The original Tickle Me Elmo doll was a Christmas favorite in 1996, with children delighting in the doll's vibrating giggles. This year's version, called the TMX Elmo with "X" standing for extreme, chortles uncontrollably, slaps his knee and falls down after being tickled. And according to www.besttoys2006.com , it is the toy parents will be trying desperately to purchase for their little ones this holiday season.
The 2006 Top Toy Guide, available in the November issue of
Today's Parent, gives a full listing of toys that have their
judges' seal of approval.
A full listing is available online at
www.todaysparent.com
. Their Top Toys for 2006 have been approved by the toughest
critic of all - kids.
"Generally we focus on toys with price tags that fit most
family budgets," says contributing toy editor Marcia
MacQuarrie. "But this year there were a number of pricier toys
that just looked too interesting to ignore. It's not too
surprising that most of these toys absolutely dazzled our
testers, but we asked them to pick which ones were really worth
saving their pennies for. "
This year's Today's Parent toy testing program was bigger than
ever.
Since May, 85 families tested more than 470 toys and games.
2006 Top Toys Infants
- NooBoo Ball (6m+, Manhattan Toy, $15)
- Lamaze Play and Grow Larry the Lion (0m+, Learning
Curve, $20)
- Taggies Sleepy Fleece (0m+, Mary Meyer, $20)
- NooBoo Stacker (9m+, Manhattan Toy, $35, includes 2 AA
batteries)
Toddlers
- Handle Haulers Haul & Ride (12-36m, Little Tikes,
$45)
- Zip Bin (2+, Neat-Oh!, $25-$30 and up)
- Lil' Dump Truck (12m+, Mega Bloks, $18)
- My First Hunt and Seek (2-4, Éditions Gladius, $16)
- Thomas Flashlight (18m+, Little Tikes, $20, includes 2
C batteries)
Preschoolers
- Imaginext T-Rex Dino (4+, Fisher-Price, $40, includes 3
AA batteries)
- Feed the Kitty (4+, Gamewright, $15)
- CooCoo the Rocking Clown (3+, 1-6 players, Blue Orange
Games, $25)
- Fast Talkin' Lightning McQueen (4+, Mattel, $45,
includes 4 AA batteries)
- Magtastik (3+, Mega Bloks, $10 and up)
- World Map Puzzle, 96 pieces, 3 x 4 1/2 feet (87 x 134
cm) (3+, Cha Yau Sponge Enterprise Co., $40)
- Monster Jam Super Stomper (5+, Mattel, $30)
- Disney Fairies (4+, Playmates, $10 and up)
- PlayFoam (3+, Educational Insights, $13)
- Hullabaloo DVD Game (4+, 1-6 players, Cranium, $35)
School-Agers
- Hot Wheels Radar Gun (7+, Mattel, $40, requires 4 AAA
batteries)
- Plasma Eggs (6+, Mega Bloks, $8)
- WonderWorks Picture Studio (5+, Cranium, $13)
- Trixiville Dolls (6+, Manhattan Toy)
- Monster Truck Custom Shop (5+, Creativity for Kids, $30
for three trucks)
- Nerf Weather Blitz All Conditions Football (6+, Hasbro,
$15)
- LEGO Belville (5+, LEGO, $15 and up)
Preteens
- JellLoopdeLoops (8+, The Bead Shop, $16)
- Big Brain Academy (8+, Nintendo, $25)
- Brain Age (13+, Nintendo, $25)
- Deflexion/Khet (9+, 2 players, Deflexion, $55)
- Pirates of the Caribbean DVD Game (10+, 2-4
players, Imagination Games, $50)
- Fly Pentop Computer (8+, LeapFrog, $99; requires 1 AAA
battery, included, or optional recharging base, $40)
- Paper Stained Glass (8+, Klutz, $25)
With files from Canada NewsWire
