Toys&Games

Each and every year there is a list of “must-have” toys for the Holiday season and it seems that each year the gifts get more and more extravagant. As a toy reviewer and researcher for Kidazy.com I watch these toys upcoming on the market and after a while you begin to know which toys are going to be successful “must have” holiday items. This year, however, does have some very affordable toys on the list for those of you like me who don’t care to spend hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to get that one over-priced, under-stocked toy of the season.

Transformers
Transformers are a must for kids this year and the fortunate part of this toy is that they are more than affordable, the unfortunate part of this toy is that they are getting harder and harder to find as the holiday season draws near. The best places to begin searching for the Transformers toys are your local Walmart and Target stores. You can find online stores which carry the Transformers toys; however, I advise avoiding sites such as Ebay where you will end up paying twice the toys worth when immediately following the holiday season you are going to be able to find these toys everywhere for their retail price. If you can’t find them in regular stores at regular prices, my tip is to wrap up a gift certificate with a picture of the toy you’re going to get. DON’T OVERSPEND!

Bratz Dolls
Bratz Dolls have been big for years but this year with the release of the Bratz movie they are making a bigger comeback and new dolls have been released to compliment the movie release. The dolls are also reasonably priced and pretty easy to find in any toy store but again if you can’t find the one you want keep looking, don’t get ripped off for hundreds of dollars for something that’s going to be regular priced right after the holidays. I don’t think you will have an issue finding these toys for the holiday season though.

Wii
The Wii console is one of the high end more expensive gifts for this holiday season just as it was last year; however, they are a little easier to find this season than they were last. The cost of the console, $249.99, is more reasonable than most consoles out there and the interactivity of the unit makes it a great gift for kids as far as video game consoles go. The consoles are currently in and out of stock in most local stores (either Walmarts and Targets or specialized video game stores.) The consoles will begin to sell out again right before Christmas though so if you intend on picking one up this year make sure you grab it while you can still find it.

Playstation III
The Playstation III is the highest end toy on the Christmas list this year. The reason it made the hot toys list is because of the recent price cut. These consoles are a lot easier to find in stores this year than they were last but like the Wii console they will begin to sell out the closer it gets to the holiday season. If it comes down to the PSIII or the Wii my choice would be the Wii because it encourages physical activity whereas the PSIII encourages more sedentary playing.

Barbie
Barbie is always and will always be a great gift idea for a child during the holiday season. Barbie is affordable and collectible which makes it ideal for parents of all social standing to give as a gift. Also don’t forget that each year there is a collectible Holiday Barbie which is released and these make great additions to any Barbie collectors collection!

Nintendo DS and the PSP
Both the Nintendo DS and the PSP have come down in price considerably since their initial release. What I love about these two video game systems is that they are both affordable and portable which makes them extremely handy for families that have to travel over the holidays. The PSP also plays movies which inches it ahead of the DS in terms of desirability; however both are affordable enough and useful enough to make it on to the hot toys of this holiday seasons list!

So there you have some ideas for this year’s Holiday shopping list! Make sure to start your shopping early to make sure you get your toys before the crazy shopping rush! Shopping early also helps make sure that you get your toys at retail price and don’t end up overspending on auction sites and through third party sellers. Good luck in your shopping and remember, holiday shopping doesn’t have to cost a fortune!

By : Amy T