Lindsey Stiner is a news anchor and reporter with Pronews 7.
Hard to believe, but Christmas is only three months away. Every year, toy makers and sellers come up with a list of hot topic items that will spur excitement to buy around the holidays and boost sales.
Toys R Us has their predictions as to what the big items will be this year, so parents buy now and save yourself the hassle of the holiday shopping crowds.
The 15 toys on the Toys R Us list are:
-- Air Hogs Hyper Actives by Spin Master, $49.99: Radio controlled miniature racing cars.-- Air Swimmers Extreme by Animal Planet, $49.99: Inflatable fish and shark balloons that are radio controlled and seem to swim through the air. Helium tank sold separately. --Lalaloopsy Silly Hair dolls by MGA Entertainment, $34.99: Rag dolls with button eyes and bendable hair. They come with an accompanying pet with a bendable tail. -- LeapPad Explorer by Leapfrog, $99.99: A tablet-like device which children can use to read books, play educational games and take pictures.
-- Monster High Fearleading 3-Pack by Mattel, $42.99: Three dolls which are offspring of famous monsters, dressed in "Fear Squad" cheerleading outfits. -- Moshi Monsters Moshling Mini-Figures 3-pack by Spin Master, $5.99: Tiny collectible monsters related to a hit online game. -- My Keepon by Wow! Stuff, $39.99: A bright yellow blob-like robot that dances to music.
-- Nerf Vortex Vigilon by Hasbro, $24.99: A foam dart gun that launches foam discs up to 50 feet. -- Ninjago Lightning Dragon Battle by Lego Systems Inc., $79.99: A 645-piece construction set offered exclusively at Toys R Us with characters from Lego's popular Ninjago line.
-- Poppin' Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper by Hasbro's Playskool, $29.99: A colorful elephant that can launch plastic balls and plays music. -- Power Wheels Dune Racer by Mattel's Fisher-Price: $279.99. A child-size dune buggy that can ride over grass, gravel and mud. -- Radica Fijit Friends by Mattel, $49.99: Robotic toys that dance and respond to squeezes and spoken words. -- Sesame Street Let's Rock! Elmo by Hasbro, $69.99: An Elmo doll that sings and comes with a drum, tambourine and microphone. -- "Skylanders: Spyro's Adventure," by Activision, $69.99: A video game that includes action figures that can be placed in a portal and then appear in the game.
-- The Trash Pack Garbage Truck by Moose Toys, $19.99: A garbage truck that can hold 10 collectible Trashies, which are tiny collectible characters. It comes with two special edition Trashies and is a Toys R Us exclusive.
