Toy Wishes Announces Holiday 2005 Hot Dozen; Celebrated Annual Hot List Names 'Must Have' Toy and Entertainment Products for the Holidays

Business Wire, Oct 6, 2005

NEW YORK -- Toy Wishes, The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment, today announced the Holiday 2005 Hot Dozen - the toy and entertainment products that combine innovation, great play value and are expected to be the most in demand once the gift giving season gets underway.

Announced each year by the magazine's editorial team, the release of the Toy Wishes Hot Dozen is recognized as the 'official' kick-off to the holiday family entertainment shopping and editorial season. Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toy Wishes Holiday 2005 and toy and children's lifestyle industry expert Chris Byrne (AKA The Toy Guy(R)), unveiled this year's Hot Dozen at the Fourth Annual Toy Wishes Holiday Preview held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The Holiday Preview is an annual media event showcasing more than 500 toys and entertainment products and featuring a wide array of children's and family entertainment companies including toy manufacturers, entertainment companies, licensors and retailers.

The Toy Wishes editorial staff began the Hot Dozen selection process more than a year ago on their annual quest to preview - and review - all of the toys and games hitting the market in 2005. Over the past six years, the magazine has accurately predicted the best-selling and most popular toys of the year, from the more than 150,000 toys on the market at any given time. While Toy Wishes magazine features more than 500 new toys, only those predicted to be the most impossible to find because of their popularity receive Hot Dozen status.

So, in an attempt to relieve holiday shopping jitters and frantic attempts to find the impossible, this year's Hot Dozen is as follows (in alphabetical order)

--  BLACK BELTS KARATE HOME STUDIO
        (Spin Master/Ages 3 years & up/ $24.99)
        Kids will get a kick (and a lot more) out of this complete
        karate studio that helps younger kids learn the basics of
        karate--blocks, punches, stances and kicks--at their own pace
        as they watch the 30-minute video on VHS or DVD. Work out with
        Tommy Nitro and his team as they guide kids step by step
        through what they need to know. It's easy and fun. This is
        especially great for kids who are just starting to be
        interested in martial arts.

    --  DORA'S TALKING KITCHEN
        (Fisher-Price/Ages 2 years & up/$79.99)
        No character is more popular than Dora the Explorer this
        holiday season. Dora's Talking Kitchen brings the fun home as
        kids play along with their friend to turn make-believe cooking
        into a bilingual adventure. The kitchen looks just like the
        one Dora has on her TV show, and includes lights, sounds and
        encouraging phrases as well as more than 25 pieces designed to
        make playing kitchen a learning, playing, laughing adventure.

    --  FLY WHEELS ASSORTMENT
        (Jakks Pacific/Ages 8 years & up/$4.99-$39.99)
        The original Fly Wheels sold more than a million replica
        wheels, and they were one of this year's summer phenoms. Well
        the craze has spun out of control. Now there's stunt ramps,
        deluxe sets and exclusive rapid-fire launchers. Plus, there's
        even a high-tech, high-performance radio-controlled version!
        Fly Wheels R/C lets kids change out their wheels on the
        dual-motor, full-function chassis to do all kinds of
        high-speed driving and amazing stunts--even in the
        water--depending on the style and diameter.

    --  FURBY
        (Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up/$39.99)
        He's back and more fun than ever thanks to advanced technology
        and "emoto-tronics" that let Furby seem more real than ever
        with facial expressions that reflect his many changing moods.
        Voice recognition means that Furby can communicate in his own
        language--"Furbish"--or in English. He'll share stories, tell
        jokes, play games and much more. Oh, and Mom and Dad--this
        time around, he has an off switch.

    --  I-DOG
        (Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up/$29.99)
        He ain't nothing but a sound dog! And he's rockin' all the
        time as you "feed" this robotic pooch a steady diet of
        whatever music rocks your world. This adorable, animated dog
        features the now-classic iPod styling and responds with
        lights, sounds and movement to whatever music you play. Plus,
        I-Dog has a personality that changes depending on how much you
        play with him. And the I-Dog has a quality integrated speaker
        that you can use to play music from any source that has a
        headphone jack. A great, fun gift for anyone who loves music.

