Big boys race off with car sets

It is slightly suspicious when a father swears his child's deepest yearning is for one of those newfangled $600 Scalextric racing car sets that let you accelerate more quickly than a prime ministerial motorcade.

It is even more curious when the father proceeds to outline how the track will be set up, who will be permanently kicked out of their bedroom to make room for it, and which of their friends he intends to roll with his Formula One 2004 limited edition Ferrari, as driven by Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello.

The manager of the CBD Toy World in Shortland St, Neelam Lal, says it is always fathers who buy the car sets. The bigger sets are first out the door.

Another predictable favourite - Roboraptor ($129.99) - was in the top 10 at both Toy World and the Warehouse.

Virtual pet Tamagotchi ($20.99), meanwhile, had made an astounding comeback to the top 10.

According to Ms Lal, voice recognition password journals ($34.99) "were the hottest cake" for young girls - so hot they had sold out.

For boys, Star Wars Ultimate electronic light sabres and Star Wars Lego had gone, as had the Optimus Prime Transformer.

The favourite board game at both chains was Cranium, despite the efforts of game companies to reinvent old favourites, including a Star Wars Monopoly that lets you buy the Death Star.

Ms Lal said parents were also buying the new iPod accessory, the alien-like iZ ($74.99), which moves in time to music and changes the sound if you pull or push various parts.

Outdoor activities were selling well at The Warehouse - including water slides ($9.84), Super Soaker Twister ($9.83), swing tennis sets ($29.99), a backyard skate ramp and rail set ($128.42), and the pre-schoolers' inflatable sports arena ($386.22).

Bikes and trikes were as popular as ever, and the top of the line Gaucho jeep, with leatherette seats, at $1300 had sold out at Toy World.

When it came to books, Narnia creator C.S. Lewis was beaten by Captain Underpants.

Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Captain Underpants Collectors' Edition was Whitcoulls' December top-selling children's book.

Teen dreams This Christmas it seems teenagers want things to hang on their wrists or round their necks, especially in the form of a Ninox Rotolog watch - retro style with walnut inlay in the straps, as worn by gangsta rap types.

They sell for around the NZ$300 mark on e-bay, when you can get them. One teenager decrees the highest street cred is from the walnut-panelled men's watches, which are "gangsta" and "phat", whereas the others are just plain old retro cool - see www.nixonnow.com (link below) for New Zealand stockists.

"Cold hard cash" was a popular request from teenagers. I-Pods were big, followed by the new PlayStation Portable or X-Box consoles and games. Big Day Out tickets, CDs and DVDs and clothes, preferably those brands by skateboarder/ surfer appointment, are hot with teens.

For the bargain price of $150, the parents can buy themselves a slave for ever after by investing in a PlayLimit box, which locks up game consoles until they are fed a token. The tokens are designed to be kept out of the reach of children, and given out only in consideration for acts such as doing the dishes.

PC presents

For anti-consumerists, but not wanting to be a grinch, increase global awareness by putting your children in charge of their own wee United Nations.

Sideswipe's Ana Samways has forgone the traditional toys for a $20 doll house from Trade Me to be her son's "bachelor pad" (he's nearly three years old!) peopled by "some PC ethnically mixed dolls from Mainly Toys."

Politically correct families would do well to check out www.mta.co.nz which features the ethnic dolls, including Asian and Aboriginal, and "community" play figures, including an old woman with a walking frame and a girl in a wheelchair.

There is even multicultural pretend food, including Chinese dumplings, sushi and tacos.