Toysrus Identifies The Hot Toys For Christmas 2013 And The Major Trends

Have your children already started to make their holiday wish lists? In 2013, Toysrus has identified not only the hot toys for Christmas 2013(http://www.squidoo.com/top-toys-for-christmas-list/) but several trends in the industry. Here are the biggest trends to watch out this year: toys based on your kid's favorite characters, tablets for kids, born again toys from the 1980s, and toys that glow in the dark or light up. Technology is moving toys in a new direction, but classical toys are still very much on the minds of young children. This year Toysrus has reviewed so many toys and has decided to reveal all of the major themes that dominate the new toys out this year. This helps parents better identify the toys that their kids are going to love.

Toysrus continues to lead the toy market with innovative programs like its Hot Toy Reservation program that was announced earlier this year. Toysrus is giving parents the opportunity to purchase toys on layaway for free. Customers can be rest assured that they are receiving the best prices on all of their toys thanks to the new Price Match Guarantee. Toysrus offers a great selection of toys to fit the needs of all families. Toysrus has identified the following four major categories of toys.

Toys Based On Popular Kid's Characters

Kids love toys based on their favorite characters. They love pretending and going on their own magical adventures with their toys. This year, little girls have made a new friend in Doc McStuffins. The “Time For You Check Up” doll brings Doc McStuffins to life like never before. Kids can play with the doctor's equipment and even hear the famous checkup song. The toy even includes Lambie. Your kids and the doctor can nurse all their sick toys to life.

Tablets For Kids

Parents no longer have to hand over their iPad to their kids. Kids now have their own versions with the LeapPad 2, VTech Innotab 2, and Tabeo. There are more choices than ever before. These tablets have been designed with younger kids in mind so parents don't have to worry about inappropriate content. Toysrus has put out its own tablet this year called the Tabeo. It offers parents parental controls to restrict access to the Internet.

Retro Toys

Toys that used to be popular years ago are making a big comeback in 2012. Many of these toys have received a major facelift. One of the biggest retro toys out this year is Furby. Furby has now been updated to make use of mobile devices and the latest technological advances. Furby has LCD eyes which allow him to display more emotion than ever before. People who grew up with Furby and new kids alike are going to experience Furby all over again.

Toys That Glow

Expect to see a lot of toys that glow and light up in the toy isle this year. Kids love playing in the dark with these toys. There is everything from Nerf guns to Lego brick sets.

Toys On The Hot Toys 2013 Christmas Lists Cost Too Much
I am a little disturbed by all these hot toys 2013 Christmas lists. Is anyone else? Santa must be looking at all these lists and just rolling his eyes in large circles. Parents checking this list and then checking it twice are going to be in for a great shock. If you want to score a "hot toy" on these lists you are going to have to have a lot of money. It looks like retailers are determined to make a profit in the fourth quarter.

One of the most respected lists put out by retailers is the Toysrus list. Retailers started putting out these lists as a way to guarantee that certain toys are successful. The idea is if they tell people what toys are hot, these toys will automatically become hot in the eyes of consumers. It’s like a self fulfilling prophecy. Frankly, I don't trust a retailer telling me which toys I should buy. They are concerned with their bottom line. Nothing on the list really jumps out at you except the prices. You will find dolls, Legos, and even an old favorite, Furby.

While most parents are completely annoyed at the thought of another Furby, Toysrus claims that it is one of the hottest toys this year. While Furby's return might not be newsworthy, another thing that stuck out at me like a sore thumb was the inflated prices. It almost made me pass out. Time put an excellent piece together on these so called hot toys lists. Toysrus created a list of the 15 best toys of the year(squidoo.com/top-toys-for-christmas-list). Ten of these toys will run you over 50 dollars. The other five will cost you over 100 dollars. It's is getting expensive to buy these toys.