    --  iZ
        (Zizzle/Ages 5 years & up/$39.99)
        What iZ is is an out-of-this world character that melds music
        and play in a fun toy that's reminiscent of Sputnik-era
        designs. Kids can "create" their own music by turning some
        things that might be ears and flicking what look like
        antennae. You may not be sure what iZ is, but he's cute as can
        be and lots of fun for kids to play with. He can be posed in
        all kinds of crazy positions and has a speaker where you can
        hook up any kind of music source. You may not be sure why
        you'll love him, but you will.

    --  LEAPSTER L-MAX LEARNING GAME SYSTEM
        (LeapFrog/For kids pre-K through 4th grade/$99.99)
        The "Max" is for maximum learning, and as it always does,
        LeapFrog makes it fun for kids to develop and reinforce skills
        in language, math, logic, writing, spelling--virtually every
        category of learning. Plug in a cartridge and you're ready to
        go. But wait! Plug it into the television and you've got
        dual-screen capabilities that reinforce learning and keep it
        entertaining. Lots of different learning cartridges are
        available.

    --  THE MAGNETIX WORLD
        (Rose Art/Ages 6 years & up/Prices vary per item)
        Building excitement goes urban with this complete city
        building set. The more than 100 pieces include magnetic rods
        that snap together with steel balls for sturdy, fast and
        rewarding building. Let your creativity construct the city of
        today--or the future. Then customize your creation with more
        than 95 different stickers. This is the latest entry into the
        dynamic Magnetix line of building sets.

    --  PIXEL CHIX
        (Mattel/Ages 7 years & up/$29.99)
        These V.F.F. (Virtual Friends Forever) have it going on. The
        Pixel Chix are 2-D girls in a 3-D world. As animated
        characters on the screen in their own houses, they can play
        different games, change fashions and much more. But watch out!
        You better give them plenty of attention or you're in for some
        attitude. The 5-level handheld games provide a whole world of
        fun. And you can even connect two or more units for additional
        fun with your real-life friends.

    --  SHELL SHOCKER
        (Tyco/Ages 8 years & up/$79.99)
        R/C One of the year's most innovative R/C vehicles, the Shell
        Shocker goes beyond basic stunts to create an amazing play
        experience. The high-powered transforming vehicle can be a
        "cyberball" or "cyberbeast" that morphs on the fly. The large
        front wheel gives the Shell Shocker even more power and
        versatility to overpower any obstacle that gets in its way.
        It's an R/C powerhouse that definitely says, "Don't mess with
        me."

    --  VCAM NOW
        (Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up/$79.99)
        Make amazing movies and take cool pics with this versatile,
        powerful and super-cool real video camera. Record up to seven
        minutes of video or take as many as 480 still pictures--or
        more, since the memory is expandable. The 4X digital zoom and
        1.3 megapixel resolution let you capture great images. Hook
        the camera up to your computer through a standard USB port and
        store, edit and share your creations. Or plug it into a TV to
        watch your videos. You'll be amazed at the quality and the
        versatility of this camera. It also comes with the software to
        copy photos and films onto VideoNow disks for use in the
        separately sold player.

    --  V.SMILE POCKET
        (VTech/Ages 5 years & up/system $89.99, games $19.99)
        We won't tell if you won't, but this fun-filled kids' video
        game is really providing solid learning with a strong
        curriculum. The V.Smile Pocket is a handheld version of the
        V.Smile that kids can take anywhere they go--or connect to the
        TV for on-screen play. An awesome screen, easy-to-use controls
        and exciting content make this an ideal choice for today's
        tech-smart kids. Plus, the unit works with the entire library
        of "Smartridges" for the complete V.Smile system.