Furreal Friends has been on a roll lately! It seems every time you turn around, they have one of the top toys for Christmas! (Or at least they'll make it into the top 10!)
So anyhow, we took a few moments to check out the newest Furreal Friends Pony. Butterscotch is the latest addition to the Furreal Friends stable, and it seems to be hit!
This pony actually looks at you when you speak and has more sensors built into it than my last 3 cars!
Kids can feed it a carrot, pet it, pretend to go for a ride and more. The pony makes clip clopping sounds and will interact with children on many different levels. If you can't manage to get your kid a real pony this year (Said with tongue firmly in cheek) then Butterscotch just might serve as a nice stop gap measure. haha!
Judging by the way the kids were crowding all around the display model at Toys R Us, I'd have to say this one would be quite the hit for younger children!
Ok, what can I say about the Wii Fit that you don't already know? This thing is downright hot this year. If there's one toy that will make headlines in newspapers all around the U.S. this years, it will be the Wii Fit... I can see it now: "2 angry shoppers battle it out in mortal combat for Wii Fit... Bystander happily makes off with Wii Fit as two knuckleheads duke it out..."
Ok, not that I'm wishing anything bad to happen, but you've seen those headlines MANY times before. The Wii Fit is the one toy I'm positive will cause otherwise normal people to act desperate when the store doors open this year after Black Friday.
So what's so special about this thing? Well, it's guilt-free fun! It's the one game where you can be do something healthy while having a good time. Not bad huh? The board that comes with the Wii Fit can measure your weight, your Body Fat Index, and even analyze whether or not you're doing the exercises correctly! Good stuff!
The games and workouts are numerous, so you don't have to worry about getting bored doing the same things over and over. I enjoyed using the board, and about the only game I didn't care for too much was the running. I'd rather do the real thing. Otherwise, the Yoga, the soccer, hula-hooping and others were actually pretty fun! I can definately see the younger generation having even more fun.
So there it is! The Wii Fit! The game that's been sold out in most stores even several months before Christmas! Your best bet is to find this online and pre-order it if available! Local stores told me people were already camping out in front of the stores 3 - 4 hours early to get these even before Halloween! Yep - It's that hot!
Here's how serious I am about these reviews... I've been up since 3:42 a.m. and I still managed to stumble my way into the bedroom to tap out the next review. :) I better get some extra stocking stuffers this year for this one... (I'll be sure to buy an extra large stocking this time around - haha)
Ok, here we go. The Air Hogs Havoc Heli Laser Battle... These mini copters are a blast. I'm sure you're already familiar with the non-laser version of these r/c's from last year, as these were super hot.
Pretty darn fun in basic trim, they're even more fun with the latest addition: a laser... I mean, come on; what item wouldn't be more fun with a laser attached? Fork.. Spoon... Steak Knife... Tennis shoes... All sounds good to me!
Now it's only fair I give you the pro's and the cons in these reviews. As much fun as these copters are to play with, they do take a bit of getting used to before you'll have anything resembling a stuctured battle. Right out of the box, you'll more than likely find yourself shooting your opponent more by accident than with any great sniper skills...
But if the "giftee" has had some seat time with a mini-copter before, he/she'll likely catch on much sooner. Either way, the Air Hogs Laser Battle copters are a lot of fun, durable, and a great toy for indoor use. If last year was any indication, these will probably sell out pretty quickly so I do recommend stocking up early! Take a look at the video review provided below to see these in action!
Have you ever experienced the pure unadulterated fun of a fully automatic Nerf Gun? If not, then I feel bad for you! It's a BLAST! Ok, maybe you're thinking to yourself that "wow - this guy needs to get out more."
Or perhaps you're laughing knowingly thinking about the last time you nailed someone on the forehead with the squishy foam nerf dart, and they were forced to pull it off with that little suction cup "pop" as they vowed to get their revenge...
Either way, there's no way around this... The Nerf N' Strike Vulcan simply ROCKS! I love this toy! Let's look at the facts:
- It shoots about 3 darts per second (Rapid fire ANYTHING is going to go over well with the kids!)
- It has a cool belt feeder that allows you to load it like you're about to do some heavy duty damage... It just feels right...
- The tripod is stable, and allows to firmly plant your N' Strike and take on all comers... Or you can carry it with you for some mobile mayhem!
