Christmas Videos
THERE'S nothing like snuggling by the fire with the children, a plate of Christmas goodies and a video that the entire family will enjoy (while also indoctrinating the children into Christmas mythology). Here are some suggestions to buy or rent, with a few non Christmasy ones thrown in for December 27th when you're getting tired of the whole idea of Christmas.
The Santa Clause (£13.99): When Santa Claus falls ill, comedian Tim Allen is forced to take his place on this newly released comedy.
Miracle on 34th Street, 1994 and Miracle on 34th Street, 1947 (£9.99 each at Xtravision and £11.99 each at HMV): Richard Attenborough plays Santa Claus in the excellent 1994 remake of the Christmas classic about a little girl who doesn't believe in Santa Claus. But parents may be unable to resist the nostalgia of the 1947 original with Maureen O'Hara, John Payne and Natalie Wood as the little girl.
A Christmas Carol and Scrooge (£9.99 each at Xtravision and £13.49 each at HMV): Two versions of the Dickens classic have been reissued for Christmas. Best for children is A Christmas Carol, the most recent version with George C. Scott putting in a fine performance as Scrooge. Scrooge is a rather dim and macabre musical version from 1970 with Albert Finney in the lead role which Richard Harris turned down. The all time unbeaten classic is the 1951 British version with Alastair Sim (£16.99 at HMV).
Muppets Christmas Carol (£13.99): Michael Caine as Scrooge, with Kermit and Miss Piggy as Tiny Tim's parents.
Muppets Treasure Island (£13.99): Newly released on video, this Robert Louis Stevenson classic features Tim Curry as Long John Silver.
Barney Waiting for Santa (£9.99): Ideal for children aged 18 months plus.
The Snowman (£11.99): An elegant allegory about love and loss, featuring a snowman who befriends a little boy.
Homeward Bound II (£13.99): Disney feature with Michael J. Fox, Sally Field and Ralph Waite as the voices of a cat and two dogs lost in San Francisco who have to find their way home.
A Little Princess (£12.99): Acclaimed, magical film about a child's victory over adversity from the author of The Secret Garden.
Babe (£12.99): How a loveable, accident prone pig who thinks he's a dog manages to avoid being roasted for Christmas dinner. "The Big One" for Christmas according to the video trade.
Pinnochio (£15.99): The Disney classic is enjoying a surprise resurgence.
101 Dalmatians (£15.99): The classic animated version, not the remake with Glenn Close which the kids will be begging you to take them to see in the cinema.
Top Toys
BY now the country's 800,000 under 12s have written their letters to Santa. Wise parents, spending an average of £75 per child, have stashed away the toys already. Most Irish parents, however, will wait until the 10 days before Christmas to spend madly a collective £60 million on toys.
Liam Carroll, manager of Toymaster, Dun Laoghaire Shopping Centre, urges procrastinating parents to start shopping today if they haven't yet. Be prepared to be disappointed if you have yet to pick up this year's top toys for boys and girls, Baby Born and Action Man Heligun.
Baby Born was already gone by the end of November and availability of Action Man from its supplier, Hasbro is "virtually nil". There are plenty of other great toys out there, though. Take a look at Toymaster's list of top toys for boys and girls, which reflects sales totalling £60 million in 360 stores in the UK and the Republic, as well as in its Dun Laoghaire branch.
BOYS' Top 5
1. Action Man Heligun (£44.50): It's doubtful that those parents who risked heart attacks racing around looking for Power Rangers last year will get the joke. But the fact is that Power Rangers have died and Action Man has emerged victorious. Action Man, with his scar and evil look may not be a New Man, but when you see him, snap him up (and try not to scream at your luck). Hasbro has been sold out for two months so you'll have to buy what you see on the shelves. The top Action Man toy this year is the Heligun, the ultimate defence helicopter with lights and sound effects including taking off, landing and firing missiles.
Fortunately, there is a vast range of Action Man figures and accessories to placate children who cannot get the Heligun, such as the Jeep (£29.95) and the Action Man Crimebuster & Raid (£24.75). There are also 20 types of Action Man figures, ranging in price from £12 to £30. The nostalgia gift set of the original Action Man may be best appreciated by Dad (£29.95).
If you lose all hope on Action Man, a toy that should erase all disappointment on Christmas morning is the New Bright "F14 Tomcat Jet Fighter" (£59.95 at Supertoys), a remote controlled jet fighter with electronic synchronised gun and rocket sounds and retractable wings. Plug in the headset with mike and hear your own voice announce the commands over a speaker in the aircraft! Also popular is the Tonka Richochet (£69.75 incl 9.6 v ballery pack), a menacing black vehicle which does flip overs, 360 degree spins, bounces off anything and wants you to "drive it like you hate it".
