How do toys end up on the “hot 15” and what makes a toy a holiday hit? Check this out and see what ToyRus had to say. It’s kind of interesting and it looks like the decision making is in the hands of the professionals. Kids 🙂
How do you decide what to get your kids? Do you get what they want or do you decide?
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Us Girls..Our Views 
We normally do one BIG toy and lots of smaller things.
The BIG toy may be something they want but will more likely be something we determine they would benefit/enjoy and use more long term. For instance, our third grader loves to read so she is getting a KINDLE.
I keep eyes peeled for stuff that he’ll like, good deals, etc. This year, I’ve already purchased a chessboard, a book on chess for kids, and Cars 2. I never realized he was ‘into’ chess until this trip to Chicago. We played multiple times a day, ALL WEEK!!! So about halfway through, I surfed amazon. Found a Wizard’s Chess game (from Harry Potter) that was reasonably priced.
Not sure what else he’s getting. I keep telling him to make a list…….
I too like to buy one big thing, and focus on what I think would be good for the kids. However, they are starting to be old enough to be influenced by what other kids have. They both say that if Santa could only bring 1 thing, they want it to be a DS (Nintendo handheld game system). I bit the bullet and bought them a “DS lite” to share, along with several games that seem appropriate for them.
They are getting a lot of “princess” stuff because that is big with them now. I got them a castle-style dollhouse because the dollhouse they have is overflowing with too many dolls (many of whom are princes/princesses/knights etc.). I also bought a Lego castle building set (a modest one for under $20 – not one of those $150+ sets, oh my word!) Some of the DS games they got also have a princess theme.
On the “because it’s good for them” theme, I bought a quality half-sized guitar that supposedly works pretty much like the “real thing.” I also bought Miss E a couple of cheap bathing suits because she is getting wedgified in the ones she has.
Some of the DS games will be for E’s birthday. Miss E really likes chess too, but we already have a kid-friendly chess set. I’m not sure what else I’ll do for the birthday. It has to be small so we can take it on the cruise. Maybe the Lego castle set. Books, maybe some clothes and a scrapbooky kit. (Yes, my kids are thoroughly spoiled.)
Where did you find a Lego Castle set for under $20????? That’s next to impossible!!
Amazon.com. It has a little more than 100 pieces, which does not sound very big. But it should be enough for my kids, especially when added to the kit they got for the last birthday.
LEGO Castle Building Set 5929: 144 pieces, $12.99. It did seem odd, out of the price range of other similar toys, but what the heck, right?
ahhh…. don’t expect it to be very big at all. I’m guessing 4-5″ high, maybe. It’ll still be fun, and they can build other things with the pieces, which is why I like Lego so much. So many possibilities… I warn you now, though. It’s addicting. You should see the VAT of Lego we have here. it’s ginormous.
My kids’ princess dolls are about 5″ high, and they don’t care too much about stuff being “to scale.” They made a house that was about 4″ high and they’ve been using it as the princess’ house when they play away from the big dollhouse. It’s all about imagination! They can always combine the sets and make something bigger.
The addictiveness of Lego is a scary thought, when you browse through the available Lego sets. I think I’ll stick with small, cheap sets and big boxes of generic bricks, if the girls continue to be Lego fans over the years. When I was a kid, we had a big box (actually it was at my granny’s) and we just made whatever seemed like a good idea at the time.
I went back online to order stuff for the birthday. I wanted a creative artsy-craftsy gift with “bling” as they say. There is a nice series of “blingy” projects, but they are all “sticker by number” stuff – they don’t allow much room for creativity. Oh well, I bought a set (“make your own greeting cards”) because it got rave reviews and seems fun enough. My kid will probably change up the color schemes at least. She’s rebellious like that.
I also bought a whole stack of purple-themed books, LOL. I think she’ll get a kick out of that. So chicky’s birthday is done. Woo hoo!
I’m done shopping for everyone under the age of 15. That’s not quite half of my Christmas list, but the other half shouldn’t be too complicated, I hope.
if it were up to my kid, he would have everything that is on the commercials! He sees a commercial and tells me “Mom can you put that on my Christmas list?” He even says when a commercial comes on for girls, “Why are they showing girl stuff? Don’t they know I’m a boy?!” Oh Hunter!!!!
He’s really into Cars (movie) this year. So he’ll be getting lots of them for Christmas & B-day. I think we’re even gonna do a Cars theme for his b-day.
I have the kids make a list and then go from there. They do not get everything on that list b/c I think that’s ridiculous! Who gets everything they want?! Life doesn’t work that way! Anyway, I’ll pick some things off the list, but I also will get things that I think will interest them. I have started my shopping and have a few things. Like others above, I do like to do a “big gift” and then some smaller gifts, and this year I don’t know what the big gifts will be. Trinity hasn’t really made a list yet! Chris’s list is what’s circled in the catalog!
Bailey generally gets most of what he wants, because he doesn’t ask for much. He never really makes a list, he’ll just mention a few things here and there. Jason does most of the shopping for Bailey, because he works near the cities where all the gaming shops and sporting goods stores are. The things he wants are pretty practical. He wants an Under Armour mouth guard. Yes, a mouth guard. lol Baseball, reading and art supplies…he’s easy to buy for!
When he was little, we bought the “hot” toys and probably wasted more money that anything. At least now, he’s 11, I don’t feel like we are wasting money.