By JOSIE CLARKE
The Christmas season is upon us and toy stores are doing their very best to capture children's hearts and prise open their parents' wallets.
According to an informal poll, aluminium scooters and internet connections are topping children's wish lists to Santa Claus this year.
And if you have never heard of Blue's Clues or Dragonball Z, chances are you soon will if your Christmas Day celebrations include anyone under the age of 10.
In a blast of advertising hype designed to make the most of the festive season, two of the world's big toy manufacturers are launching their flagship products this month in a trend towards high-tech gifts for computer-literate youngsters.
First out of the blocks this week was Lego Studios, a type of cyber-Lego for junior moviemakers who get to build their own movie set then film the action with a tiny Lego camera, download special effects and e-mail it to friends and family.
At $399, the toy is pitched at the top end of the market, but it is still $500 cheaper than the long-awaited successor to the PlayStation.
PS2, the Harry Potter of the home entertainment hardware world, includes a DVD player and comes at a price of $899, plus the cost of any of the 40 games available by Christmas.
The original, which was the Christmas gift of 1999, is being repackaged and phased in as a portable, cellphone and internet-compatible gaming platform.
To the relief of parents and teachers alike, the Pokémon phenomenon that sparked a trading-card frenzy in school playgrounds around the world seems to be on the wane after three years at the top. Pokémon games at $60 to $80 and Nintendo's Gameboy at $170 still rank right up there with the primary-age playset.
But the gift most likely to turn up under the tree this year is the fold-up shiny scooter, transport mode of choice for schoolboys and urban trendies alike.
Toyworld reports it has already sold thousands at $199 for a welded model or $150 for the bolted variety.
However, retailers agree that this Christmas seems strangely quiet without a fad that has captured children's attentions.
Warehouse toy buyer Franco Godinich says there is no one toy this Christmas that matches the crazes surrounding Teletubbies and Pokémon, but merchandise from television programmes Dragonball Z and Blue's Clues is "hot property."
A salesman for Dick Smith in Hamilton, Leslie Wong, says it is going to be a very strange Christmas.
"People aren't dashing in to buy any one thing in particular. We are expecting a lot of last-minute purchases, and as I always say, don't forget the batteries."
That's not to say retailers are giving up. Letterboxes and television screens have been saturated with advertising for Christmas since the beginning of this month.
Of annual toy sales at Toyworld, one-third are made in the month leading up to Christmas.
Spokesman Geoff Moth says double-income families can often afford to spend more than others on toys for their children but, in reality, stores only sell a few of the most expensive toys such as Lego Studios.
"People don't part with that kind of money without talking to a sales person, and they want some reassurance they are getting value for money."
And while trends in the increasingly fickle children's market may be veering towards expensive high-tech toys, there are some best-sellers this year that the grandparents of today's youngsters probably played with, says Mr Godinich.
"There is a core of traditional toys that always sell well. We are still selling marbles, yo-yos, buckets and spades and dolls - all the toys that every generation has grown up with."
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