I decided that I would not be picking up any of these toys because I am not yet a millionaire. I decided to see if Walmart had better choices. Walmart is known for their low cost products. The majority of people who shop at Walmart don't exactly have money. It turns out the Walmart has also created their own top toys list. Guess what? Most of the toys on this list are also over $50 dollars. Toy manufacturers are desperately trying to catch Apple and as a result cramming their toys with technology. Most of the toys on both lists are interactive toys. For example, there is a new video game machine from Nintendo.

As a parent, I think that this is not fair. These lists basically are nothing more than advertisements. Companies are telling us: If you don't get something on these lists, it is not hot. The economy is in the pits and toy companies want us to start shelling out money on toys. According to Time, the average price on these lists has gone up $20. You would think that the most expensive toy would be tablets for kids. However, it is actually a Lego Ninjago set. I think I'll be shopping at Walgreens this year.

Is Furby One Of The Top Toys Of 2013?

Hasbro thinks it has one of the top toys of 2013 with its new Furby. Furby has been brought back this year with a more sophisticated brain and the ability to work with a mobile app. The original Furby sold over 40 million units. Hasbro is hoping its new iteration will appeal to people who owned the original Furby and kids who love interactive toys. The big difference with the old model and the new model is the price. The new one costs two times as much as the old one.

The development of the new Furby began last year. Hasbro got a team of designers together in an effort to create the next big holiday toy. They wanted to create a toy that was alive. They tested various prototypes and finally decided that they would give Furby an update. Part of the appeal of the original Furby was that it developed its own personality as you played with. Hasbro wanted to build on the original idea.

When the original Furby was created the economy was very strong. The toy was only $30 dollars. Now Hasbro is hoping that people who loved the original Furby and a new generation of kids will fall in love with Furby all over again.

The problem with Furby is that we have seen many of the elements before. There is nothing really new about the concept. It's going to be tough to sell people the same toy at double the cost given the slow economy. There are some new innovations but the actual toy is really the same. It might be just a little bit more interactive.

The new Furby is actually the most expensive toys ever developed by Hasbro. Hasbro has put a lot of resources into this project because they believe it will be a big success. All of the major retailers including Walmart, Target, and ToysRus are betting on Furby to do well. Right now Hasbro is counting on a big hit as their revenue has been sluggish in 2013. Toys face increasing competition from mobile devices like the iPad. Toy companies need to start to innovate in order to catch up technologically.

Most people think that Furby represents are step in the right direction. It's an innovative product but there is a lot more work to do. The entire industry has really slowed down in terms of innovation.

Hasbro and Mattel have a lineup of toys this year that really embrace technology more than any other year. They have toys that are designed to take advantage of mobile devices. Hasbro has waiting to bring back Furby and now the technology is finally cheap and advanced enough to put in a toy. One of the reasons Hasbro has brought back Furby instead of creating an entirely new toy is because of its brand recognition. Millions of kids in the United States owned the original one.

More About The Top Toys Of 2013

The new one looks a lot like the old one. However, the internal sensors and circuits are far more sophisticated than the old one. One of the most noticeable differences is Furby's eyes which are made out of LCD displays. This allows Hasbro to animate the eyes and give the character personality.

Furby can also change its personality based on how kids treat it. If you pet it and cuddle it, it will become more loveable. If you shake it and throw it around, it may become angry. Furby can also interact with other Furbies.

One of the newest additions is that Furby has its own app. Right now the app is available on iOS devices but it will soon be available on Android devices. The app translates Furby's language, Furbish, into English. Users can also feed Furby hamburgers and other junk food. With the upcoming holiday season, it remains to be seen how well the new Furby does.

Toysrus To Sell Toys On Its Best Toys 2013 List At Macy's
Want to shop for the toys on the best toys 2013 list at Macy's? Now you can. For many busy shoppers, Toysrus making it easier for you to get everything you need in one store. Toysrus is putting up pop up stores in several Macy's stores for the holidays. Toysrus plans to lease this space until the end of the Christmas season. The stores are temporary and are expected to last 3 months till the middle of January. The stores will offer some of the most popular toys including toys that were on the Toysrus hot holiday toy list. However, there will also be a variety of other toys to choose from including dolls and action figures.

