Don’t fight the crowds, pick up Zhu Zhu Pets online now!

Zhu Zhu Pets have been nominated by the Toy Industry Association for Girl Toy of the Year and Innovative Toy of the Year. Winners of the Toy Awards are announced in February, 2010.

The most popular of the Princess and the Frog toys are the Princess Tiana dolls.  Tiana wears her bayou wedding dress. Prince Naveen also wears his wedding suit.  There is also a Princess Tiana doll in a sparkling blue gown that lights up with firefly lights.  She is nominated by the Toy Industry Assocation for Girl Toy of the Year.

The Princess and the Frog Tiana’s Cookbook with recipes for kids is a fun and inexpensive gift at just $8. It includes recipes for Tiana’s Beignets, Swamp-Water Smoothies, Ray’s Mud Pie and Banana French Toast.

There is a colorful Disney The Princess and the Frog Princess Tiana Cooking set which would be a lot of fun to combine with a kids play kitchen for Christmas.

Finally, Disney Princess & The Frog Bedding makes for great room decor in fun colors. Your kids will love to go to bed in their fun new sheets and comforter.

Pick up the popular Princess and the Frog toys now as they are selling out quickly!

Thanksgiving Day – Target has online only sales, find more info here: Black Friday Toy Deals .  This is followed by a 2 day sale on 11/27 and 11/28.

Walmart has several toys on rollback prices including the Step2 LifeStyle Custom Kitchen, several Power Wheels Ride Ons, the Step2 Fantasy Vanity, and the Leapster 2. On Friday, two new Power Wheels Jeeps go on sale for just $88. – the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Hot Wheels Jeep Ride-On and the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Barbie Jeep Ride-On.  Find a huge selection of Battery Powered Ride Ons.

Amazon has reduced the price on some popular toys including the new Bakugan 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid. Find these Bakugan Toys and more.

Kazoo Toys has specialty toys not often found at larger retailers. For the first time ever, they have coupon codes that are good through the holiday season. Pick up the Kazoo Toy Coupon Codes now.

DiscoveryStore will have several popular toys on sale starting on Black Friday, some up to 70% off. Check out the DiscoveryStore toy deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The Smart Cycle Extreme has been reduced in price at all major retailers. Last we checked it was available for $69.97 with free shipping and no taxes. Find the best deals on Smart Cycle and other new PreSchool Fitness Toys.

Spend time at home with family rather than in the malls, shop online for convenience and best prices. Some items will be in short supply this year as retailers try to keep down inventory and costs, so if you want, pick it up this week-end.

Happy Holidays.

Find links to purchase the Five Hottest Toys for 2009.

Zhu Zhu Pets – These cute furry hamsters were popular when the G-Force Movie came out and have been hard to find ever since.  Mr. Squiggles has been one of the top selling toys at Amazon and has dropped out of the top 10 because of the high prices.  Originally listing for $10, he is now up to $64.99. Walmart, Target, and ToysRUs all still list Zhu Zhu Pets on their website but they have been out of stock since summer and store look ups are disabled. Bah Humbug on Zhu Zhu Pets this year.

Mindflex Game by Mattel – The Mindflex game was still available in early November but has been out of stock at all major retailers for about 2 weeks now.  Walmart had the lowest list price at $59.97.  Some specialty retailers were selling Mindflex for $99 but they are all out of stock as well now. EntertainmentEarth and Hammacher are indicating inventory will arrive in February, 2010. If you want it now, it is available at Amazon and ebay for inflated prices of about $165.

Disney Princess & The Frog Just One Kiss Princess Tiana Doll – Yes a product that is in stock! $24.88 at Walmart, available other retailers as well. The movie comes out in December and demand is expected to be strong, so grab one now!   Find links to purchase the Princess Tiana Doll and other great Princess and the Frog toys.

LEGO Star Wars – There are a ton of LEGO Star Wars toys made popular by the TV Clone Wars Star Wars show. The one that Stephanie mentions is the Star Wars Anakin’s Fighter. It is a bit hard to find.  The Venator class Replublic Attack Cruiser is a top seller at Amazon and still in stock. Find a huge selection of Star Wars Toys – in stock now for the holidays.

Matchbox Rocky the Robot Truck – An interactive dump truck! He speaks over 100 prases and tells jokes. He’s a best seller at Amazon and available in traditional retail packaging as well as the Amazon Frustration-Free packaging for $59.99. Rocky is also at DiscoveryStore for $79.95. He is out of stock at the other major retailers, so you might want to grab it now!

Find the Oppenheim Five Hottest Toys and other great award winning toys for the holidays.

Reference: Oppenheim Toy Portfolio and view the Today show clip.

Fisher Price Handy Manny’s Repair Shop – Many preschool boys love Handy Manny! The repair shop gets high reviews at Amazon!

Playskool Kota & Pals Monty Rex – A soft and snuggly dinosaur that responds to touch. He walks, roars, chomps, and plays tunes. For ages 3 and up.

LeapFrog Zippity High-Energy Learning System - Learning system from LeapFrog and Disney that combines movement with games. The Disney characters will be sure to appeal to the girls.

Fisher Price TRIO King’s Castle – Build a cool castle with easy to follow instructions for several designs.  Once built there are plenty of accessories for creative play.  Designed for ages 5 to 9.

