Hottest Toys for 2009

Here's what you'll be buying this holiday season

Nicole Lyn Pesce

September 30, 2009

The year's top 10 toy lists are out, and they pack a lot of play for what you'll pay.

With only 12 weeks till Santa arrives, toymakers have been adjusting prices and boosting the fun value of their hottest products.

And according to new toy rankings from both FunFare magazine and Toys"R" Us, these affordable playthings are catching on with kids, too.

"Because of the economy, the toy companies did an excellent job of shoving every possible new feature or type of play value into these toys so that people really feel like they get their money's worth," assures FunFare publisher Gareb Shamus. The magazine's annual Hot Dozen Toy List, released this week, offers the season's shopping musts for the industry across the country.

Shamus says that even some pricier items, like Disney's $350 kiddie laptop, earn their sticker prices by providing hours of replay value. "People are going to get a really good deal this holiday," he says.

From high-tech marvels like the adorable robotic hamsters (which are already selling out) to Disney's first new princess doll in more than a decade, here are the 10 toys your kids will beg for this season.

Printies Design Studio

Ages 6+, $19.99, by Techno Source.

Now kids can make their own stuffed animals, using an inkjet printer! Simply design the desired critter (they come in pet, ocean and jungle themes) and print them out on the specially designed Printies fabric sheets. Then tear along the perforated lines and stuff them, and it's play time!