Yes, I know and I apologise for bringing up Christmas yet again when we haven’t even had Halloween and Bonfire Night yet, but the Toy Retailer’s Association has announced their annual top twelve toys for Christmas list, usually an indicator of the kid’s toys most likely to be fought over by desperate parents in December if they didn’t secure them earlier in the year before supplies ran low. There are traditionally some cool science fiction items in the list, with Doctor Who merch usually featuring highly (hell, the last couple of Christmases its been a huge struggle to try and keep re-stocking on some Who merch, so popular has it been).
(the Star Wars Clone Trooper Voice Changer Helmet – or is it the helmet for a new Stig on Top Gear?)
Surprisingly I didn’t see Who on the list this year – in fact, and forgive me for being a little chauvinist perhaps, a lot of the main list seems distinctly ‘girly’ this year (what is the fascination for baby dolls which mimic real infants by eating and peeing? Strange boys were never offered an equivalent, like an Action Man who gets traumatised by battle and poos his pants). But there is the Star Wars Clone Trooper Voice Changer Helmet on the list, which they’re sure will be one of the most demanded toys this Yuletide (I like these voice changers, just annnoying most of them won’t fit over my huge head).
Turning to the seperate boy’s toys list (sorry, girls) there’s a bit more in there – more Star Wars with the AT-TE vehicle from the Clone Wars, the Indiana Jones hat and whip set and the Ben 10 Deluxe Omnitrix (someone with kids will need to tell me what that actually is!). You can download the full list from the Toy Retailer’s Association site.And while they didn’t seem to pick up on much on the way of Doctor Who merch this year, I remain pretty confident that there will be a big demand for them myself – especially the new classic Who figures. And for those the kids will have to try and fight the adults, who are going to want them for themselves (me included).
Wed, Oct 15, 2008
Merchandise