Hot toys for the Holidays

Dec 16, 2021 | 3:07 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Christmas is all about the kids and the excitement of Christmas morning, finding what goodies Santa has left under the tree. So just what are the kids hoping to find under the tree? At Gingerbread Toys, Schleich toys are a huge seller.

“That would be probably our biggest seller this year. Like I’ve never seen,” says Nancy Condon, Owner of Gingerbread Toys. “We’re getting shipments all the time and keeping the shelves full. But as soon as we get it in, it’s going out.”

Stores like Canadian Tire cater to the bigger kids with things like bikes and sporting goods as well as more high-end housewares. But when it comes to the younger crowd, there’s the tried and true as well as the new.

“We’ve continued to go with those tried and true name brands, like Lego, Barbie, Hot Wheels have been very popular this year,” explains Dave Shuvera, Manager of CanadianTire. “We’ve got some items related to TikTok, like Flippy Octopus, selling really, really well.”

There is the traditional fare – always popular – like Tonka and dolls, the model cars and the colouring books and crayons, the plush toys all sure to bring a smile. But what seems to be very high on the Christmas nice list are the gizmos, the fidgety toys, as they’re called.

The pandemic and the isolation it necessitated blew new life into jigsaw puzzles. They, too are a popular choice this holiday season as are the good ‘ol fashioned board games.

“There’s a resurgence in lots of the traditional items that, maybe, some of us grew up with. Board games, colouring books. We’ve been seeing a lot of Fisher Price-type toys,” says Shuvera.

So, whatever a big kid or small, there’s the perfect gift out there for all.