What's Selling

Denver

Even at the height of the holiday shopping season, no one toy emerged in the Rockies as a "must have." Instead, observed retailers, sales were a mix of old favorites and new variations of popular toys.

At mass market

Bratz dolls and accessories

from MGA Entertainment continued to lead the pack at local Target and Kmart stores. The Wintertime Wonderland Bratz doll ($29.99)—all decked out in her snow bunny best—was particularly popular as 2003 came to a close, according to

Denise Lint, store manager at Target. "For the first time, Target mailed out a catalog with coupons, like Toys R Us does, to let people know we have toys and that has done very well," she told PLAYTHINGS.

LeapFrog's assorted LeapPads and related software remained favorites at both mass outlets, and Lint said she believes the new handheld Leapster ($79.99) will do very well. Making a huge comeback were Care Bears from Play Along ($15.99-$33).

In terms of what boys look for, "They still love the radio-controlled cars," said Patty Greenlee, regional coordinator at Kmart. She told PLAYTHINGS that the store recently sold out of a $125 R/C toy Dodge Ram.

Little boys also love the Beyblade tops ($7.88) and accompanying launches ($23.49) from Hasbro, according to Lint. Still other oft-requested items, she said, are Target's own Kool Toyz ($5-$20), a line that ranges from baby dolls to trucks and action figures.

In specialty stores

Grandparents flocked to Timbuk Toys to buy high-end toys for grandchildren, according to store manager Linda Meyer.

One of the most popular items was the Radio Flyer pedal car ($109.99), which was displayed in the store's front window with a giant Groovy Girl from Manhattan Toy riding atop it. Other items that sold well over the holidays, noted Meyer, included the Flying Turtle car ($69.99) from Mason Corp. and Dr. Seuss toys from Manhattan Toy ($9-$39). The latter items also were selling well at a small kiosk that Timbuk Toys has set up in a local shopping mall without any toy stores, she tells PLAYTHINGS.

"We continue to have a strong interest in dollhouses," Meyer said, noting that the classic wood Ryan's Room dollhouses ($99.99 and $129.99) from Small World Toys remain top sellers.

Across town at Kazoo and Company, Groovy Girls continued to reign supreme. Other toys that found a place on many a shopper's lists included the Bontempi trumpet ($14.99), Hullabaloo ($29.99) from Cranium, marble runs and sky rails ($25-$70) from Quercetti and Wrist Pix ($16.00-$20.00) from The Bead Shop. Science toys for the older crowd were also favorites, according to a Kazoo and Co. sales associate, including snap circuits ($29.99) and Super Plastwood Mags ($42) from Elenco Electronics.

Yu Gi-Oh! Trading Cards from Upper Deck Entertainment were strong sellers at the Wizard's Chest, a specialty toy, game and costume store. Another popular, collectible card game was Magic: The Gathering from Wizards of the Coast, sales associate Alan Topp told PLAYTHINGS . Two additional top toys are Mahjong and chess from Wood Expressions, and Papo pirate and knight figures from Hotaling Imports, which, Topp notes, are not sold in most area toy stores. The Papo figures sell in the $6 range, while a castle playset costs $200.

West Virginia (Eastern panhandle)

Two weeks before last Christmas, mass-market venues in this part of the state were already sold out of MGA's Bratz dolls and Hokey-Pokey Elmo from Fisher-Price. '80s-inspired toys like Power Rangers, Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake were strong sellers, as were classics like Mattel's Barbie and Hasbro's Easy Bake Oven.

Over on the specialty side, Supermags from Plastwood, Hotaling Imports' Papo Knights and the entire Melissa & Doug portfolio were extremely popular. The majority of stores that PLAYTHINGS interviewed reported strong sales for the holiday season, despite an unstable economy.

