Popular Fun Activities

Christmas comes but once a year – and when it does, it is a critical time for retailers. It can make all the difference between a good year and a disaster. So it’s unsurprising that so much effort goes into forecasting what the top selling items will be each year.

It’s especially critical in the toys and games market. Every year there seems to be one special toy that is the “must have” toy of the year. In no particular order we have seen Buzz Lightyear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Tickle-Me-Elmo, Beyblades, Cabbage Patch Kids and Furbies claim the crown in previous years.

Generally most of these toys will enjoy one year at the top of the list. Whilst most of these toys are still around today, they won’t be number one this Christmas. Many of them won’t even break into the top twenty.

However, there are some evergreen favorites which are always popular choices every year and have withstood the test of time across generations of kids. For example, again in no particular order, might be Lego, Monopoly, Scrabble, Cluedo, Barbie, G.I. Joe and train sets. Cetainly, it’s improbable that any of these will be the top selling this Christmas – but they will appear in the top twenty or thirty toys year after year.

Considering the current volume of sales, this year’s hot toy looks like being Zhu Zhu Pets – furry, robot hamsters which interact using artificial intelligence. However, as in previous years, demand seems to be greater than supply. It’s already difficult to locate them in the stores. You can however, find them on eBay – at prices well over the retail price. This seems to happen each year and toy manufacturers have been accused of artificially restricting supply to create a sense of scarcity on more than one occasion in the past.

This really isn’t uncommon. Whether or not it’s a deliberate strategy by the manufacturers is debatable, but it has almost become an annual occurrence these days. Often, just a few weeks after Christmas, last year’s pricey hot toy will be yesterday’s news. The more traditional toys however, will still be used and enjoyed for a long time to come. A lot of these toys will even be transferred from one generation to the next. That’s why toys such as Hornby Dublo train sets, Lego, Scrabble etc. represent such amazing value for money and are always a welcome addition to any youngster’s toy box.

Filed under: Fun Stuff on December 9th, 2009