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A tale of two toy lists

9/20/2011

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. andWAYNE, N.J. — While most consumers have barely started making Halloween plans, the retail industry is looking ahead to the holiday season and predicting what they think will be the most popular toys this year.


Toys“R”Us and Kmart both announced their top toy lists for the holiday season detailed below:


Toys"R"Us




  1. Air Hogs Hyper Actives from Spin Master




  2. Air Swimmers eXtreme from Animal Planet




  3. Lalaloopsy Silly Hair dolls from MGA Entertainment




  4. LeapPad Explorer from LeapFrog




  5. Monster High Fearleading 3-Pack from Mattel




  6. Moshi Monsters Moshling 3-Pack Mini-Figures from Spin Master




  7. My Keepon from Wow! Stuff




  8. Nerf Vortex Vigilon from Hasbro




  9. Ninjago Lightning Dragon Battle from Lego Systems Inc.




  10. Poppin’ Park Elefun Busy Ball Popper from Playskool




  11. Power Wheels Dune Racer from Fisher-Price




  12. Radica Fijit Friends from Mattel




  13. Sesame Street Let’s Rock! Elmo from Hasbro




  14. Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure from Activision




Kmart




  1. Let's Rock! Elmo




  2. Fijit




  3. I am T-Pain Microphone




  4. Barbie Designable Hair Extensions and Doll




  5. Lite Sprites Lite Wand, Prisma and Pod




  6. Redakai Championship Battle Tin




  7. FurReal Friends Cookie My Playful Pup




  8. Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster




  9. Mini Lalaloopsy Treehouse Playset




  10. WWE Colossal Crashdown Arena




  11. Transformers Mechtech Ultimate Optimus Prime




  12. LeapPad Explorer Learning Tablet




  13. Lazer Stunt Chaser R/C Vehicle




  14. Simon Flash




Consumers looking to comparison shop will notice that both companies have the LeapPad, Nerf Vortex, Fijit and Let's! Rock Elmo on their top toy lists. This could be a concern for Toys"R"Us as Kmart's more aggressive pricing strategy may lure cost-conscious consumers into its stores, especially if they know they can get at least a few of this year's hot toys for less. Where Toys"R"Us can thrive is in the area of exclusives, several of which appear on its top toy list.


“There are so many really terrific new toys available this year, so narrowing down the list of top toys was fun, but challenging,” said Karen Dodge, SVP, chief merchandising officer for Toys“R”Us, U.S. “The Toys“R”Us 2011 Holiday Hot Toy List highlights what we expect will be the most sought-after items this holiday season and the ones that will yield squeals of delight when kids tear off the wrapping paper on Christmas morning.”


Toys"R"Us may be the leading toy retailer, but mass-merchandisers like Kmart continue to gain market share.



“Brands have told us that being chosen for our (toy list) creates an increased demand for the toys on the list,” said Hugo Malan, SVP and president, fitness, sporting goods and toys. “And customers are thrilled that we’re helping them identify the toys that will be the next holiday craze.”


As the holiday season approaches, additional retailers will look to challenge Toys"R"Us' authority with their own top toy lists.

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