Hot Holiday Toys

Black Belts Karate Home Studio by Spin Master
($24.99, for ages 3 and up)
Learn karate at home with this 30-minute video (available on DVD and VHS). Tommy Nitro and his team offer a step-by-step guide to the basics (blocks, stances, etc.). The video won't turn your child into a karate master, but it does offer entertaining exercise and an introduction to the martial arts.

Dora's Talking Kitchen by Fisher-Price
($79.99, for ages 2 and up)
Let Nickelodeon's TV character Dora the Explorer help your child become a budding culinary master. The kitchen includes five recipe "adventures" — insert one in the kitchen's recipe book to hear what ingredients are needed (the device speaks in English or Spanish). Then use the 25 plastic play pieces (food and utensils) to follow the recipe.

Fly Wheels Rapid Fire Launcher by Road Champs
($39.99, for ages 8 and up)
Car racing reaches a new level with this set — you race the wheels, not the cars. Change gears on the launcher, shaped like a Formula One racer, to send your wheels zipping along at even faster speeds. This product is sold exclusively at Toys 'R' Us.

Furby by Hasbro
($39.99, for ages 8 and up)
The latest version of these hit toys dances, talks, sings and tells stories in Furbish and English. It also chats with other Furbys. The more your child plays with the Furby, the more it learns. Each Furby has a unique color combination, so be sure to find out which Furby your child wants.

iDog by Hasbro
($29.99, for ages 8 and up)
Part pet and part electronic equipment, the iDog can be used to play music when you plug it in to any music player or stereo. Or simply place the iDog in front of any speaker — it dances to the beat. LED lights on its face change color, responding to your touch, and how much the pup "likes" the music you're playing. You can find discount deals on the basic version in silver, but expect to pay a bit more if you have a yen for the pink or blue versions from Japan.

iZ by Zizzle
($39.99, for ages 5 and up)
Take your music to the next level with this oddball creature. Plug him in to your MP3 player or stereo and hear him play your music his way — tweak his antennae and ears, and push his belly to create new rhythms and beats. Your iZ even talks, in English and his own language. These creatures come in blue, red and green.

Leapster L-Max Learning Game System by LeapFrog
($99.99, for kids Pre-K through fourth grade)
You won't complain if you can't separate your kid and this hand-held videogame system. Games integrate with tutorials and lessons to help your child learn essentials such as spelling, letter sounds, math, writing and even foreign languages. But don't worry — with popular characters such as Spider-Man, Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants, these games are fun, too. You can also connect the hand-held device to a television for expanded play.

Magnetix 150 Count Primary Set by Rose Art
($39.99, for ages 6 and up)
Each of these plastic pieces conceals magnetic rods. Snap the pieces together to build, well, anything you can imagine. This 15-piece set includes a booklet of design ideas, and stickers to customize your designs. Dreaming even bigger? Look for the many expansion sets and specialized accessories.

Pixel Chix by Mattel
($29.99, for ages 6 and up)
Forget electronic pets — this hand-held game lets your child befriend an electronic girl. Through five levels of play, help your character decide what she'd like to do — does she want to go rollerblading, or see a movie? What outfit should she wear? The more you play, the more decisions you can make. But beware: Ignore your character, and she'll move out! You can connect games to have your character visit another, or have a party. There are three different versions: the Beverly Hills House, the Cottage House and the Miami Loft.

Shell Shocker by Tyco
($79.99, for ages 8 and up)
Send this transforming radio-controlled vehicle anywhere. Its three modes — attack, explore and shield — ensure that every foray to the backyard becomes an adventure. There are two versions, 49 MHz and 27 MHz, each with a different design.

VCam Now by Hasbro
($79.99, for ages 8 and up)
If your child is a budding director or photographer, this real working video camera will get him or her off to a great start. (It has a 1.5-inch color screen, built-in microphone and speaker, self-timer and 4x digital zoom.) You can record up to seven minutes of video or take up to 480 photographs. If that's not enough, you can purchase additional memory for your little artist. Plug the device into your computer to store and edit images, or attach it to the TV to watch your work. Software to edit the video and photos is included.

V.Smile Pocket by VTech
($89.99, for age 5 and up)
Turn game time into lesson time with this hand-held videogame. Kids learn vocabulary, math, logic and more as they play entertaining games. You can even connect the console to your television for expanded play. If you have the regular V.Smile console for home use, don't worry — the game "smartridges" also work in the pocket version.

Back to Special Edition: Holiday Gift Guide 2005