The 12 best gifts for Christmas 2008

“It’s been a challenging year for all businesses, but as a retailer I’m delighted to see innovation continue. Even in an economic downturn, kids still need exciting, great-value toys to keep them entertained and inspire their creativity.”

The toys expected to dominate children’s holiday lists this year are set to ignite dreams of fame on stage and screen, the Toy Retailers Association (TRA) says today. TRA’s annual ‘Dream Toys’ list, the only official Christmas best-seller prediction, reveals a trend toward toys inspired by music, film and TV to satisfy the fantasies of fame of the next generation of stars of rock and screen heroes. Many old favorites also return this year, reflecting the nation’s love of nostalgic characters and brands.

The 12 best toys for girls at Christmas 2008

Music takes the girls category by storm this year, with the Bratz(TM) Girls Really Rock Dolls (MGA Entertainment Ltd), High School Musical Sing Together Dolls and the movie-inspired Camp Rock Gift Pack (both from Mattel) arriving to wish lists of wannabe rock stars. Another musical hit is sure to be Mattel’s Barbie Princess Liana Singing Doll, who sings songs from the movie Barbie and the Diamond Castle. Little girls will love CHOU CHOU My First Tooth by Zapf Creation®, while animal lovers will love I Love Ponies Honey My Baby Pony by Vivid Imaginations, or FurReal Biscuit My Loving Pup (Hasbro), Sylvanian Families Old Hollow Oak Treehouse (Flair Leisure Products), or the hottest VIPs or in the form of Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Shop range on Christmas Day.

The 12 Best Christmas Toys for Kids of 2008

This year’s Boys section is inspired by television and cinema, with almost the entire selection starring characters from our screens. Speed ​​up Christmas for little motorists with Cars Walkin’ Talkin’ McQueen, inspired by the Mattel movie, or the Air Hogs® Zero Gravity(TM) Micro (Spinmaster) radio-controlled vehicle. Figure lovers won’t be disappointed, with the Gormiti Island of Gorm Playset (Flair Leisure Products) and WWE RAW Arena Playset (Vivid Imaginations) both making the top 12 list.

This year’s hit animation Wall.E has also made its mark, with Vivid Imaginations’ Wall.E Transforming Robot a newcomer to the list, while established favorites are represented with Power Rangers Overdrive Tracker (Bandai), Transformers Animated Roll Out Command Optimus Prime, Indiana Jones Hat & Whip Set and Clone Wars AT-TE Vehicle and Star Wars Clone Trooper Voice Changer (all Hasbro).

Preschool Top 12 Toys for Christmas 2008

Younger children will be kept busy this Christmas with lots of interactive toys in the Preschool category. Budding engineers will be able to choose from the interactive Bob The Builder Construction Site (Born to Play), Take Along Thomas Morgan’s Mine Electronic Playset (RC2), or the Roary the Racing Car Silver Hatch Workshop Playset (Vivid Imaginations).

Start working for the green generation with the Playmobil recycling truck. Imaginative little ones can fly with Peppa Pig’s Spaceship (Character Options), go back in time with Playskool Kota The Triceratops (Hasbro), giggle with Mr Tickle Stretch & Giggle or Elmo Live! (both from Mattel), or get lost in a good story with the LEAPFROG tag reading system. The Teletubbies are back this year as well, with Tomy’s Dance With Me Teletubby set to be a big hit, and keen photographers will be snapping up the holiday action with their KidiZoom (VTech) multimedia digital cameras.

The 12 best games for Christmas 2008

The Christmas Games sessions are likely to feature some of our favorites this year. Family favorites get a new twist, with all 12 main appearances from a reimagined Cluedo ¸ Monopoly Here & Now: The World Edition (both Hasbro), 20Q Hand Held, Scrabble 60th Anniversary Edition (both Mattel), and Rubik’s Cube Game ( Drumond Park).

For something more energetic, families can battle it out in Bop It Extreme 2 (Hasbro), the electronic game Kids Are All Right (Vivid Imaginations), or the new visual hide-and-seek game Pictureka. (Hasbro). When the adults get tired, the kids will have a blast with the Disney Princess Magic Mirror game (Jumbo), the High School Musical 2 DVD game (Mattel), Tomy’s fun new gallery-style shooter, Quack-Shot, or In The Night Garden. PlayPath (Hasbro).

Techzone’s Top 12 Toys for Christmas 2008

Covering the most exciting tech toys and gadgets for kids, the TechZone category is packed with smart must-haves this year. iTeddy by Vivid Imaginations is the perfect first media player for kids, Bladestar (Character Options) is a revolutionary flying machine and WiFi Spykee The Spy Robot by Meccano doubles as a mobile CCTV camera.

Gadget girls will love Hannah Montana’s My Secret pillow (character options), IM-ME messaging device, and My Meebas (both from Mattel); little musicians will be desperate to unwrap the new Guitar RockStar (Tomy); and pet lovers will be looking under their tree for Woogies (Mattel) or Pleo (Vivid Imaginations), the baby Camarasaurus that develops emotionally when shown love and affection.

The 12 best creative toys for Christmas 2008

The top 12 creatives will keep hands and minds busy well into the New Year with a variety of imaginative play. This Christmas, kids can make their own chocolate coins with the Golden Coin Maker (John Adams), build creative structures with the Magnext 360° Case (Megabrands) and Bindeez 3D Super Studio (Character Options), or create wacky aliens with the Alien Maker. of Martian Matter (Hasbro).

Budding artists will love Rainbow AquaDraw (Tomy), Crayola Creations Illumination Station (Vivid Imaginations), and Etch A Sketch (Flair Leisure Products); and imaginations will ignite with Puzzle Extra Assorted (Jumbo) and Moon Sand Adventure Island (Spinmaster). Movie-inspired sets will also be popular, with High School Musical puzzleball (Ravensburger) and LEGO Star Wars V19 Torrent (Lego) likely to be on the wish list of creative kids.

With Christmas fast approaching, more and more people are turning to the internet for their holiday shopping. But what are the best places to shop?