Don't play around, shop early for holiday '10

The early bird catches the worm, or in this case, the toy, when it comes to nabbing the most-wanted gifts on your holiday wish-list this year.
The good news for consumers is that toymakers are scaling back price points with many of the hottest items coming in at under $50. The bad news for these same consumers is that if they don't act fast, they will be hard-pressed to find that coveted item anywhere except places like eBay where they'll likely pay a premium.
Retailers have been scaling back holiday inventories over the past few selling seasons and this year is no exception. While shelves will feature the latest and greatest in toys, they will likely not be replenished fully as the days tick down to the holidays.
Don't fret though as there will be plenty to choose as toymakers continue to innovate both with new technology and some good old-fashioned creativity.
The hot trends woven into this year's gamut of educational toys, electronics, plush, collectibles and video games are music, interactivity, the "cute" factor and getting kids up and moving.
Nintendo proved that kids and adults alike were receptive to getting exercise with the Wii fitness category genre grossing over $700 million in 2009 and experiencing 60% growth year-over-year.
A major launch from 2K Play ties into this trend when Nickelodeon Fit hits shelves in November. Skipping rope with the Backyardigans, river rafting with Diego and leaping hurdles with Kai-lan are just a three of 30 activities kids can engage in by using the Wii Remote or Wii Balance Board.
Microsoft's Kinect for Xbox 360 ($299) also encourages movement and will no doubt be a holiday must-have. First products are due in stores in November. The controller-free gaming device allows users to step in front of the sensor and enables the device to recognize them and respond to their gestures.
Music will influence lots of play patterns this holiday with cool items like
Paper Jamz from Wow Wee letting aspiring musicians rock out on play guitars or drums that include 3 songs. Kids can also control the rhythm for each song, play real chords or drums to create their own songs or mute the vocals, drums or backing tracks and do karaoke. An AMP that features a built-in NXT speaker hooks up to the instruments and acts like a loudspeaker.
Kidz Bop tuned into its musical roots once again with the release of Kidz Bop Dance Party! CD which includes 12 of the hottest Kidz Bop dance tracks; Kidz Bop Dance Party! TheVideo Game, exclusively for the Wii and Kidz Bop Dance Moves DVD which includes four dance instructionals and four brand new music videos.
Justin Bieber fans can get their hands on the pop icon literally as a line of JB Style Collection figures and Music Video Collection Figures head to stores. Each plays a 30-second clip of one of his hit songs and are dressed in clothes from his videos and red carpet appearances. The toy line also includes a collectible signature plush and the Ultimate Concert Kit that includes a singing microphone which plays two of Beiber's hit songs and cool sound effects, plus an autograph book and photo sleeve.
Educational toys will continue to draw attention with three to six-year-olds sure to love the iXL Learning System from Fisher-Price. It includes a Story Book with one animated story with 15 pages and two modes; a game play preloaded with one classic arcade game, a music player preloaded with one learning song and is compatible with MP3 and WMA file formats; an Art Studio which with stampers, backgrounds, bucket fills, colors pen styles and an erase button; a Note Book where kids can trace uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers 1-20 and a Photo Album preloaded with three sample images. Kids can transfer more photos from the computer and even draw on their photo images.
Preschoolers will also enjoy Dance Star Mickey (2+) which walks, talks and dances to six different songs with styles including disco, Latin, techno and the moonwalk. It also comes with interactive games and will be supported by an iPhone app and online game due this month.
Dora will also keep little girls dancing with the We Did It Dora Anniversary Doll from Fisher-Price. The doll features a new take on Dora's signature "We Did It" song and dance. Other items include Dora Surprise Wooden Dollhouse which has magical changing windows. The windows change from day to night in real time and random seasons show up on the windows as well as images of Dora and her friends. Once its nighttime, lights go on in each room.
Mattel's Mattel's Barbie Video Girl Doll is a perfect gift for girls' six and up as it allows them to create movies with a real video camera inside Barbie doll. The camera lens is in her necklace and a color LCD video screen is on her back.
Already in short supply, Squinkies!, is a squishy line of mini doll and pet, accessory and playset line. Each collectible Squinky figure comes encased in a plastic toy bubble that pops open to reveal its content. The first 96 figures (series 1 – 6) are packaged in sets of 16; 12 encased in transparent bubbles clearly showing the particular figure inside while the other four figures will be packaged in frosted bubbles that conceal their content and offer an exciting element of surprise.
Mix Pups, too, are fetching lots of attention with an exclusive run at Toys "R" Us. The line of 16 poseable, collectible, pocket-sized puppies from Jazwares that young girls can customize by mixing and matching their detachable front and back legs, designer hair style pieces and clothing. Each Mix Pup is numbered and comes with a personalized dog bed featuring the puppy’s name on it.
Kids love cute and it is in fully supply with Teacup Pigs from Toy Teck. These 6" miniature versions of real-life teacup pigs talk (over 20 phrases), laugh and love affection. Each comes with its own teacup, accessories and birth certificate. Wardrobe and playsets are sold separately.
But there's enough room in the Zhu-niverse for other cute critters as Cepia unleashes ZhuZhu Princess, a new collection of hamsters, playsets and accessories with a castle theme and available exclusively at Walmart. ZhuZhu Princess is powered by the hamsters themselves as kids need only to pet the hamster's back to make them swirl, twirl and dance. Also new are ZhuZhu Babies, a collection of much smaller Zhu Zhu Pets that will be exclusive at Toys"R"Us.
More boy-focused items sure to make the holiday list is Ground Force Drifter, kids 8 and up, an electric powered drifter kart from Razor that features a race-tuned chassis, super slider POM rear wheels and a high torque motor. Riders can do burn-outs and fast 360-degree spin and reach speeds up to 12 mph. The company also debuted the industry's first iPhone scooter game available to download for free in early October.
New Air Hogs items take flight with SpinMaster debuting Air Hogs Hawk Eye, the first ever indoor video camera helicopter that can capture five minutes of video or hundreds of photos while it's flying in the sky. Kids will also love Air Hogs Moto Frenzy, the world's smallest R/C stunt bike that performs indoor stunts using its stabilizing fly wheel.
MEGA Brands builds on the success of Dragons Universe with a line of new items including Ultimate Action Dragon Destroyer buildable set which includes one Alliance General and two Troopers with shields and weapons as well as two exclusive dragons. Other products in the line include a Deluxe Dual-Blast Dragon Hunter, Rapid Fire Dragon Fighter, Dragon Egg Assortment and Dragons and Vehicle Assortment.
Holiday blockbusters will likely exert an influence with Tron, the latest Disney movie due December 17, has inspired a variety of toys including 7" and 12" action figures from Spin Master; gaming headphones and an iPod Dock from Monster; Another Disney holiday movie "Rapunzel" will also come to life on toy shelves with Disney's Tangled Rapunzel Fairy-Tale Tower is inspired by the upcoming movie (due Nov. 24) and includes five different rooms and the opportunity for girls to recreate the hair scene in the movie.

