Roboraptor ousts Playful Pup by a tail

Georgia Gibson, 6, test-drives a Roboraptor before giving her expert opinion to the toy survey. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Any toy that moves of its own volition will be high on Christmas wish lists this year, but parents be warned: it won't come cheap.

Students at Mt Eden Normal School became the envy of children around the country yesterday when they got to play with and pick their favourites in the New Zealand Toy Survey.

Ten-year-old Sayaka Rees was confident that dinosaur automaton Roboraptor was the best toy because "it bites your hand, but it doesn't hurt, and it walks round and wags its tail and does loads of different things".

However, Sayaka was not willing to discriminate. Pushed to choose the absolute best, she decided she would like "a couple of things from each section".

The survey, organised by Duracell, is in its second year and asks children aged 5 to 10 at three schools in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to judge which toys will make the best Christmas presents.

Toys are submitted in 10 categories, including dolls, games/puzzles, building sets, action, and exploration and learning.

Roboraptor will take its toll on the bank balance, costing $149, but it has something of a pedigree, with its predecessor, Robosapien, winning top honours last year.

However, according to the Mt Eden children, it faces a stiff challenge from the Playful Pup, which essentially is a cute, canine version of Roboraptor, costing $129.

"I like the dog best," said Isabella McCleay, 5. "It moves and looks like a real puppy."

About 40 toys were available, submitted by manufacturers and distributors. But despite Duracell's sponsorship, the survey is not limited to electronic and battery powered toys.

Magnetic puzzles and old favourite Lego proved popular with some of the older children yesterday.

But an interactive game seemed to be winning over yesterday's judges. Kenzie Matthews, 10, was in no doubt that video game paintball - where you shoot cartoon characters on a television with a handheld gun - was the best.

"The boys are good at Lego, but paintball is really the best."

Meanwhile, 5-year-old Millie Maling, preferred something a little more genteel. Her favourite was a spinning wheel on to which she could pour paint and create her own masterpieces.

"I've never played it before," she said without looking up and while choosing pink to add to her artwork.

That game was too sedate for Flynn Nicholas and George Jensen who, if given the chance, would have spent hours with a Superman cape (complete with sound effects) and an all-action Star Wars lightsaber.

"Star Wars is cool and it makes noises if you push a button just like the real ones in the movie," said 6-year-old Flynn.

Duracell product manager Leilani Cowie-Fuimaono said the aim of the survey was to give parents a guide to what would be popular.

And she had some good news for parents who were preparing to dig deep for Christmas presents.

"It's not all Nintendo that the kids like. It's arts and crafts and the whole range," she said.

"That includes games where the children are playing, but they are also negotiating, thinking, problem solving and of course having fun."

The formal survey results, with a toy top 10, will be released in November.

Pupils' choice: top five toys

* Roboraptor

Manufacturer: Cave

Price: $149

Remote control and sensor responsive, it's a robotic pet dinosaur which bites, but gently.

* Playful Pup

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Price: $129

Puppy version of the Roboraptor. Impossible to look at without smiling.

* Flash Art Paint Spinner

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Price: $54.99

Spinning wheel; just add paint and create a masterpiece. Brilliant, but potentially very messy.

* Ultimate Lightsaber

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Price: $90

Star Wars classic. Different colours for good and evil and sounds like the real thing, without being able to slice through steel, obviously.

* Mission Paintball

Manufacturer: Hasbro

Price: $99

TV version of an arcade game. Fire a gun at the screen to splat opponents in paint. Probably as addictive for parents as children.