2. Lego System Western Fort Apache (£47.50): Lego is a perennial favourite and its play sets this year include a police station (£39.25), castle (£58.75) and pirate ship (£59.95). But the star Lego System toy is the Western Fort complete with horses and cavalry. However, if your child isn't too fussy about getting precisely what he sees on TV, Playmobil's Western Fort (£44.95) is worth serious consideration. Playmobil sets have long lasting play value because of their incredible detail (along with the horses and cavalry there are a tiny dog, hanging lamp, a slithering snake and branding equipment among other charming features). They are also ready for instant play, whereas Lego System has to be put together. For added fun, add the Playmobil Indian Reservation (£29.95)
3. Kickmaster Soccer Trainer Gift Set (£19.99 with soccer ball) is the net yokes with the funny dog lead device demonstrated on TV by footballer Les Ferdinand of Newcastle United. Kick the ball and it comes back to you. Great if you don't like retrieving soccer balls from the neighbour's garden.
4. MicroMachines "Night Attack" (£24.50). Boys aged five to nine love the finicky, fiddly bits in these miniature play centres. Night Attack has a torchlight at the top and a couple of vehicles which slot in and do various manoeuvres. Made by Toy Options, a new British company which went on the stock exchange only last year, MicroMachines come in several ingenious formats so if you can't get Night Attack, try for one of the others, such as MicroMachines Millennium Falcon Playset (£34.95 at Supertoys).
5. The electronic games market is doubling every year. This year's bestsellers are both "pre computer" lap tops. The V Tech Talking Whiz kid Power Mouse (£54.85) has a mouse, 20 built in activities, a 400 word vocabulary and animated pictures. The V Tech PreComputer Power Pad (£79.95) has 35 activities including 15 word and vocabulary games on four levels. It teaches English grammar, history, geography, ecology, environment, science and maths, with more than 1,000 trivia questions and 8,000 word spell checker. The built in scientific calculator includes additional number games and teaches children basic programming.
GIRLS' Top 5
1. Zapf Baby Born (£32.99) is the undisputed top girls' toy this year - if you can get it. Toymaster is getting in a shipment of black Baby Borns to meet demand. For girls who were lucky enough to receive Baby Born last year, the covetable items are the accessories such as the Magic Folding Bed (£49.99) and the Birthday Set (£19.99) complete with cake, candles and a new outfit.
If you cannot get Zapf Baby Born, don't despair. Zapf Bubbly Baby (£29.99, The Doll Store, 62 5th Great Georges Street, Dublin 4783403), is the same size, can be fed and wets just like Baby Born and may actually be a better bet. Not only is it cheaper, but so are its accessories, available all year round at The Doll Store, such as the Good Night Set £14 (sleeping suit, potty, dummy and bottle). And you can do something with Bubbly baby that you cannot do with Baby Born - you can bathe her (Bath Set, £14.99). Baby Born cannot be bathed because it clogs the feeding mechanism. Many distressed Baby Borns turn up with clogged innards at The Doll Hospital each year. Bubbly Baby is sealed, so it does not hold water and let out a puddle one hour later.
Also keep in mind that you can save money on Baby Born accessories by purchasing "Petite" clothes for 16cm dolls (£3.99 per outfit, which makes them a full £6 cheaper than the Zapf Baby Born outfits). Toymaster has wooden rocking cradles (£30-£40) and The Doll Store has a wonderful miniature cot with a drop downs side just like the real thing (£25, white or pine).
2. Barbie in all her guises remains queen. Supertoys places Songbird Barbie at the top of its list (£13.95) but Toymaster says that Schoolteacher Barbie (£19.90) is its most popular this year. The Barbie Picnic Van (£25.95) is selling fast because no one could get it last year but the best buy is Barbie's Travelling House (£26.50), with storage area for Barbie's clothes and accessories, a pop up telephone, light up vanity unit and bed.
If you come across a new Barbie complete with baby this must be the one that's caused a furore elsewhere with consumers saying they didn't know the blonde bombshell was married. The makers responded by saying the infant was Barbie's sister Shelly but purchasers responded that as Barbie is 37 her mother must be in her 50s. Had she gone to an Italian clinic for infertility treatment? This saga is worth watching.
3. The Dear Diary electronic organiser (£19.99), the Talkback Dear Diary (£34.99) and the Deluxe Dear Diary (£49.99) are hugely popular among seven to 12 year olds this year. Girls use passwords to gain entry to the impressive memory bank in which they can store names, addresses and secrets.
4. Fisher Price Doll's House (£54.99) is a classic for girls aged three to eight. With its wide range of accessories, it sells well every year.
5. Sylvanian Families may not make every toy store's list of top toys, but at some it's a high volume item, selling more and more every year. This year's popular items are Meadowcroft Cottage (£39.95), which has all kinds of little characters, bits and pieces priced from £2.49 up to £55 so that aunts and uncles can add to the set.