Other standouts include:

CRA-Z-ART with the first of its kind Electra Doodle Creative Light System. The Electra Doodle allows children and adults to draw and doodle, to play electronic games, solve mazes, do dot-to-dot games, and create kaleidoscope designs.

TechnoSource celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Rubik's Cube with Rubik's Slide, a new electronic puzzle game where players begin each puzzle by checking the goal pattern and then sliding the lights into the correct pattern by twisting and shifting the top panel. Once solved, players will advance to the next level. Adults also won't want to put down the Bicycle World Series of Poker Touch Screen Texas Hold 'Em game complete with fully illuminated LCD touch screen.

The element of surprise is on tap for DC Universe Squatz, a line of compact collectible figures from Wild Planet embedded in dissolving tablets. Each double-pack contains one visible core and one mystery bonus character, all with interchangeable heads. Wild Planet also adds some new products to its Spy Gear line including the Lie Detector Kit which includes a galvanic skin response sensor, chart paper (free refills online), clue book and carrying case; a Security Scanner, a hand-held metal detector with a light and Spy Decoy Listener which is disguised as a cell phone and features time delayed ring, directional microphone and speaker.

Innovation First Labs Inc. comes to market with the first glow-in-the-dark HEXBUG Nano which comes to life day or night. The Nano test tube includes a code that can be entered at www.handandstar.com to keep track of their collection. The website also includes fun facts about real scientists and their discoveries. Also new is the HEXBUG Spider, a six-legged remote-controlled electro mechanical marvel with 360 degree steering, an LED forward eye and two-channel, user selectable infrared remote control. It will be available exclusively at Radio Shack and online at www.hexbug.com. Also new are three habitat sets for HEXBUG Nano including Bridge Battle, Raceway and Elevation.

