Hot Toys for 2007

Every year different toys hit it big. They're the toys kids desperately want, the ones you may have to buy early or face the stores being out of stock. Everyone wants them and not everyone can get them.

Looking around this year, there are a few toys that seem to be likely candidates for hitting it big in 2007.

My own personal favorite is the Eye-Clops Bionic Eye. Kids love using magnifying glasses, and I can't imagine that they wouldn't enjoy a more powerful one that is easier to use than a microscope.

Toy electric guitars such as the Power Tour Electric Guitar also look to be very popular this year. These are for somewhat older kids, 10 and up. But for the kid who thinks he or she wants to learn to play it looks like a nice deal.

The Nerf N-Strike Disk Shot also looks like a lot of fun for the kids. It shoots both darts and disks.

I also like the Hasbro Electronic Hyper Slide. It has some disadvantages - noise being one of them, but can be played by one or two children. All they need is a smooth surface to play the game, whether it be table top or floor. It has a choice of 3 games to play, giving a little variety and challenge.

The Spinmaster Air Hogs Battling Havoc R/C Helicopters should also be a lot of fun. Tiny R/C helicopters that can battle each other. They're highly maneuverable and can be played with indoors... so long as you aren't worried about them knocking anything fragile over. Pick the play zones carefully. They're quite lightweight so hitting things may not be that much of a problem, but the mother in me does think of it.

And who could forget Webkinz when thinking of popular toys right now? You buy the plush toy, then you can play with it in a virtual world as well. Kids just love it.

The big trouble this year, as most parents know, has been with toy recalls. One of the hot toys this year, Aqua Dots, was recently recalled due to having GHB in it. It was dangerous to children if swallowed. What can we say except, kids do indeed put things in their mouths. My daughter was devastated when she learned about that recall, and with a cousin promptly started to make signs to warn other kids about the danger.

It's been a rough year with toy recalls, mostly due to lead content. Hopefully this will help parents to be more aware of potential hazards in children's toys so that they can make wiser decisions while waiting for more action to be taken on preventing these things from happening in the first place.