Magic Reveal Chef’s Oven – Inexpensive play oven with pot, food, fork and spoon. Put your food in the oven and it comes out cooked. Ages 3 and up.

Mattel D-REX Interactive Dinosaur – Updated for 2009, this popular dinosaur combines robotics, sensors and reptilian like skin for a lifelike appearance and behavior. He walks, chomps and roars. You can even teach him tricks. Ages 8 and up.

There are many more Target Toy Coupons, take a look now before the sale is over!

We have located options to purchase Mindflex.  They are not perfect but if you really want it, we have options.  Amazon has inventory from 3rd party resellers.  Likewise, you can find Mindflex on ebay and there is one game site that has doubled the price. A couple of retailers are taking back orders for delivery in late November and early December.  There is a risk that this stock will not arrive. There is also a risk that you will overpay and when the stock does arrive it will be cheaper at Walmart.  It’s a gamble. If you want this mind control game, pick it up now!

 Besides Mindflex, there is also a fun Star Wars Force Trainer that uses mind control to levitate a ball. This Jedi Mind Control game is in stock at the moment. Check out Mindflex and other popular Mind Control and Brain Games now.

Discovery Joebot is new this year and exclusive to the Disocvery Store. With advanced robot technology, Joebot can walk, talk, dance, and interact and is very funny.  He’s for ages 8 and up and lists for $99.95.  Shop early with a coupon.  Find Joebot here:  Discovery Toys.

The Discovery Macro Microscope is a quality kids microscope with micro and macro settings.  It can magnify from 40 to 400 times with clear images. Lenses are interchangeable with most standard research-quality microscopes.  It comes with all the accessories shown in the picture. The Discovery Macro Microscope lists for $79.95. Pick up the Discovery Microscope for a great gift.

The Discovery Ultimate Pottery Wheel has been around for a couple of years and is a popular arts and craft toy. It has 3 speeds and is great for all skill levels, however is recommended for ages 8 and up. It comes with clay and instructions and you may want to pick up some extra clay. The pottery wheel lists for $79.95. Take a look at the Discovery Pottery Wheel.

The Discovery Liluminated Ant Gel Habitat is a fascinating ant farm.  It is a complete, self sustaining habitat and does not require food or water. The ants are shipped directly to your home. You might want to open the box and order them before Christmas.  Just $29.95 and for ages 8 and up.

The last of the top 5 toys for the holidays is the Discovery Sky & Land Telescope.  This is a 70mm, refracting, short barrel telescope. It is designed to be easy to use for kids and adults and can be used for stargazing or observing nature.  This is a quality, hard working telescope and lists for $159.95. You will only find this telescope at the DiscoveryStore.

Find all these great toys and more at Discovery Top Toys.

Need a little help picking toys for your baby or for a newborn gift? Here are some baby facts that should help with selection:

1. A newborn will briefly follow objects with their eyes and will also attempt to imitate facial expressions. Visiual toys are important at this age.  Newborns also love to be held and will quiet down when picked up.

2. A three month old likes to play a little more, reaching for objects and starting to show repetition with their activities. A three month old baby toy might offer more hand manipulation in addition to visual stimulus. Your baby will begin to respond to your voice and even understand words like “no” while they begin their own babbling.

3.  A six month baby will play more with toys. They enjoy peek a boo with hidden objects and baby will even search for the toy. Your baby will probably be more mobile, starting to roll onto their back.  Baby will often now understand their name and respond to your voice.

4. A nine month old baby toy will allow even more child interaction, such as pushing a toy vehicle or animal. They will enjoy games with sound such as pat a cake and toys with sound too.  Baby may be crawling around or pulling themselves up in attempt to learn to stand and walk.

For more help with selecting age appropriate developmental toys, check out ebeanstalk’s baby toys page.

Find additional gift ideas, you might also want to look at our Infant Toys and Preschool Toys pages.

Amazon Prime Shipping – I signed up for Amazon Prime about a year ago and it has been fabulous. Amazon Prime features free two day shipping and one day shipping is just $3.99.  That means you could wait until Dec 22 to do your holiday shopping and still get your stuff shippied free in time for Christmas!  Amazon Prime is $79 per year which at first seems like a lot but I have used it extensively and have gotten way more than $79 in free shipping. I don’t worry whether I have a $5 item or a large item as there is no minimum order size.  The item does have to ship from Amazon so I do watch for the best products available directly from Amazon.com.

Walmart Free Shipping Site to Store has been available for a little over a year.  If you live near a store and shop there anyway, it’s a great way to get free shipping on online orders.  The standard site to store is 7 – 10 days and we’re on the last day to get shipping by Christmas.  Just in time for the holidays, Walmart now has site to store express for just $29 per year.  Express shipments are 3 to 5 days so quite a bit faster but still not as fast as overnight or 2 day shipping.  In order to arrive by Christmas, you’ll want to order by Wednesday or Thursday this week.

Tomorrow some merchants will announce reduced rates on expedited shipping (2 day, 3 day, overnight).  For example, National Geographic, which has some great educational toys will be offering a special rate on Express and Overnight shipping for orders over $75.  This rate will be good for December 16th and 17th only (unless they extend it).

So, if you’re still shopping around, you’re not too late, head back over to Top Toys for Kids and pick up some of the hottest toys of the season!