Nintendo's Wii and TMX Elmo make 'Hot Dozen' toy list

Nintendo's Wii made the Hot Dozen list of toys released by Toy Wishes magazine. Picture / Reuters

NEW YORK - High-priced, technology-infused toys -- like a miniature toy pony, a robotics toolset and Nintendo Co. Ltd's Wii -- made the "Hot Dozen" list of must-have holiday toys released by Toy Wishes magazine today.

The list is the magazine's annual forecast of which toys and entertainment products will emerge as the most popular for the holiday season -- and possibly also the hardest to find.

The list also includes a toy that is already flying off store shelves -- T.M.X. Elmo, which was unveiled last month by Mattel Inc.'s Fisher-Price division to mark the 10th anniversary of Tickle Me Elmo.

The new US$39.99 ($60) Elmo is chock full of technology that has the red plush doll slapping its knee and falling over in a fit of laughter after it is tickled.

"At my wildest expectation, I didn't think it was going to be like this," said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toy Wishes, of the hefty demand for the doll.

This year, the amount of time that toy companies have spent trying to figure out how to successfully marry technology and toys is on full display.

Hasbro Inc.'s Butterscotch, which also made the list, is an interactive, life-sized miniature toy pony that uses sensors to respond to touch and sound -- moving toward a child when its name is called or going to sleep when the lights are off. Butterscotch also comes with a hefty suggested selling price: US$299.99.

Also on the list is Lego's Mindstorms NXT "robotics toolset" that lets children ages 10 and older build and program robots that do what they want. Its suggested retail price is US$249.99.

Rounding out the US$200 and over "toys" on the Toy Wishes list is Nintendo's Wii video game console, which is expected to sell for US$250 when it hits stores in November.

"The toy industry is in transition from what we consider toys to family entertainment, and this falls under that category," Silver said of the Wii.

The Wii features a motion-sensing controller that operates like a television remote control and lets players simulate swinging a bat, sword or tennis racquet.

The "Hot Dozen" is not purely filled with high-tech toys. Both Barbie and Bratz fashion dolls return to the list after being omitted last year.

Also included is Magtastik -- a big, brightly coloured magnetic construction play set by Mega Brands.

This year's Hot Dozen in alphabetical order:

** Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses by Mattel
** Bratz Forever Diamondz by privately held MGA

Entertainment

** Butterscotch My FurReal Friends Pony by Hasbro
** Digi Makeover by Radica, which is now owned by Mattel
** Fly Wheels XPV by Jakks Pacific Inc
** Kid Tough Digital Camera by Fisher-Price
** Lego Mindstorms NXT by Lego
** Magtastik by Mega Brands
** Monopoly Here & Now by Hasbro
** Speed Stacks StackPack by Jakks Pacific's Play Along
** T.M.X. Elmo by Fisher-Price
** Wii by Nintendo

- REUTERS