During Christmas, Macy's has become the go to place to shop for gifts. It is now going to be the one stop solution for consumers. Parents can shop for gifts for both adults and kids all under one roof. Macy's is one of the most recognized brands in the United States. By creating pop up stores inside of Macy’s , Toysrus is going to get a lot of more exposure to their products. Toysrus is going to create these pop up stores in 24 locations across the country.

Toysrus is going to lease out about 1500 square feet of space in each of the Macy’s stores. If the alliance proves to be a profitable one, Toysrus is planning to expand it out even further. Perhaps they could put it in more locations. Right now the program is only going to be tested out in a few locations. There are going to be four stores located in California including one in Union Square in San Francisco, South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, Santa Clara, and Sacramento. The first pop up stores should be appearing on October 15. Most of the locations are in some of the biggest cities including New York, Philadelphia, and Seattle.

Other companies have tried similar concepts before. J.C. Penney actually has Liz Claiborne and Levi sections inside them. Target has also launched a new concept called shops which allows outside companies to sell in their stores. You may also know that Land's End can be found inside Sears. It’s a great idea for one brand to take advantage of an even bigger brand. Toysrus is able to piggyback of the traffic that Macy’s gets to their stores. Toys really don’t sell that well year round. However, during Christmas, toy sales really pick up.

There is a lot of competition during the holiday season and retailers are doing everything they can to lure customers into their stores. Earlier Walmart announced that it was going to be trying out a same day delivery system. Target is allowing consumers to scan QR codes if they want to buy the hottest toys online.(See more of the best toys of 2013 here:squidoo.com/top-toys-for-christmas-list) All retailers are ramping up their strategies. We don’t know whether the strategy will prove useful for Toysrus. We will know the answer to that next year. However, it seems like it could be useful to consumers.

Do Your Children Really Need The Shiny Hot Toys Of 2013?
Everyone wants the newest things. Trust me, I get it! Every time Apple releases a new product, consumers jump all over it even though they own the previous version. Do people really not care for the environment and what Apple is doing to factory workers to make these toys? Isn’t one phone enough? Do we really need to buy the hot toys of 2013? It's no wonder that even children have come to expect the latest and greatest shiny object. A lot of people think that if you don't get your kids the latest and greatest toys, then you are not really a good parent. Every year there will be a new hot toy. We are a culture of consumers who are never satisfied. We live in a culture of people who want a lot of things.

When I learned that Apple broke sales records with the iPhone 5, I was not surprised. Apple doesn't create the best products but they manage to get people excited for products with minimal improvements. I am sorry but a wider screen and no google maps are not as innovative as Apple would like us to believe. I have friends that waited in long lines just to pick up the new iPhone. For some reason people have to be the first on their block to own a new toy.

Now Toysrus has put out their list of this season's hottest holiday toys. You can even buy them at Macy's. If you don't get one of the toys on the list, then you are somehow led to believe that you are a bad parent. A lot of parents are going to pull out their hair just to get the toys on the list. All the other kids are going to get the toys on the list. Kids that don't get a toy on the list are going to feel left out or made to feel different. The truth is that the majority of parents can't afford to spend money on these expensive toys. As a result, retailers are trying to get consumers to put these toys on layaway. You can see all the hot shiny toys of Christmas 2013 here.

What are we doing to our kids? I understand getting toys that help children learn. The tablets for kids look great. But I can't help but feel that many of these parents are getting these toys because other people are getting them also. Nobody really wants to feel left out. The truth is that we have to teach our kids that Christmas is more than about getting gifts. Soon kids will be asking us to get them an iPad or a Lamborghini. It's time to put your foot down and say "no." Our job is to be parents. It's okay to look your children in the eye and say, "You don't need toys even if you want them."

Toys are not necessities and we certainly don't need to buy them if we can't afford them. And please don't put these toys on your credit card. We need to start teaching our kids the difference between needs and wants. Nobody needs a new iPhone or a new hot toy. Kids tend to emulate their parents. We have to set the right example.