All parents deal with it at some point or another – the Christmas season approaches, the tv commercials featuring the coolest toys start to air, and the sound of Christmas music is replaced with the sound of a desperate plea, “Mom, I waaaaaaaant it!” Mattel is a top offender here – they are guilty of producing some amazing children’s toys this year that are making children everywhere plead to their parents for them.
We checked out 3 of the top toys from Mattel this season, appropriate for different age groups. The Little Mommy line of dolls and accessories from Fisher Price is a hugely popular line with toddlers and little girls. We received our first little mommy doll last year when my daughter was just 1 year old and she loves her. The Little Mommy Walk & Giggle Doll made my now 2 year old point at the screen wide eyed, when we saw the commercial.
The doll is designated for children 3+ though of course children younger than that are going to love her too (the 3+ is likely due to any small parts in toys, so be aware of that). This is the first doll my daughter received that actually moves! Previous ones have cried, laughed, and talked but when the Walk & Giggle Doll started scooting across the floor, squeals erupted from my daughter (so cute!). She loves her Walk & Giggle Doll – definitely a big hit in this household!
In a few years from now, I know we will be moving on to Barbies. I can’t wait, because Barbies were my favorite way to occupy hours of time when I was a little girl. I received a Barbie Motorhome when I was about 5 years old and used it for years – I can picture what it looked like exactly, complete with the 70’s colored stickers it had (OMG, I just found it, click here for an image of my awesome yellow Barbie Motorhome!) Whew, that was rather exciting…lol…
This year, one of the hottest Barbie toys is the Barbie Glamour Camper (it’s come a long way since my yellow Barbie Camper!) This is the kind of camper I’d like to go camping in – complete with a chandelier, music and sounds (even a flushing toilet, you can’t beat that!)
The Barbie Glamour Camper has many small parts so it’s not appropriate for children under 3 years old – I think in a year from now when my daughter is 3 and starting to get into Barbies this will be a fabulous toy to play with. In the meantime, it sure did take me back when I checked it out. Now off to hide it!
Mattel of course has tons of great items for boys this holiday season and one toy that is making huge waves (heh.) is the Matchbox Mega Rig Pirate Ship Building System! If you think the name of it is huge, you should see the actual toy.
Designated for children 4-12 years old, the Matchbox Mega Rig Pirate Ship is one massive ship to start, but can be taken apart and made into 3 different ships – now THAT is a toy that can occupy a boy for a long time (love that.) Suitable for play in water or land, the ship floats in the bathtub and rolls across the floor. It comes with accessories like a horrifically ugly (in this mommy’s opinion) giant squid, 2 pirates and a treasure chest of course. If you have a boy on your Christmas list who is a pirate fanatic, this is a guaranteed hit this holiday season.
Enjoy those last few days of holiday shopping! Take a deep breath and remember it will all be over soon. Then the fun of Boxing Day sales begins….oh then there’s the January clearance sales…..
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