what is going to be this years must have toy?

[ditavonteesed]

just to save me madly hunting for it in dec, what do we predict being the must have toy this year.
I have started the ball rolling and am collecting from argos the last 2 monster high sleep over dolls and 2 tea cup piggies.

They seem to be everywhere and they have already spawned cheap knock-off versions. And DS immediately identified the cheap knockoff versions as "hex bugs" when he saw them (with some excitement) even though I'm fairly sure he hasn't seen any TV advertising for the originals, which suggests there has been Playground Talk (also suggests I needn't shell out for the originals...). Also they are kind of like a more boy-oriented version of the hamsters, and those were huge last year.

I don't know herd ds doesn't watch much tv at all; maybe an hour or so on a rainy Saturday? Not being smug, am a WOHM so he doesn't get the chance! And I've seen ads for Hex Bugs. They're weird, I don't 'get' them. What are they meant to do?

Mmm, but DS almost exclusively watches the ad-free channels (also not being smug, but he has two younger siblings who are still on CBeebies) and on the odd occasion he watches anything else I am almost always there, and I don't remember seeing the ads (and I generally do remember seeing ads as they are followed by choruses of "ooooohhh, I want a [whatever it is]" which is may be another reason we stick to CBeebies).

Basically there seem to be lots of various hexagonal "habitats" which you link together with passageways and the bugs themselves (or possibly just the nano bugs, I am a bit hazy) navigate their way around the structure you've built by the simple strategy of going in straight lines until they hit walls then turning. Which does seem to me like a less-fluffy version of the hamsters as that's basically what they do (I think; I don't really get the hamsters either).

I bought dd2 the leappad a few weeks ago when amazon had it for £59, but its not due for delivery until the last week of november so i'm hoping it will turn up. Also have bought both girs (to share) the sylvanian families farm house (which was on offer for £52 in Argos 2 weeks ago).

I'm not going to fall for the madness of zhu zhu pets again, spent ages tracking them down and then the dd's didn't really play with them, so will stick with Sylvanians and lego (dd1 is after the new ninja lego but may have to wait for her birthday).

marne - tesco have a sylvanian bluebell cottage reduced from £40 to £20 if you need add ons- im getting it as an extra for dd2 but wandered if you can get cheap figures anywhere as dont wanna get the cottage cheap and spends loads of figures. I think tkmaxx do them?

You probably just have less materialistic children

Sample DS dialogue...

DS: Can I go and buy something, Mummy?
Me: [guardedly] What, DS?
DS: I don't know, justsomething... [#]

He is a marketing man's dream child. Hence I try to keep him away from adverts as much as possible. [##]

[#] He rarely gets bought anything, so I never understood why he would continually ask. Recently he enlightened me (I paraphrase slightly) "You've never said yes before, Mummy, so you must be likely to say it this time" (on the basis that I have a pre-assigned quota of Yes to dispose of so he must get hold of some sooner or later, I assume)

[##] I tried the alternative "talk about and deconstruct the adverts" ploy. He just seems to want the stuff more.