Gift Giving Guide: Top Ten Hottest Toys of the Holidays

Fisher Price has come up with one of the most innovative toys of the season. Designed for children between the ages of 3 and 6, the Easy Link Internet Launch Pad offers a way for young children to go to child safe websites where they can learn as they play games.

The Easy Link Internet Launch Pad blocks computer files and access to other websites so a child cannot accidentally navigate to an unsafe site, delete sensitive computer files, or change the computer’s settings. Popups are also blocked by the Launch Pad, providing a 100% safe experience. To read our review on The Easy Link Internet Launch Pad, click here.

American Greetings is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Carebears. The card and gift company has teamed up with Lionsgate to release four DVDs and a limited edition, 25th Anniversary Carebear in a gift set. The set comes with one silver pawed, Carebear and four Carebears DVDs that feature episodes from the original Carebears television series.

This Carebears gift set has 25 episodes on four discs. The four discs are Festival of Fun, Adventures in Care-a-lot, Magical Adventures and Kingdom of Caring. Lionsgate has also recently released other DVDs on their own from the original series. This Box Set is a great way to introduce a new generation of children to the Carebears. To win a free Carebears 25th Anniversary Gift Set click here.

The Tyco R/C Terrainiac can race on dirt, gravel, in water, and through snow. A variety of terrain transports make this versatile, favorite toy the pick of both big and little boys this year. This one is a toy that can be enjoyed no matter what age group, from age 6 to teenagers (and older)! The fact that the Terrainiac goes over various types of terrain wouldn’t be so impressive if it wasn’t so fast, as well.

Boasting up to speeds of between 10-20 mph, the Terrainiac comes in two, shimmering colors, of blue and green, with both looking sharp. The entire package is snazzy and will make any older child happy this Christmas. To read our review on The Tyco R/C Terrainiac, click here.

Recommended for children between the ages of three and seven years, Puppy Grows and Knows your Name is going to be one of the most sought after presents for little girls this year. Not only does the puppy recognize both the child’s name and the name the child gives the puppy, Puppy Grows and Knows your Name also really grows from a puppy into a full size dog. This is on our HOT HOT HOT Holiday list.

Puppy Grows and Knows your Name comes in a Golden Retriver and Poodle form. The puppy comes with a tape measure to record growth and a USB cable is needed to program the names the puppy will know into the puppy. This is a simple and fun toy that both girls and boys will like and it sure beats buying a live animal for those who cannot have one at the present time. To read the LI Kids review of Puppy Grows and Knows your Name click here.

Kids with a lot of energy and those who love music and/or dancing will love the Baby Jamz Move ‘n Groove Dance Mat. This toy will provide both hours of fun and physical activity to keep kids active and healthy. Recommended for two years and up, the Baby Jamz Move ‘n Groove Dance Mat is ideal for preschool aged children and slightly beyond. It’s also one of the best ways to get kids moving, without keeping them planted in front of the television.

The Baby Jamz Move ‘n Groove Dance Mat features hip hop tempos and vocals by Solange Knowles. The tempo and songs are classic nursery rhymes and childhood songs with innovative beats that help kids groove. The play mat makes different sounds in seven different locations on the mat so kids can make their own music variations.

Yet another innovative toy from Fisher Price, this one on our HOT HOT HOT list, is the Fisher Price Smart Cycle. You might have seen commercials for this toy on television. The toy seems to be absolutely amazing. It helps kids get exercise, burn energy, cuts down on hyperactivity (due to burning energy) and it also teaches children something all at the same time. What more could you ask for in a toy?

The Fisher Price Smart Cycle is a Physical Learning Arcade System. Children pedal their feet and steer their handle bars in the direction of the track they follow on a DVD. As they go they learn by matching up numbers, counting, matching letters, and more. It comes with different cartridges, featuring different lessons and familiar cartoon characters. This is bound to be one of the hottest toys of the year and with good reason!

All of the Transformers Bumblebee movie based action figures are sweet. While the limited edition movie Bumblebee, which appeared to be Diecast, looked amongst the coolest, we definitely recommend the Transformers Bumblebee Unleashed Action Figure, as well. For kids who loved the Transformers movie, this is the must have toy of the season.

Hasbro put out a winning action figure when they released the Transformers Bumblebee Unleashed Action Figure. The detail on this one is amazing and the fact that Bumblebee looks nearly identical to the amazing creation seen in the hit, Transformers movie makes it all the better. This one is recommended for boys over the age of seven.

We have to give it up to V-Tech. They’ve designed a learning system for kids from preschool to the approaching teenage years. The two systems are the V-Tech TV Learning System, which attaches to the television and displays on the TV screen and the V-Smile Pocket edition, which looks kind of like a handheld video game system such as the Nintnedo DS or a Gameboy Advance.

Both systems come with an array of cartridges. There is Disney Princesses, Cars, Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Spiderman, Finding Nemo, The Little Mermaid, Bob the Builder, Scooby Doo, and more! Children just pop in a cartridge and start learning. It really cannot get any more simple then that.

They had been advertising the Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera. LI Kids might still have the chance to review this toy more fully, in the near future. The Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera looks great. It allows kids who are active and rough on their toys to enjoy a big boy/big girl toy and not have it break into a million pieces due to rough play. This is a toy that will stand up to the tests of time and initial tests and reviewers seem to like what they see about this toy.

What can I say. Fisher Price has been putting out some of the best toys this year. The Fisher Price Kid Tough Digital Camera lets kids take real, digital pictures. It can store up to 60 pictures and comes with a USB cord that can attach to a computer, allowing photos to be saved, shared, and printed.

Every little girl wants her very own Castle and only Mattel has the ability to produce such a lovely one. The Disney Princess Enchanted Tales Deluxe Princess Castle is sold separately from the Enchanted Dolls, but the purchase of both is definitely worth it. The castle is amazing and the characters, who are made in the style of Barbie (though McDreamy is a more handsome version of Ken) are based on the Disney movie, Enchanted, which recently hit theaters.

Just by looking at the amazing Disney Princess Enchanted Tales Deluxe Princess Castle, it is easy to see why this is every little girl’s dream come true this season. Mattel has really outdone themselves this time, with such amazing quality, detail, and the ideal castle that can be used to make every girl’s dreams come true if only while she’s playing.