Tiny Bison

The Toys ‘R’ Us “Best of the Season” toy list is out for this year with the 14 top items for this upcoming holiday season. We’ll take a look at each item on the list and add consumer information and suggestions for alternatives so you can be better informed when you are doing your Christmas shopping this year.

Bratz(TM) Rock Angelz(TM) Tour Bus from MGA Entertainment — $69.99

This is a re-release of an older product, the Flashback Fever Party Bus, and apparently the only difference is the color and the price. Both are improvements over the previous bus, but at $70 this still seems way too expensive for this toy. It does include an FM radio, but for the price you would think it would at least include a cd player. But the Brazt line is very popular and Christmas is coming up…so let’s charge outrageous prices to our loyal consumers.

Our verdict: Pass. You can buy an entire dollhouse for this price from other doll lines, don’t let MGA stick it to you like this. Pass and get it on clearance for $20 in the spring.

Dora’s Talking Kitchen(TM) from Fisher-Price — $79.99

It is hard to believe that this giant toy is roughly the same price as the little bus described above. Even so, it is still too expensive. However, this isn’t a complete ripoff. The kitchen is durable and usable and your child will probably have fun with it. The “interactive” portion that appears to be the big selling point for this item isn’t anything to write home about, so don’t buy it only for that feature.

Our verdict: Pass. Unless you have a child who must have a Dora kitchen you can find better play kitchens for less money.

Recommended Alternatives:
Complete Compact Kitchen $55.99
Cookin’ Fun Interactive Kitchen $99.99

FLY(TM) Pentop Computer from LeapFrog — $99.99

At first glance this just seems like a really expensive pen which requires really expensive paper to write on. The second glance is mostly the same. But the pen does have a computer in it and can do some pretty cool things. It is essentially a small palm pilot with no screen. It can play simple games and can make music and do other novelty functions. It can keep a schedule for your child and it will remind your child when a scheduled event is near. When I was a kid we had a low-tech schedule and reminder tool. Her name was Mom.

This is a cool gadget and if it weren’t for the extra requirement of having to use their special paper to actually use the device then we would probably recommend it. But having to pay $20 for 60 sheets of this special paper will run your bank account dry after awhile. Especially if your child actually likes and uses the gadget because the more they use it, the more paper you are going to have to buy.

Our verdict: Pass. We’ll wait until the pen doesn’t require special paper, or at least until a third-party starts selling the paper for a reasonable price.

Fly Wheels(TM) Rapid Fire Launcher from Jakks Pacific — $39.99

This is a toy that launches miniature tires across the ground. That is pretty much it. $40 for something that rolls small wheels for you. Yep. But don’t fret, there is an upside. You can also buy expensive accessories! All kidding aside, this toy should be about $10…maybe $20, but that is pushing it.

Our verdict: Pass. For this kind of money you can get an electric race track or other toy that your child will enjoy more than rolling tires.

Recommended Alternatives:
Nascar Winners Cup Electric Racing Set $39.99

Furby(R) from Hasbro — $29.99

If you thought that the Furby Craze was over you were wrong. Furby is back and this time with a machine gun. Just kidding. The new Furby can hear you speak and can react to about 10 different words. It is also supposed to be able to understand Furbish but most people have had problems getting the toy to understand it. If you have to repeat Furbish, is it called refurbish?

The eyes move back and forth, it tells a few jokes and does a few other small functions. Overall it appears to be well designed and your child will probably have fun with it.

Our verdict: Get it. The price isn’t outrageous and it is a cute toy that your child will probably enjoy talking with and playing with. If your child wants one it is a good buy.

Other Furby Colors
Gray and Pink
White

GBA Micro from Nintendo — $99.99

This is one of the new handhelds by Nintendo. It plays all gameboy games and is essentially the same as the Gameboy Advance SP except for the fact that it is smaller and that you can’t hook it up to your Gamecube. The screen is smaller than the cheaper SP also. Why this costs $20 more than the SP is a mystery as the only thing it has going for it is that it is small. Which isn’t always a good thing. Plus for $30 more you can get the future of Nintendo handhelds, the Nintendo DS. It also plays GBA games, but it also plays DS games which is where the future is going for Nintendo.

Our verdict: Pass. It has less features than the Gameboy Advance SP, but it costs more. You are paying for the “cool” factor. If you must have the small size wait for the price to come down, there is no reason why these should be $100. If you want a handheld game system we recommend you pony up the extra $30 and get the DS.

Recommended Alternatives:
Gameboy Advance SP $79.99
Nintendo DS $129.99

Giggles and Coos Baby Doll from You & Me — $19.99

A 16″ doll that giggles, coos and makes facial expressions. You can feed her and she’ll make appropriate noises and when you lay her down her eyes will close and her stomach will move up and down like regular breathing motions. Overall a good idea. It is unfortunate that the manufacturer decided to skimp on costs and made this out of the cheapest stuff money can buy. Reports of the paint coming off and the lips cracking only after a few days are rampant.

