Okay so I give it at least another 4 months before you hear Mariah Carey bleating on about ‘All she wants’ in every shop you walk into. But before you know it, your child will come creeping up behind you whilst you’re cooking the Spag Bol and casually pass you the list they’ve been conjuring up for the last 6 months (complete with Argos item codes to ensure you don’t buy the wrong colour or spec). In a bid to help you get ahead of the game Argos have released their Top Christmas Toys of 2013 - So here are those tipped-for-the-top toys that will help you avoid the dreaded ‘bottom lip tremble’ come Christmas Day (don’t all thank me at once!).
Remember Buzz Lightyear-Gate?! There were news reports of parents queuing through the night to secure the only Christmas present that their children had babbled on about for months. The pressure to secure that talking doll was immense!
So just what would happen if you could predict what will be on that list to Father Christmas months in advance? You could buy a pressie a month from August and have the most relaxed December ever! Having spread the cost of Christmas throughout the ass-end of the year you’ll also be quids-in come January.
So sit back, relax, and fight the urge to take a cricket bat to my head for talking about Christmas during a heat wave… here is the ultimate must-have toy list destined to be hastily wrapped in snowman wrapping paper this Christmas.
The All New Furby!
Yep. He’s back. Did he ever go away? This time your cute owl-like companion has given birth. Yep plugging mummy Furby into your iPad, iPhone, or Android device, will result in a birth of Kate and William proportions. Your child will be able to look after Furby like never before - through their smart-phones or laptop!
Available from October 2013 - I’d expect to hear more about him / her (do boy Furby’s give birth?) very soon.
Teksta Puppy!
These were cute. Very cute. Available in blue or a purpley pink colour, this adorable canine responds to your voice, physical gestures, lights and sounds. He or she is capable of barking, crying, whimpering, back-flipping and expressive eye patterns to share her feelings. Don’t worry though mum & dad he (/ or she) is programmable so you can make her fall asleep in advance of bedtime, and wake up happy (and wagging) to greet your child in the morning.
RRP: £59.99 (recommended by this blogger for ages 6 and up)
Sesame Street Elmo Hugs (EXCLUSIVE TO ARGOS)
Buy it. Enough said. Buy it. Not only does Elmo offer the best techno-embrace I’ve ever had, he’s also a smidgen bigger than a newborn baby, and tells you how much he loves you when you give him a squeeze. Forget buying this for your youngster - buy it for you. For when your hubby tells you off for spending too much time on the laptop then goes out for a curry with his mates… For when your own child seems hell-bent on making you head for the gin at 4pm…
I don’t care that he’s £49.99 - he’s welcome in our house! (by the way, notice he’s cradling an iPad…? Hmm I think there’s more to this cutey-pie! I don’t need to know exactly what, I’m already sold).
LeapFrog LeapPad Ultra
Okay - I have to admit to switching off a little for this demo. Not because I don’t think they’re fabulous, but because Dexter (14 months) would send my £119.99 worth of tablet to techno-heaven by biting the sheer hell out of it.
Basically, for all your little LeapPad addicts, this bad boy is wi-fi enabled (restricted though so your child won’t be on “daddy-sites” - less said). The screen is also wider - looked like an iPad to me!
Sophia - The First Talking Sophia
I’m hoping this makes sense to all of those with little princesses. All I can tell you was that she was a baseball mitt sized doll. I’m sure she’s lovely but I failed you on this one. Oh, oh, oh… and she talks!
Lego Star Wars R2D2
Whoa. This was cool . I’ve never seen Star Wars (I’m only 30 so don’t need the barrage of comments about how my parents failed me) but I’m ashamed to admit that Craigy (42) has a replica light-saber and many other things I’ve relegated to the top of our bookshelf. Having said this, not even I could fail to be impressed by this Lego creation.
At £149.99 it’s steep. But steep because of how impressive it is. I can’t help but think this is more one for the dads than for the sons - but what do I know!?
Monopoly Empire!
Everyone’s favourite board game (tell my brother that as I lauded Mayfair over him at every possible opportunity) is back with too many twists to mention. Not only are the streets now brands (very Dragon’s Den) but you have to build some kind of billboard tower thingy in the middle. I can raise my eyebrows as much I want but secretly I’m buying this to whip Craigy’s butt.
RRP: £19.99 (recommended by this blogger for ages 11 and up - I can’t ever let myself lose to a primary school child)
Planes Wing Control Dusty
Yep - the latest Disney Pixar offering. We all remember Cars… well this is from the spin-off Planes (I must live in a bubble). For me? No. I’m a Disney-hater (not because of any political reasons but because saccharinely sweet animation kills my sense of perspective) but this is guaranteed to be a hit among for every child and every Beauty and the Beast loving parent.
So what is it?
Well… kids can fly the Dusty Crophopper using remote-controlled wings which sit on their wrists. Best way to describe this is that your child dons some sensors on their wrists and does their best aeroplane impression - the toy (apparently) emulates your childs’ moves. Press the button on the right-hand wing to set Dusty’s propeller spinning and move Dusty forward. Then, tilt your arms and body to the left or right to make Dusty turn left or right. There are sound effect noises too apparently - oh joy! (By the way… Craig thinks this is the coolest of the lot < Daddy perspective)
Available from October 2013 - Here’s a little video I found about him…
Nerf Elite RapidStrike CS-18
Now, I’m not one of those mums who abhor toy guns. Pretty popular during the 1970′s, and Action Man being the Plastic-Man-of-the-Moment for the love of my life, I can testify they don’t hurt anyone. As such, I think that Nerf are impossibly cool.
Given I have no clue what the old ones look like, I’ll rave on about this one. It’s big, quick and has a wide-range. It also has a transparent loader so you can see just how many bullets you have left. Bring on the war-games.
RRP £49.99 (recommended by this blogger for ages 11 and up)
Lego Friends Dolphin Cruiser
This didn’t float-my-boat as much as R2-D2 did but I suppose that’s why it’s half the price at £59.99. It’s still very intricate and exactly the same quality you’d expect from Lego - but it’s a boat. A boat. Get through the initial play and you may well be dead-in-the-water (no pun intended).
So there you have it! It seems Father Christmas and his helpers have got all tech savvy this year. What do you think? Any of these going on your Chrimbo list???
