Frozen still hot as Disney dominates US toy list

The hottest toys right now? Anything "Frozen".

Frozen is still hot.

Two toys based off Walt Disney's hit animated film made Adventure Publishing Group's Toy Insider Hot 20 list released on Tuesday, making it the only entertainment property with multiple items on the roster. Disney and its licensees had seven items on the list, a selection of toys Adventure's experts expect to top kids' wish lists during the holiday season.

Disney's movie about a princess with magical powers was released on America's Thanksgiving last year and racked up more than $1 billion in global ticket sales, making it the fifth-highest grossing film of all time. The success caught toymakers by surprise, resulting in a dearth of related merchandise and creating a secondary market that saw Frozen dresses selling for more than $1,000 online.

This holiday season, Disney and its licensees are better prepared, with plenty of inventory and products to satisfy fans.

"It's going to be a frozen Christmas, ice cold," said Laurie Schacht, president of Adventure Publishing, which produces toy-industry magazines. "The appeal is so broad, and it's such a wonderful story that parents are happy to put merchandise like this in their kids' hands."

The Frozen-themed items on this year's list are a singing, moving doll of the movie's protagonist, Elsa, as well as the Cool Tunes Sing-Along Boombox - a small karaoke machine for the film's best-selling soundtrack. Both items retail for about US$35.

Disney, the world's largest entertainment company, dominated the list with items from its in-house properties or from licensees. Among its toys on the Hot 20 are a Marvel character version of Disney Infinity, which combines action figures and video-game play, and a wheeled medical kit based on the Doc McStuffins cartoon.

''Disney is on the pulse of the American heartbeat these days," Schacht said.

Other top toy lists also are released around this time of year by retailers including Wal-Mart Stores and Toys "R" Us, which said on Monday it will add 45,000 seasonal employees, the same as last year. While their selections often overlap with independent lists like the Toy Insider's, the retailers tend to have more items from the industry's major manufacturers, such as Mattel and Hasbro.

Mattel, the world's largest toymaker, had two toys on the Toy Insider's list, and Hasbro had just one. Lego had a lone item as well, a construction set based on Star Wars, another Disney property.

Because technology has become such a big part of the toy industry, Toy Insider created a separate list for gadgets, which includes smartwatches from VTech Holdings and LeapFrog Enterprises aimed at kids 4 years and older.

The Toy Insider's Hot 20

(manufacturer is in parentheses)

Age 2 and Under: Go! Go! Smart Animals Zoo Explorers Playset (VTech), Laugh & Learn Smart Stages Chair (Mattel,) Let's Imagine Elmo (Hasbro), Twista balance bike (Yvolution)

Ages 3-5: 11-Inch Interactive Talking Turtles (Playmates), Disney Frozen Cool Tunes Sing-Along Boombox (eKids), Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa Toddler Doll (Jakks Pacific,) Disney Princess Palace Pets: Magic Dance Pumpkin (Blip Toys), Doc McStuffins Get Better Talking Mobile* (Just Play), Paw Patrol Lookout HQ (Spin Master)

Ages 6-8: Air Storm Firetek Bow (Zing Toys), Ever After High Thronecoming Dolls (Mattel), Razor Powerrider 360 (Razor), Shopkins Small Mart Playset (Moose Toys), Skylanders Trap Team (Activision), Tsum Tsum Plush Collection (Disney)

Age 9 and Up: Amiibo (Nintendo) Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes 2.0 Edition (Disney), It's My Biz (Fashion Angels), Lego Star Wars Rebels The Ghost* (Lego)

*Disney brand

- Bloomberg