Three most Popular Gifts for Kids in 2009

Posted on | November 5, 2009 | Comments Off

It’s November and high-season for gifts for kids shopping, so a great time to for an overview of the kids toys and games market. Checking Amazon’s sales stats and injecting my own thoughts and insights, let’s see what are the absolute hits this year. We’re not talking “has-beens” either. On the contrary, these are bound to be the greatest hits on this holiday season, so get ready to click and shop – kids will be thrilled receiving any of these!

Zhu Zhu Pets

The Zhu Zhu hamsters are definitely a hit and still going strong. Very strong, heading the charts on Amazon’s best selling toys. The various furry hamsters, along with the accompanying play sets for them appeal to kids and parents alike.

After all, it’s an interactive cute little pet that you don’t really have to worry about. No cage cleaning and no odor issues – the perfect hamster is here! And just like with cats, one Zhu Zhu hamster just leads to another, so with a selection of five different ones, kids are always to add another critter to their collection.

Bakugan Sets
Bakugan Toys are all the rage among young boys. I have blogged about Bakugan Battle Toys before – and they are still as popular now as in the beginning of the year. My hat is off to the makers of Bakugan. Their marketing plan, not to say ploy, is pure genius. They created a TV animated series where the entire plot surrounds a game of transformable balls and cards. The Bakugan toys are not the sidekick of the show – they are what the show is all about. Kids love the show and get drawn into the game in a way I’ve never seen before. Check out the Bakugan post for more information and visit the Amazon page to see the best selling sets and toys.

The Mindflex Game

Another hit this year is the Mindflex set by Mattel – featured on my previous posts about mind training games. The concept is unique and original and I can see how grown-ups will be as attracted to this “game” as kids (if not more so). I am curious to see how these games will fair in 2010. Will they remain popular for years to come, or will they turn out to be a short fad in the market? Time will tell.

And one more…

This post is about the most popular gifts for kids in 2009, but looking at these three rather “mechanical” and “technical” options, I have to say I am pleased to see that the fourth most popular is a good old word game called Bananagrams. The packaging may be novel – a yellow banana shaped soft container, but inside you find… letter tiles! Who would have guessed this humble game will make the top sellers lists?

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