Oregon Scientific has several licensed learning laptops including Batman: The Brave and Bold with 52 (26 English, 26 Spanish) activities and B-Smart Learning Laptop with 70 English and 10 Spanish activities. Also for Barbie is a Pocket Learner, Little Learning Laptop and B-Bright Learning Laptop.

Hasbro brings new excitement to the game aisle with Cuponk, a ball and cup game where players are rewarded for making the wackiest trick shots possible. Fans of Bop It! will really enjoy Bop It! Bounce where players see who can bounce the fastest, highest, or most accurately as you bounce the included ball on the hand held game unit with the built in trampoline. A really cool spin has been added to Scrabble with Scrabble Flash, a fast game where players (8+) slide, move and shuffle electronic letter tiles in a race to create new words in 60 seconds. Played without a game board, its letter tiles contain ‘Wonder-Link Technology’ which recognizes formed words when the tiles are placed side by side, and keeps score of correctly spelled words.

Any holiday list wouldn't be complete without a few videogames. Coming down the pike are iCarly 2: iJoin The Click! for the DS (DSi enhanced) and Wii. Due Nov. 16, the game from Activision lets players hang out with Carly, Sam, Freddie and Spencer and features locations from the show, fun games and the challenge of unlocking and collecting crazy items.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is the first original Final Fantasy title for the DS. Players are engaged by storybook visuals as they help Brandt rescue the princess who was abducted by the Witch of the North.

Girls to Fancy new video game

Girls who fancy Nancy can get their hands on the new "Fancy Nancy Tea Party Time! game for the DS. Nancy's neighbor Mrs. Devine is hosting a tea party and players can help Nancy gather all the special tea set items for the big event. Players can search the neighborhood for hidden tea sets and decorative items to bring to the party. The game also features five mini-games where players can collect colorful beads or fancies along the way that can be traded for stickers. Nancy can also be dressed up in six different costumes that give her special abilities to unlock bonus materials or reach certain fancies. Gamers can also embed photos into the game of themselves and friends using the DSi camera.

Wanna "Feud" with your family?

Survey says ... Those words will ring through households in November when "Family Feud Decades" hits store shelves. Created for the Wii, the interactive video game by Ubisoft challenges players with thousands of authentic survey questions from four different eras: 1970s, 80s, 90s and 00s.

Beyblade to take a spin on DVD

Beyblade fans will be able to relive the excitement of the series when the first 51 episodes head to store shelves. Content of "Beyblade: Metal Fusion" will be available in seven DVD releases with Volume 1 due Nov. 9 in English, French and Spanish outlets across North America. The series, from Nelvana and d-rights Inc., offers a fresh take on the original series with new characters competing for dominance with their spinning Beyblade tops, battling against an evil organization, The Dark Nebula. The new series is a unique mix of 2D animation and battle scenes with the tops spinning in CGI animation. It airs on YTV in Canada and Cartoon Network in the U.S. and is set to launch in the U.K., Europe and beyond in the coming year.

CBS shows inspire video games

Video game enthusiasts will be racing to their favorite retail outlet to pick up the new "The Amazing Race" game. Due October 26, the Wii game will challenge players to overcome various challenges as they make their way through exotic locations all across the globe. Series host Phil Keoghan is featured in the game and greets players at every pit stop to read the clues, introduce challenges and give away prizes to players.
Another CBS series heading to store shelves in October is "CSI: Fatal Conspiracy" which features five new connected cases written by the same writers from the TV series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Players will experience an authentic crime-solving video game with real CSI characters, heart-pounding interrogations and enhanced graphics. A unique story structure that unveils the truth piece by piece brings a new level of suspense and intrigue. The game will be available for the Wii, Xbox 360, Windows PC, and for the first time ever on the PS3.

The Penguins of Madagascar got game

Team Penguin will bring their madcap missions to the Nintendo DSi and DS in the first ever game for The Penguins of Madagascar. Due in November, the game features Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private working together to complete levels and build useful tools and gadgets to advance in the game. The game, created by THQ, is packed with exciting puzzles to solve, and enables players to alternate between the Penguins, performing acrobatic moves, unlocking paths and creating helpful contraptions. The game will also feature stealth-based missions, super silly interactive moments, bonus levels and mini-games. A special DSi camera feature includes King Julien’s sassy critiques of players’ own photo snapshots.