Either way, the kids going to love this thing. You might want to get 2 though, as anyone from the male species is likely to fall in love with this thing. Way to go Nerf! Hit the target with this one! We've now covered toy #3 in our Top Toys for Christmas 2008 quest!
These are downright cool. An R/C car that can drive right up the wall and across the ceiling of your house is just far too neat of a trick to pass up! (You heard right... It drives UPSIDE DOWN)
2008 has delivered quite a punch to many of our wallets. What makes this toy so great for our Top Toys for Christmas list is that it is pretty darn cost effective. Less than $30 for something that will make the kids hop around in anticipation waiting to try it out is not half bad! (Especially when the average "hot item" these days seems to be $70 - $100 or even more!)
Anyhow, I had a blast with this thing. It drives my cat nuts as he stares at the ceiling and wall wondering to himself: "Hmmm... I wonder how I can get THAT! You know me though. I have to be the evil hot-rodder that drives it down the wall just far enough to where he thinks he mcan reach it, then tear off back up the wall as he leaps to snatch his prey...
Please don't send me hate mail for that admission! He loves it! Really! :)
I added a video review I found below as well as a pricing and availability link.
Ok, here's a quick review of one of the hot toys for Christmas... Now, you know a toy is going to be hot when it's already being featured on news programs, and getting tough to find more than 2 months before Christmas!
I ran across a display featuring the FurReal Friends My Lovin Pup a few days ago. I wasn't looking for it, but it did stop me in my tracks.
I stopped to take a look, as this thing was the size of a real dog! (Ok, a large pup) As I stopped to pet it, I couldn't help but notice that everyone who walked by had to stop and comment on it too. Yet another indicator that this is going to be one of the hot toys for Christmas!
Anyhow, the FurReal Loving Pup actually responds to voice commands! It took less than 30 seconds for me to see that this toy is more obediant than my real dog! I wonder if Hasbro (The company that produces this novel new pup) gives lessons? "Sit" - "speak" and "lie down" were teh 3 comands I tried out and the pooch responded with the appropriate action each time, despite the level of noise in the store.
Looks like somebody did their homework! Even though I was already short on time I also took a few moments to "feed" the pup his bone, which actually drew all sorts of "awwww's" from the small crowd gathering around to play. He sniffs the bone, then "chomps" it just like a real eager pup would. He even nods and whimpers to let you know when he's hungry or wants to play! Haha - I found this thing far more fun than I should have (Hey - I'm more than quadruple the age of the target audience for this pup) and I can think of at least 1 lucky kid getting one of these from me this year.
I know, I know, I'm a sucker for cute tricks and things with "fur." But at least this is a toy I'll be sure to get some fun out of too! I wonder how the cats will react to havng a new pup in the house? :)
Manufacturer: Hasbro Batteries? - Yes - 6 D Accessories Included: Collar, Tag, Brush, Dog Bone and adoption Certificate
Gotta Have it Scale: Ranks an 8.5
How hard to find is it? - These can still be found in stores, but they are beginning to show signs of being sold out on a fairly regular basis. Many online merchants who stock these in large numbers offer free shipping.
Can you believe Christmas is just around the corner? I stopped by Costco, and Target this morning to pick up a few last minute Halloween supplies, and I was shocked to see how many Christmas displays were already setup. As usual I decided to pass by the toy section on my way to the cash register and I snuck a few peeks at the hottest toys for Christmas.
I don't know about you, but I like to avoid the huge crowds at the mall and department stores, so I did a little digging to find out what the hottest toys for Christmas would be this year, snatched up a few to get some brownie points with the significant other (She'll love me for saving her the extra trip...I think...), and did all sorts of searching online to make sure I'm stocked up on all the goodies the kids will want this year. (Don't ever want to be accused of giving boring gifts!)
Did I go just a tad bit over-board? Yeeeppp! Do I take shopping for this holiday way too seriously? You betcha!!! Will you benefit this year from all my research and daily updates on toys, where to find them, and all sorts of great tips? You're darn tootin!! (Sorry. I don't really talk like that... I just wanted to see if I could find a way to use "Darn Tootin" in a sentence)
So sit back... Grab some hot chocolate, and enjoy my useful ramblings! I 've got some great info on the hottest toys for Christmas 2008....
I'm the "gift guy" - I get 100 times more joy buying, and helping others find gifts than receiving them. Sometimes I spend a bit too much time searching for that "perfect gift."
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