Toys ‘R’ Us releases 2009 Hot Toy List

Gah. Why didn’t they have cool toys like they do now when I was a kid? Here I thought my Barbie and her red convertible — which I had to push around the floor myself — were cool. Now you’ve got electronic gadgets coming out of the ying yang. I bet now Barbie drives her red convertible on her own … while texting.

Toys ‘R’ Us — which is still surprisingly around despite the corporate giant Wal-Mart and its lower priced toy aisles — recently released its 2009 Hot Toy List. You can read the expansive list here.

What I’m more interested is the Fabulous 15 picks — the retailer’s top picks for best new toys of the holiday season. See below (listed in alphabetical order). (Via ShoppingBlog.com)

• Bakugan Battle Brawlers New Vestroia Maxus Helios 7 in 1 from Spin Master
• ChixOs Pink Design-A-Luxury Loft from Spin Master
• Color Me a Song from Crayola Beginnings
• Disney Netpal from ASUS
• Disney-Pixar Toy Story Interactive Buddies Talking Action Figures (Buzz and Woody) from Thinkway
• Disney Princess: Just One Kiss Princess Tiana Doll from Mattel
• Fast Lane JLX Over Drive Radio Control All Terrain Vehicle from Toys “R” Us
• Laugh & Learn Learning Farm from Fisher-Price
• Little Mommy Baby Ah-Choo from Fisher-Price
• Mindflex from Mattel (pictured above)
• NERF N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS-35 from Hasbro
• Star Wars Fan’s Choice Anniversary Edition Home One Mon Calamari Star Cruiser from LEGO
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Construction Devastator from Hasbro
• Wii Sports Resort from Nintendo
• Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster from Cepia

Check out this video of a guy testing out Mattel’s Mindflex, a very 21st century gadget that reads your brain waves in order to move a ball through a hoop. Mad cool. (video via GadgetReview.com)

This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 6, 2009.