Great gifts in store for holiday 2010

There was no shortage of great ideas at this year's Holiday Gift Guide Media Event as the aisles were brimming with unique products sure to add a bounty of holiday cheer to anyone's shopping list.
Due on retail shelves for fall, the products ranged from toys, housewares, electronics, specialty food items and desserts, customizable books and jewelry.
Heading to toy aisles are a range of Barbie themed electronics from Oregon Scientific including a B-Smart Barbie Laptop (5+) with 70 English and 10 Spanish activities and the Little Learning Laptop (3+) where girls can enjoy eight interactive educational activities and games. Tinker Bell will also be featured on a Pixie Hollow Laptop (5+), Pixie Hollow Learning Laptop (3+) as well as a Pixie Pocket Learner (3+).
Preschoolers will love Sesame Street: A-to-Zoo Adventure and Sesame Street: Cookie's Counting Carnival, two early development games from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment available on the Wii, PC and DS. Each Wii and DS game includes a gameplay helper, a soft and fuzzy character cover with special grips that slips over the Wii remote and a jumbo click stylus for DS fans.
Out of the Box Publishing added 10 Days in Americas and Pirate versus Pirate to its lineup as well as Word on the Street Junior and Word on the Street Party Case. Card game 7 Ate 9 and Shake 'n Take round out the six new offerings.
Kids of all ages can learn the value of doing a good deed with Boom Boom! Cards, a set of 26 cards from Boom Boom Revolution with an act of kindness on each one. People are encouraged to do a card, post their experience on the website's map (www.boomboomcards.com), then give the card away for someone else to use. Each time the card is used, the person gets notified. There is a family deck, teen deck, green deck and original deck which retail from $9.99 to $14.99.
Friends of Mel Foundation created Mel's Bracelet, a beautiful beaded bracelet in memory of Mel Simmons with proceeds donated to cancer research, education and patient support.
For candy lovers, Mars readies MY M&Ms Chocolate Candies including personalized packaging with customizable messages; personalized gifts, like a candy dispenser with a favorite photo printed on the glass; personalized favors and two holiday-themed gift boxes, glass gift bowl and a teddy bear.
Sweet on cupcakes? Saint Cupcake (www.saintcupcake.com) makes sending customizable cupcakes a piece of cake with kits that allow customers to choose the flavor, icings and sprinkles in sets of 3,6 and 12. The site also offers party supplies such as a make-your-own party banner and handmade tissue poms.
Other great online gifts for foodies include cookies for a koz (www.cookiesforakoz.com) where more than a handful of delicious chocolate chip cookies (including white chocolate raspberry and red velvet) can be ordered. Ten percent of the purchase price goes directly to Starlight, a charity that improves the quality of life for children with serious medical conditions.
Fans of top notch extra virgin olive oil and homemade specialty food items must check out www.globalgardensonline.com where they can purchase everything from dark balsamic fruit vinegars such as raspberry and fig as well as meyer lemon extra virgin olive oil. All the outstanding items are also available at the retail store located in Los Olivos, Calif.
Did you know that buying jewelry can be good for you? Especially if it's Count Me Healthy Jewelry, the first health journal for the wrist. Women select a goal and assign a counting value to each bead. Each time they achieve a goal, they can slide a bead over to mark the accomplishment. The bracelets ($80 to $120) are available in themes such as Mommy & Me, Golf Goddess, Happy and Blessed, Bride-To-Be, My Bridesmaid's Bracelet, Helping Hearts and Counting for a Cause, both part of the collection benefitting heart disease and breast cancer research.
Keeping personal items safe is a challenge that the creators over at The Racktrap (www.theracktrap.com) have tackled with a one-size-fits all bra pocket that holds everyday necessities. The Racktrap is available in a fashion three-pack of black, white and nude lace ($15.95) as well as a water-resistant sport version ($9.95) or a special edition gold ($7.95).
U Novels (www.ustarnovels.com) lets consumers unleash their inner hero or heroine by letting them take their favorite classic novels ($24.95) and change the main characters to include friends, family members or even work colleagues. Books such as Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Little Women, Peter Pan or A Christmas Carol can be personalized with a new cover title along with a dedication inside the front of the book. The company also offers romance novels ($39.95) that contain much spicier content.
Creative types can also get their blurb on with blurb.com, a publishing platform that enables anyone to design, publish, share, promote and sell bookstore quality books.