Top 4 for toddlers
1. Talking Barney (£29.80): The purple dinosaur's popularity continues.
2. Little Tikes Cosy Coupe (£29.89): Indestructible and distinctive day glo orange and yellow car which goes down in price year after year.
3. Biemme Bingo Trike (£14.99): Colourful first tricycle for two year olds.
4, Talking Buzz Lightyear (£24.99): For children aged two plus, boasts four different sayings.
On the move
IT used to be that if you got a shiny new bicycle on Christmas morning, you were made. But bikes are quicky falling out of fashion and dealers are sweating at the prospect of poorer sales this year. No one is quite sure what is behind it. One theory is that parents are afraid to let children out on bikes. Another is that with Irish cyclists Kelly and Roche out of the scene, soccer has superceded cycling as the glamour sport. Dave English of The Bike Rack, Johnstown Road, Cabinteely, Dublin, comments that the Sorrento Cycling Club, of which he is chairman, had 135 members in the 1980s and is now down to 40, yet it is still one of the top five largest clubs. Due to the decline in popularity of cycling, the bicycle has been replaced by computers as the main Christmas buy for parents, he observes.
Racing bikes, despite their efficiency, are completely out of fashion mountain bikes are still popular but the surprise trend for 1996-1997 is the resurgence of the relatively inexpensive BMX bike, with its 20 inch wheels and tall frame (think the bicycle flying scene in the film, ET).
The Bike Rack, Cabinteely, Dublin, sells a basic 20 inch BMX for age eight upwards for a mere £100. A trick BMX, such as the Dyno Blast 1997 model with spinner head (the handle bars spin around 360 degrees) will cost £179 and upwards. More upmarket is the GT mountain bike with a 26 inch wheel (£199). Also popular are the five speed, black Batman Bicycle with its steel frame covered in moulded plastic (£159 for the 20 inch model).
When buying a bicycle, parents would be wise to choose from a dealer who can offer the best pre and post sales service. Bicycles must be put together precisely by a trained person and all bikes need an after sales service to make small adjustments.
Also, add £40 to the cost of the bicycle - £15 for lights and £25 for a helmet without which any parent would be mad to let their child out on the road.
While bicycles are fading out, rollerblading is the hot sport this Christmas and the gear will set a parent back anything from £30 to £100, depending on quality. Toy stores, bicycle shops and sports shops sell roller blades, but the main rule of thumb is that the cheaper ones have polyurethane wheels and are slower, while the more expensive ones have rubber wheels, slick ball bearings and are much faster. Toymaster's Liam Carroll suggests that for younger kids, parents buy a cheaper roller blade such as Screamer Pro (£29.95, sizes two to eight) to test their children's true interest in the activity. These skates are also slower and thus safer (don't forget the helmet, elbow, knee and wrist pads in a kit costing £12.99 and up).
For more serious roller blading, you need rubber wheels, ball bearings and stronger boots. These are the kind of skates that seem to roll along on their own. Champion Sports has a wide range starting at £29.99 for a good beginner model with rubber wheels. Champion stores boasts Bauer skates, the most coveted brand, and is also offering a £5 off voucher with each roller blades purchase, to be used on future purchases in the store. In Tallaght Shopping Centre, however, it has simply cut the price of its most popular skate, the Bauer FX-1 for kids in sizes one to six down to £54.99, compared to £69.99 in O'Connell Street and other branches.
In sizes six to 12, Bauer skates go up in price with the strength of the boot, from £79.99 for the F-2 and FX-3, to £109.99 for the FX-4 and £140 for the Box Car, an all round recreational skate. The ultimate skate is the Aggressive (£250), designed for stunts, ramps and curves.
Champion Sports advises parents to have their children properly fitted for roller blades, since poorly fitting boots can harm a child's developing limbs. Any of their branches will fit a child's skates, then discreetly put them away so that Santa can collect.
Arts & Crafts
PAINTS, crayons and craft sets last long after Christmas. Magic Dip (the Really Useful Arts & Crafts Company £11.99) marbellises any thing (paper, pencils, boxes and bows) intrue Florentine Style. Awesome Sand Art (£11.99) by Amav, a Canadian company, lets you fill glass bottles in patterns of brightly coloured sand.
Dryad Clay Modelling (£7.99) allows you to make small sculptures without a kiln. Dryad range also features Flower Pressing (£14.99), Candlemaking (£12.99), Silk Flower Making (£14.99) and Calligraphy (£10). The Crayola Ultimate Art Store (£19.75) contains everything a budding artist should need. The bargain of the year is 2200 activities (£12.99), a plastic case packed with art supplies, activity books, stickers, badges and so on, enough to keep a child going until July.
