Santa to Bring High-Tech Gadgets, Familiar Favorites to Children This Holiday Season

WASHINGTON, November 20, 2012 – Children’s wish lists this holiday season are full of the latest gadgets such as Apple iPads and the Nintendo Wii U, but there’s still demand for some classic gifts like LEGOs, dolls and toy cars according to NRF’s 2012 Top Toys survey conducted by BIGinsight.

A surprise item in this year’s’ top ten is ‘Furby’, which ranked number three on girls’ wish lists and number nine on boys’ lists. Furby became a must-have item and child favorite in the late 90s but has since undergone a digital makeover complete with LCD eyes and compatible iPad apps. Video games also appeared on both lists this year.

“Toy trends are ever changing, sometimes proving challenging to parents who want to make their kids happy while staying on budget,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. ”This year’s top toys are trendy and new, but also have some staying power, meaning children won’t get bored with them within a few weeks.”

Other popular toys for girls include Monster High Dolls (#4), Dora the Explorer (#8) and apparel (#10.) Savvy little girls also asked for iPads (#9) but the top item is once again Barbie, which continues to hold her own as the number one toy for girls. For boys, LEGOs jumped from the number two spot in 2011 to the number one spot this year, proving that imaginations can and do conquer video games. Other popular toys for boys include video games (#2), Xbox 360 (#5) and Nintendo Wii U (#6).

“Just like their parents, many children can’t wait to get their hands on the newest gadgets hitting stores,” said BIGinsight Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow. “However, plenty of children still ask for classic gifts like dolls, cars and clothes, making sure that Santa has plenty of options when it comes to selecting the perfect gift.”

According to NRF’s holiday survey, 45.1 percent of consumers plan to buy toys this holiday season.

2012 Top Toys for Boys

1.            LEGO
2.            Video Games
3.            Hot Wheels
4.            Cars (generic)
5.            Xbox 360
6.            Nintendo Wii U
7.            Transformers
8.            Remote Controlled Vehicles
9.            Furby
10.          Trucks (generic)

2012 Top Toys for Girls

1.            Barbie
2.            Dolls (generic)
3.            Furby
4.            Monster High Dolls
5.            Disney Princess
6.            American Girl
7.            Video Games
8.            Dora the Explorer
9.            Apple iPad
10.          Apparel

About the Survey

The NRF 2012 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey polled 9,383 consumers and was conducted for NRF by BIGinsight from November 1-6, 2012. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

BIGinsight delivers executives timely, consumer-centric insights from multiple sources. As a comprehensive resource of information, BIGinsight represents the voice of the consumer and provides knowledge to marketers regarding consumer views on the economy, personal finance, retail, lifestyle, media and domestic and world issues. www.BIGinsight.com

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF represents retailers of all types and sizes, including chain restaurants and industry partners, from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. Retailers operate more than 3.6 million U.S. establishments that support one in four U.S. jobs – 42 million working Americans. Contributing $2.5 trillion to annual GDP, retail is a daily barometer for the nation’s economy. NRF’s Retail Means Jobs campaign emphasizes the economic importance of retail and encourages policymakers to support a Jobs, Innovation and Consumer Value Agenda aimed at boosting economic growth and job creation. www.nrf.com.