Our verdict: Pass. Overcharging for a product is one thing, because at least you can still use it…but this is ridiculous. Do not buy this unless you intend on making another trip to the store in a couple of days to return it.

Recommended Alternatives:
The New BABY Born Doll $39.99
Little Mommy 14″ Baby Doll $14.99
La Baby in Doll Carrier $129.99

iZ(TM) from Zizzle — $39.99

The iZ is a small toy that you can plug in cd players or your iPod to and it will play the music (it has an internal speaker) and dance to the music. This is very similar to the iDog that we have reported on previously. This version of that toy seems to have a bit more functionality, but it also costs more. This is a novelty item and isn’t really a toy that your child can play with or learn from, but we will admit that it is kind of cool.

Our verdict: Pass. Unless you are getting a little toy for your desk at work you should probably pass on this toy. Your teenager might enjoy it for a few days, but at $40 it is quite a price to pay for a novelty item that will be forgotten within a week.

Laugh & Learn(TM) Musical Learning Chair(TM) (with activity table) — $29.99

A neat little table and chair that react to your child. It plays music and speaks to your child and is quite educational. It is also quite light weight and not particularly sturdy. Any sudden movements might cause this chair, and your child, to flip right over.

It also should be mentioned that the “up to 3 years” age limit is a bit of a stretch. The chair and table are quite small and a three year old would have quite a time getting into it. If your child is over 30 pounds then they will either not fit or grow out of the chair very quickly.

Our verdict: Maybe. This is a very cute and educational toy for your child, but if your child is too big it becomes worthless. This will be a good buy for a one year old.

Recommended Alternatives:
Learning Puppy $19.99
Learning Birdbath $19.99

LEGO(R) Vikings Fortress from LEGO — $69.99

For those of you that aren’t familiar with the new LEGO I’ll bring you up to speed: This isn’t like the lego that you and I grew up with where you had different colored blocks and you created something that vaguely resembles something that came out of your imagination. No, the new LEGO are packages of “blocks and accessories” that can be used to build one thing really well. And it comes with instructions. Of course, this is handy to make that one thing but constructing other objects gets awkward. Unfortunately, cultivating “imagination” isn’t high on LEGO’s list anymore, because packages with cool structures on them sell more. I’m not even going to go into the $70 price tag for this toy.

Our verdict: Pass. Do your child’s creativity a favor and get a construction product that is more abstract.

Recommended Alternatives:
GeoMag $19.99
Magnetix $39.99

Pixel Chix(TM) from Mattel — $29.99

We reported on this toy after it came out and our position remains the same. Any toy will become “old” quickly to your child if their imagination is taken out of the picture. If the child’s creativity can’t take over where the toy’s features end then the toy is a dud. This toy is a dud.

Our verdict: Pass. Get your child a normal dollhouse. They will get much more use out of it than this gimmick.

Recommended Alternatives:
Victorian Village Home $14.99

Roll-A-Rounds(TM) Drop & Roar(TM) Dinosaur — $34.99

This toy allows your toddler to drop colored balls into different holes which cause different events (pedulums swing, lights flash, music plays, etc) to happen. The toy is well made and durable, which is good for a toddler toy.

The only problem you might experience with this toy is that sometimes the balls get stuck requiring you to do a little ball maintenance every once in awhile.

Our verdict: Maybe. This is a good toy, but the price seems a little hight for what you are getting. If you can find it on sale then get it.

Recommended Alternatives:
Busy Ball Popper $19.99

Thomas & Friends Aquadoodle(TM) from Spin Master — $39.99

This is basically a drawing board that your child can draw tracks on with the included pen. Then Thomas actually follows the tracks that your child designed. It is very entertaining, even for older children. Once the track your child has drawn dries up he/she can draw another track on the mat and Thomas will then follow that track. Waiting for the tracks to dry before drawing another track is a disappointing drawback of the design, but the overall concept and implementation is very well done.

Our verdict: Get it. Very few complaints here. Beware when buying any accessories for this toy though. They are not of the high quality that this original is.

Tumble Time Tigger(TM) from Fisher-Price — $24.99

Pressing Tiggers hand will make him jump and do cartwheels and (most likely) fall down. The music and sound effects get annoying for the parents and your child will only really like it if he/she is amused by falling Tiggers. Fisher-Price really put the “tumble” into Tumble Time Tigger…it seems that is all he can do.

Our verdict: Pass. $25 is too much money to pay to see a stuffed animal fall down. It is cute the first day or so though.

Recommended Alternatives:
Sing and Boogie Blue with Bonus Video $29.99

Summary

After going through the list it becomes quite clear why all of these toys are on the Toys ‘R’ Us “Best of Season” list, because for Toys ‘R’ Us they are the best toys of the season. Why? Because most of them have such a high price that the markup must be incredible. Do your self and your child a favor and ignore any list (like this one from Toys ‘R’ Us) that is an obvious marketing tool. Your pocketbook will thank you.