Holiday Toy Season Officially Among Us With Release of "Hot Dozen" Toys List

Get out your plastic...warm up your car...be sure to wear good shoes...the holiday shopping season is officially among us. Now we get to deal with heavier traffic, grouchy people & no parking. All in the name of Jolly old Saint Nick.
"The dominant trend this year is more toys based on technology," said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toy Wishes magazine. Five of the 12 toys on the list incorporate an interactive screen element into the play experience.
There are the plug-and-play TV games from toymaker Jakks Pacific (JAKK: Research, Estimates) and Fisher-Price's InteracTV lets kids watch DVDs of their favorite characters, such as Barney and Dora the Explorer, while they use an electronic tablet to answer questions and play along.
Even Elmo is getting a technology enhancement his year. The new E-L-M-O from manufacturer Fisher-Price, uses his arms and legs to spell out all the letters in his name.