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Christmas is rapidly approaching and many of us will be starting to think about what gifts to buy this year. It’s always a good idea to buy early for Christmas - and that’s especially true this year. Many retailers carried too much stock last year. They had to make heavy discounts just to clear the shelves. So it’s not surprising that a lot of retailers have decided to carry relatively low stock levels this year - especially considering the economic climate. As we get closer to Christmas, it could become difficult to find toys and other popular gift items. Retailers who run out of the most popular toys might try attempt to order new stock to meet customer demand - but as most toys these days are of Asian manufacture, the lengthy delivery time tends to be several weeks. Refilling empty shelves before Xmas may not be a feasible option. Based on current sales, Zhu Zhu Pets are one of the top selling toys this year. Zhu Zhu Pets are a gang of five cute and furry motorized hamsters, who come complete with a selection of accessories and toys. They use artificial intelligence which lets them interact both with the kids playing with them and their surrounding environment. They were only released in August of 2009 - and kids are going nuts for them. If stock levels are high enough, then they look guaranteed to be the top selling Christmas toy this year. Although they haven’t been out for long they are already becoming difficult to find in the shops. Prices are starting to climb quite dramatically and you can find plenty third party vendors selling them on eBay and Amazon at inflated prices. However, if you can’t get hold of the latest fad toy, or if you don’t want to pay inflated prices for a fad that could easily die out in just a few months, then you might wish to consider a more traditional toy instead. Whilst these may not be the very latest and greatest craze - the simple fact that they have stood the test of time says a lot. For example, if you were buying for a young boy, a son or nephew perhaps, a train set is always a popular choice. A good Hornby Dublo train set will last for years and will still be giving children enjoyment when the latest fad has fizzled out and been replaced by something newer. The same reasoning could be equally well applied to old favourites like Monopoly, Scrabble and Lego. All of these have stood the test of time, over generations, and adapted to suit the requirements of modern day children. See the full range of Hornby Dublo train sets - including the famous Hornby oo Flying Scotsman. |
Posts Tagged ‘children’s gifts’
Go For Traditional Gifts This Christmas
Monday, November 23rd, 2009Zhu Zhu Pets Selling Well
Friday, November 6th, 2009| Scentsy | Flameless Candles | Wickless Candles |
When it comes to marketing a product, what is the importance of the name? That’s a hard question to answer, but based upon the sales results for Zhu Zhu pets, there does seem to be some impact on the product’s success. If you go to the Amazon “Toys and Games” category and look at the bestseller list, you will find that eight of the top ten positions are occupied by Zhu Zhu Pets. These are basically motorized, robotic hamsters which use artificial intelligence combined with sensors to interact with each other, with the children who are playing with them and with their environment. Over and above the actual hamsters themselves, there are a number of different hamster toys and habitats which can be arranged in various different designs by the kids. The target age group is between 4 and 10 years old, and it’s not too hard to see why these kids are going nuts ofr the Zhu Zhu pets. The hamsters are small, cute and furry - and they make cute noises whenever they are stroked and petted. The freedom to redesign the hamster environments is also good fun as it uses the kid’s imagination. From the parent’s point of view there are plenty of attractive aspects also. There’s no need to keep mechanical pets fed and watered, they don’t poop - so there’s no need to clean out the cage (and no smell) - and they don’t pop their little hamster clogs leaving the parents to explain that Hammy has gone to Hamster heaven. So, despite only being launched in August, it’s no great surprise that the Zhu Zhu Pets are already an enormous hit with both parents and children. If sales hold up at their current level they might even be the best selling Christmas toy of 2009. However, on the other side of the Atlantic, it’s a slightly different story. In the UK, Zhu Zhu pets are still being marketed under their old name of Go Go Hamsters. Even although the prices are very much lower, they aren’t enjoying anything like the same level of sales as are currently being seen in the USA. The company who market Zhu Zhu Pets in the States - Cepia - have done an excellent job of rebranding these toys. Following a successful trial launch in Phoenix, the Zhu Zhu Pets have been selling like hot cakes since their nationwide launch. Demand is starting to outstrip supply however, and prices seem to be edging upwards. If stocks hold out, these cute little hamsters could well grab the Christmas number one slot this year. Harold Peterson - Find out all about the Zhu Zhu Pets |
Disney Snow Globes Are An Excellent Choice For a Children’s Collection
Sunday, October 25th, 2009| Scentsy | Flameless Candles | Wickless Candles |
