
Barbie is for Mattel what Transformers may be for Hasbro this season.
The Hannah Montana CD BOard game may do well too. DIsney knows how to make their money.
Toys that are just dangerous: The F-P Jeff Gordon Shake N Go. What happens if the car shoots into someone's face??
Summary: Buy the Arts and Crafts Studio for your young ones. And the light sketcher . Fisher-Price (which is owned my Mattel) will be the biggest money maker this season unless other toy companies come out with something between now and Xmas.Rose Art and Spinmaster will also do quite well. Transformers will give Hasbro a little boost and the GI JOe commemorative box needs better marketing so that people my age know about it. Put a commercial on MTV,VH1, and ESPN and then people will know about it. Do a commercial during "Dancing with the Stars" and have an ad at the baseball field where the baseball playoffs are occurring. Try placing them in the men's section instead of in the toy section.
There you have it, my picks for Winter 2007- AMY
