From July onwards, lots of the major toy retailers start announcing their predictions for what they believe will be the top toys for the Christmas ahead. Whilst skeptics will argue that these 'top 10 toy' lists are based more on the buying decisions of the retailers rather than a genuine analysis of what really are the best toys of the moment, the predictions often make for interesting reading.
Below you can see what toys the major UK retailers thought were going to be the biggest sellers of 2009. Being mentioned on these lists can often lead to a toy being particularly hard to find in the run up to Christmas - and that was particularly true in 2009 of Go Go Hamsters which were virtually impossible to track down during November and December.
Don't forget to check back here in mid-2010 when we'll be reporting on the top ten toy predictions for Christmas 2010!
Hamleys Top Ten 2009 Toys
21st July 2009
As far as Christmas 2009 is concerned, Hamleys was first off the mark with their list of predictions. Nigel Wheatley, the head of Hamleys retail, said of their list: “From the traditional classics like Lego, Barbie and Slinky, to dressing up dreams and the latest in electronic wizardry, we have one of our best ranges in years wrapped up for a bumper Christmas this year.”
1) Battle Strikers Tournament Set (Mega Brands)
2) Transformers Bumblebee Helmet (Hasbro)
3) Transformers Movie Leaders (Hasbro)
4) V Motion (VTech)
5) Kidizoom Camera (VTech)
6) Barbie & the Three Musketeers Doll (Mattel)
7) Barbie & the Three Musketeers Miette Kitten (Mattel)
8) Rubik’s 360 (Drumond Park
9) Bop It (Hasbro)
10) Lego Minotaurus Game (Lego)
Smyths Top Ten Christmas 2009 Toys for Northern Ireland
9th September 2009
The list was dominated by Hasbro and contained many familiar toys with the Transformers Supreme Combiner at the top of the list. Stephen Tymlin of Smyths Toys said “With everything that has happened over the past year, Monopoly City could prove to be the star performer for this Christmas as people vie to take on the developers and beat them at their own game.”
1) Transformers Supreme Combiner - Devastator (Hasbro)
2) FurReal Lulu the Cat (Hasbro)
3) In the Night Garden Sleepy Time Igglepiggle (Hasbro)
4) Monopoly City (Hasbro)
5) Ben 10 Alien Force Figures (Bandai)
6) Sylvanian Families Caravan and Family Car (Flair)
7) Lego Minotaurus (Lego)
8) Mickey Mouse ClubHouse Hot Dog Dancer (Fisher Price)
9) Clone Wars Ultimate Blaster (Hasbro)
10) Animatazz (Animatazz)
Firebox Top Christmas Toys List, 2009
11th September 2009
Whilst strictly speaking Firebox is more of a 'gift' retailer than a 'toy' retailer, their quirky and unusual products complimented some of the other lists nicely.
Best Gift for Kids: Yummy Dough
Best Gift for Mum: COOL-ER eBook Reader
Best Gift for Dads
: ECCO GPS Keychain
Best Gift for Girls
: Lucky Voice
Best Gift for boys: The Wand
Best Gift for Grandparents: Grobox
Best Gift for Cooks: Cupcake Kit
Best Gift for Techies: Polaroid Two Instant Digital Camera
Best Stocking Filler
: Le Whif
Best in Show: Star Wars Force Trainer
Toys 'R' Us Top Christmas Toys List, 2009
24th September 2009
Not happy with the standard 'top ten' format, the Holiday Hot Toy List from Toys 'R' Us featured a whopping 36 items! The "Fabulous 15" list remained however, resulting in the following "Toys R Us Top 15 toys for Christmas 2009" list:
Bakugan Battle Brawlers from Spin Master
ChixOsPink Design-A-Luxury Loft from Spin Master
Color Me a Song from Crayola Beginnings
Disney Netpal from ASUS
Disney-Pixar Toy Story Interactive Buddies Talking Action Figures from Thinkway
Disney Princess: Just One Kiss Princess Tiana Doll from Mattel
Fast Lane All Terrain Vehicle from Toys R Us
Laugh & Learn Learning Farm from Fisher-Price
Little Mommy Baby Ah-Choo from Fisher-Price
Mindflex from Mattel
NERF N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 from Hasbro
Star Wars Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser from LEGO
Transformers Constructicon Devastator from Hasbro
Wii Sports Resort from Nintendo
Go Go Pets Hamster from Cepia
Habro's Flagship Toys for Christmas 2009
24th September 2009
Whilst a list of top toys from a major toy company like Hasbro will never make for as interesting reading as a list from a retailer, here are the toys that Habro regarded as their flagship products for 2009. The list was loosely based around the categories of Boys, Girls, Preschool and Games:
Transformers Construction Devastator
Nerf N-Srike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35
Lulu My Cuddlin' Kitty
Zambi the Baby Elephant
In The Night Garden Sleepy Igglepiggle
Playskool Ball Popper
WotWots Zoom Along Push
Topsy Turtle
Cranium Wow
Cluedo
Argos Top 10 Toys
1st October 2009
Argos opted for a pretty safe 'top 10' list that featured many of the same products as Hamley's list. The company's toy trading manager, Ian Chaplin, said: "Role-play inspired products with a technology twist are one of the hot trends for kids this year."
Go Go Hamsters
Lulu My Cuddlin’ Kitten
VTech Kiddizoom Camera
Transformers Bumblebee Movie Helmet
Baby Annabell
Bounce ‘n Spin Zebra
Lego Minotaurus
Bop It
Lego City Police Station
Waybuloo Play n’ Wiggle YoJoJo
Independent Toy Awards 2009 - Top Ten Winners
8th October 2009
By surveying a very large number of independent retailers and selecting the category winners based on the number of votes each product receives, our awards are totally unique. There is no shortlist of products... Retailers are invited to vote for any toy they like. The result, is an eclectic range of products that you are unlikely to see on other Top 10 list.
For Christmas 2009, our top toys list featured a great range of products that had quietly sold throughout the year across the nation's independent toy shops. They were generally products however, that didn't get the same level of exposure as the showcase products from the likes of Mattel and Hasbro.
BABY: 7 in 1 Activity Centre (I'm Toy)
CREATIVE PLAY: Tellatale Hand Puppets (Fiesta Crafts)
CONSTRUCTION: Quadrila Basic Set (Quadrilla)
DOLLS: Baby Stella (Manhattan Toy)
ECO: Dragon A-Z Jigsaw Puzzle (Lanka Kade)
EDUCATIONAL: Chemistry Set (John Adams)
ELECTRONIC: Kidilook (Vtech)
GAMES & PUZZLES: Farm Animals Chunky Puzzle (Melissa & Doug)
MODELS: Lewis Hamilton McLaren Kit (Airfix)
WOODEN: Sophie's House (Le Toy Van)
Specialising in the full range of Automoblox Cars.
Specialises in everything for Scalextric model motor racing.
A family run business selling ranges of toys and dressing-up clothes.