Through out the years, both kids and adults have been fascinated by snow globes. Snow globes were originally designed as desk ornaments to keep papers down. Production of snow globes started in the 19th century. Manufacturers originally used rice to mimic the look of snow when the globes were shaken and the casing of the snow globes were made out of very heavy leaded glass. Today, snow globes are a dime a dozen and are often made out of cheap plastic. There are still some companies that create collectible snow globe collections that are made from glass. If you ask any snow globe collector, they will tell you that they have snow globes in just about any type, from anywhere. Kids especially love the Disney snow globe collection since they can get their favorite characters by themselves or in a group with other characters. The Disney snow globe collection features Mickey and Minnie Mouse, The Disneyland Park Castle, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy and so many more! Another great thing about collecting snow globes is that you can have a wonderful collection that didn’t cost a lot of money to get started. People who are serious snow globe collectors might pay a pretty penny for a very old or antique snow globe, but for the novice collector, it’s very easy and cheap to start your collection. Allowing your child to collect Disney snow globes provides great ideas for birthday and Christmas gifts. Each snow globe is unique when observed through the owner’s eyes. Looking into a snow globe, especially a Disney snow globe, allows a child to use their imagination. To display your Disney snow globes properly, you should have a nice shelf arrangement or curio cabinet to place them in. Make sure that the shelves you have your collection on can handle the weight of your snow globes since some can be really heavy and that the shelves are wide enough to accommodate your collection. If you do decide to go with shelves to display your collection, then the shelves should be securely anchored to the wall so that you don’t lose any of your precious collection. Shelves also make it easier to show and tell the collection since they are not behind glass. Be sure to avoid storing your snow globes in direct sunlight to prevent fading over time. Snow globes kept at extreme high or low temperatures will be prone to cracks, especially if your globes are made of plastic material. The liquid inside present day snow globes is generally a combination of glycerin and water, which may experience some evaporation over a period of time. If you hope to one day sell your collection, refilling evaporated liquid in your snow globe will cause your snow globes to lose some of their value. Deciding which theme to use for your snow globe collection may be baffling at first since there are so many to choose from. As stated above, Disney snow globes are a really great collection because there are so many to choose from, and children especially love them. Disney character is only one type of collection, try starting with a Peter Pan snowglobe or Charlie Brown snowglobes. |
Kids Gift Ideas Including Educational Gifts
Sunday, June 7th, 2009| Scentsy | Flameless Candles | Wickless Candles |
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Looking for a kids gift that also acts as a learning tool? Luckily there are a wide variety of gift ideas that double as both teaching devices and toys making learning fun for everyone. There is no shortage of these either, in fact it seems there are more and more options everyday. Books make a good gift idea for a few reasons. They are made for kids of all ages so you’ll easily be able to find a book that fits any age group. Books for younger kids help them learn shapes and colors while books for older kids help them learn the language and sentence structure. Books also help spark a kids imagination. They can be taken and enjoyed anywhere; and they can make a good low cost gift if you’re on a budget. Another time-tested gift idea for kids is a board game. The fun thing about board games is that they can involve the family or friends. They provide a fun activity when friends come over just for the afternoon or for a birthday party. But they also help teach kids various skills. Younger kids learn more basic skills like taking turns and counting while older kids can learn more complex skills like developing a strategy. For the curious kids who likes to know how things work you may want to consider gifts that are science-related. Something like a chemistry set that will allow them to have an interactive learning environment with some basic elements. Or maybe a starter telescope that allows you to see the rings around Jupiter or have a better view of the moon. Craft or hobby kits are another good educational gift. They can help kids learn to focus their mind on specific tasks for a period of time. This seems especially important these days since all our information seems to be in short bits mixed with constant distractions. Many crafts and hobbies can also help fine tune motor skills while they also foster creativity. Kids can feel a sense of accomplishment from the items they create. Most kids love music, so music related gifts can be a big hit. This can include a musical instrument from something simple like a kazoo or kids xylophone to something bigger like a set of drums or a guitar. Introduction to instruments can help foster an interest in playing music which could stay with them for a lifetime. But a kids musical gift can be something more basic like a cd of the kid’s favorite performer or something new and fun they haven’t heard of yet. Video games are another great gift idea. They can be very educational and kids are usually pretty excited by this type of gift. When looking for the right video game make sure you know the child’s interests and get something in the appropriate age group. You may think a video game wouldn’t be appropriate for a young child, but on the contrary there are some great educational games made for specifically for young children. These games can help with motor skills and hand-eye coordination as well as teaching some basic skills. Kids watches make a great gift for both young kids and older kids. For younger kids you may want to get an analog time teacher watch that is specifically designed to make it easier to learn how to tell time. Older kids might prefer a digital watch with more features like a timer or alarm. Have fun shopping; it may just make you feel like a kid again. About the Author:
Learn more about great gifts for both teaching and entertaining your children with kids watches. Discover a world that features classy Timex watches to silly Disney watches.
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