At mass market

It seems that Bratz dolls and accessories ($2.99-$99.99) are still a retailer's dream: Consumers couldn't get enough of the hip line during the holidays. Sell-outs of R/C Hummers—from several manufacturers—took many store owners by surprise ($39.99-$99.82). A Wal-Mart sales associate in Charles Town tells PLAYTHINGS , "The Hummers went fast. We had 100 of them on layaway and were sold out." Fisher-Price hit a double with its Hokey-Pokey Elmo ($19.46-$29.99) and the new PowerTouch Learning System ($38.99; books for $14.99).

Dolls and playsets from Mattel experienced strong sales, like My Scene Barbie ($9.94-$18.69), Swan Lake Barbie ($16.43- $19.84) and the Barbie Cruiseship and Townhouse ($49.99 and $54.88).

Care Bears from Play Along ($17.99), along with the Strawberry Shortcake line from Bandai ($3.99-$24.99), were favorites, according to several retailers. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle figures from Playmates were sold out in many stores, while Bandai's Power Rangers line was doing well ($3.99-$24.99).

Wal-Mart was selling a number of Beyblades tops from Hasbro ($6.74-$9.96), Silly Soccer and Silly Six Pens from the company's Milton Bradley brand ($19.86 and $19.96, respectively) and Toy Biz's Hulk Hands ($14.84).

Meanwhile, over at Big Kmart in Martinsburg, an associate reported strong sales of both Baby Born from Zapf Creation and Shaker Maker from Spin Master ($14.99). At press time, the store was sold out of Little Touch LeapPad from LeapFrog and Hasbro's Real Meal Oven.

A Kmart sales associate dubbed the holiday season "outstanding. A lot of people started their shopping much earlier this year," he observed.

And over at KB Toys in Martinsburg, two of the the retailer's exclusive collections—My First Craftsman tools and kits ($7.99-$29.99) and Zodiac Dollz ($9.99)—along with the Dragon collection from Mega Bloks, were all moving off store shelves very quickly.

In specialty stores

Several specialty toy stores recently closed their doors in this region of West Virginia. One venue that still remains open for business is One, Two Kangaroo Toy Store in Shepherdstown. Owner Paula Tremba encourages playing at her store and sometimes has a special event to feature certain toys. She told PLAYTHINGS that her customers depend on both her knowledgeable staff and unique merchandise.

Among the store's best sellers are: Papo Knights, figurines and castles from Hotaling Imports ($4.95-$49.99); Plastwood's Supermags ($12.50-$49.95); Cutting Food ($20.95 for the Pizza Party version) and assorted puzzles ($5.99-$10.99) from Melissa & Doug;

Everyday Products' Everyday Kolor Multi-Activity Kits ($24.95) and River Crossing from ThinkFun ($14.95).

Brio trains ($12.95-$45.95) and the Paint the Wild kits from Balitono ($11.95-$19.95) rounded out One, Two Kangaroo's top toys. Tremba adds that the limited edition Brio dollhouse is long gone and how she wished there were more available.

But, she sees a new crop of playthings gaining momentum, including the Papo line, KikaFlix ($29.95) and the BeamO Flying Hoop from Stuff Design ($25). Tremba's store has The Spa Science from Wild Goose on order. She also has high hopes for a recently stocked item, The Kip Sac from Theresa Roelke ($49.95), a sleeping bag and pillow that comes with both a mini version for a stuffed friend and a book about Kip.

O'Hurley's General Store, also in Shepherdstown, carries "absolutely no plastic" toys, and instead stocks an assortment of wooden and cast-iron toys, along with plush puppets. According to owner Jay Hurley, the store saw all of those items in demand during the holiday season, especially puzzles from The Tavern Puzzle Company ($14.50). Some people buy them every year as stocking stuffers, he told PLAYTHINGS.

Hurley says, "We give a lot of thought to what we think people might want at Christmastime and we also go to the trade shows for ideas," he added. "We are constantly looking for what makes a good stocking stuffer and how something that we buy will fit the image of the store. If it doesn't fit or isn't worthwhile, then we don't buy it."