Is it just us, or have toys gotten way cooler since we believed in Santa? Our picks for kids — and one or two for kids at heart.
1. Keep their first Christmas nice and cozy with MyNatural Disney Blankies, made from natural cotton and colored with eco-friendly dyes. $15, www.toysrus.com
2. The “Sesame Street” gang are never going out of style. Let’s Rock Elmo sings and plays instruments (don’t worry — he’s happy to share his drums with kiddos), while Count ’N Crunch Cookie Monster teaches numbers as he gobbles away. Cookie: $30; Elmo: $70, www.hasbrotoyshop.com
3. Meet Magical Fairy Dora: From what we understand about little girls, you cannot possibly go wrong with this one. $30, www.shop.nick.com
4. LEGO characters have come a long way since we last played with the little blockheads. This year, SpongeBob SquarePants and friends get in on the action. $15-$20, www.shop.nick.com
5. We have no idea when the EasyBake oven got this cool. Or started including red velvet cupcakes. But we do know we still want one — bad. $50, www.hasbrotoyshop.com
6. Hello, Kitty! This MP3 player can store more than 100 songs and keep sticky fingers off your iPhone. $30, www.toysrus.com
7. Equipped with three wheels, the Mini Kick looks like a big kid’s ride, but little ones won’t topple
as they practice their balance. $85, www.gilt.com
8. WallCandy’s ice cream cone decal has a chalkboard surface for the budding Banksy eyeing up her bedroom walls. $30, www.gilt.com
9. Mattel’s Monster High dolls put Barbie on notice. $18, www.shop.mattel.com
10. The Rover Spy Tank can travel up to 200 feet as it streams live video or pictures back to your iPhone, which acts as its steering wheel. Did we mention the night vision? Test this one out before putting it under the tree. $150, www.brookstone.com
11. Each Furreal Friends Newborn is so tiny it needs to be bottle-fed! Our vote is for the baby penguin, for obvious reasons. $15, www.hasbrotoyshop.com
12. Want to defend your title as the coolest aunt? The new Fretlight teaching guitar plugs into a
USB port, then is ready to light up and guide you through finger placement with video lessons.
$400-$800, www.fretlight.com
