Move over Elmo: Hot holiday toys

The first batch of one of this season’s hot toys “sold out” before kids even had a chance to write Santa a letter. Whether generated by manufacturer’s hype — the toy is packaged in a windowless box labeled “TOP SECRET” — or seen by savvy consumers as a great opportunity to resell on eBay, Fischer Price’s 10th anniversary T.M.X. Elmo has been out of stock at many mainstream retailers and selling on cyber auction sites for as much as $150, more than three times its retail value of $39.99.

So what is all the hype about? Elmo has done the Hokey Pokey, disco-ed to YMCA and in his first blockbuster year, when the electronic version debuted as Tickle Me Elmo, he giggled. Well, he’s come full circle. Sort of.

This year, he laughs. But he doesn’t just laugh. He lies on the floor face up, kicks his feet and laughs. He rolls on his side and laughs. He lies face down on the floor, pounds his fist and laughs. Actually, his laughing fit easily could be mistaken for a tantrum.

Elmo has competition
Perhaps it’s time to look elsewhere. That is, why scramble when there are other adorable, if not more adorable, toys on the market? Take for example, Thinkway Toys’ Tap Dancing Mumble, ages 4 and up, $34.99. The tap dancing toy, which requires 4 AA batteries, is based on the cuddly penguin featured in “Happy Feet,” an animated musical film set in Antarctica.

nickjr.com One of Nickelodeon’s five Backyardigans, Pablo belts out the theme song from the half hour television show.

Mumble, can’t sing (unfortunately because every penguin needs a heart song to attract a mate) but he sure can dance. Talk to Mumble and he not only flaps his wings and tap dances but also talks back. “I don’t know my feet are just happy,” is one of his favorite expressions. He also struts his stuff to one of the songs in the movie “Jump N Move” and dances along with any music you play from a MP3 player, stereo or radio.

If Tap Dancing Mumble doesn’t woo you with his fancy footwork, there’s always the singing and dancing plush toy Pablo, ages 18 months and up, $29.99. Pablo, who requires 4 AA batteries, is one of Nickelodeon’s five Backyardigans, who regularly meet in their backyards and conjure up imaginary adventures together. In contrast to Mumble, however, the bright turquoise-and-yellow penguin can sing. Just squeeze Pablo’s right hand and he belts out “The Backyardigans” theme song.

No batteries needed

hasbro.com Monopoly Here and Now: Properties cost as much as $4 million on Hasbro’s new version of the old board game.

Several toys that made trade magazines’ and retailers’ lists (the folks who release these kind of lists) don’t even require batteries. Hasbro released a new version of Monopoly, called Monopoly Here and Now, ages 8 and up, $29.99. The new board game resembles the old classic but “like in the real world, everything has gotten more expensive,” says a Hasbro spokesperson.

Times Square, the most expensive property, replaces the coveted royal blue Boardwalk at a price tag of $4 million. Cleveland’s Jacobs Field and Dallas’ Texas Stadium, housed in the “low-rent” district (dark purple), will set you back $600,000. In all, 22 top travel destinations are featured rather than limiting play to the Atlantic City boardwalk area as in the original game.

Players also collect $2 million instead of $200 when they pass go. Game pieces have also morphed and now take a the form of a cell phone, laptop computer, hybrid car and a trendy mixed breed called Labradoodle — a cross between a Labrador Retriever and the standard poodle.

speedstacks.com Speed Stacks Stackpack, basically a pile of 12 plastic cups, made several hot toy lists.

Another surprise on several of this year’s hot toy lists is Speed Stacks Stackpack, ages 4 and up, $39.99 — basically a pile of 12 plastic cups. The object of the game is to stack and unstack the cups in pre-determined sequences as fast as possible. The game comes with an instructional DVD, a special mat, a timer that records your speed up to 100^th of second and a mesh carrying case to tote around the goods.

The idea behind the game is it already exists as a sport. Believe it or not, Speed Stacking has been part of physical education programs for more than a decade and is now played at more than 12,000 schools nationwide. Until this year, however, the “equipment” was sold directly to the schools, says Jay Foreman, president of Play Along, a division of JAKKS Pacific, the company that is mass marketing the concept “over the counter” to the public.

What makes the sport unusual is that it’s co-ed. “I challenge anyone to find a sport where boys can compete against girls and girls can be a good as boys,” says Foreman. As a matter of fact, the world record holder right now is a girl, he adds. That title belongs to Emily Fox, who competed at the World Championships in Colo. Check out the video online.

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