Children's tablets big at Christmas
Tablets for children will be a big seller this Christmas – with two of last year’s biggest kids’ tech gift gadgets leading the way in 2012.
While more expensive Apple iPads will be found under many Christmas trees influential holiday The Toy Insider has other children’s tablets on its Hot 20 List for 2012.
"It's going to be the war of the tablets," said Laurie Schacht, chief executive and president of Adventure Publishing, which issues the Toy Insider Hot 20 list.
On the list is the new version of Leapfrog’s LeapPad kids’ tablet. See: LeapPad 2 review and also our LeapPad 2 video review (by a six-year-old child!)
"What the LeapPad 2 has done is it has really positioned itself not to be part of that tablet war but to be an item for younger kids that gets them ready to move into the older tablets," says Schacht.
UPDATE: Internet searches confirm that tablets for kids will be very popular this holiday season.
The Toy Insider is a holiday gift guide from a US publisher serving the toy and licensing industries.
Toy Insider Hot 20 List 2012
0-2 YEARS
Bright Starts Having a Ball 5-in-1 Sports Zone - Kids II
Cruise & Groove Ballapalooza - Fisher-Price
Lil' Princess 3 Story Enchanted Castle - Mega Brands
Rocktivity Sit to Stand Music Skool - Playskool
3-5 YEARS
Batman the Dark Knight Rises U-Command Bat-Pod - Thinkway Toys
Chuggington Die-Cast Railway Wilson's Wild Ride - TOMY
Doc McStuffins Time for Your CheckUp Doll - Just Play
LeapPad 2 - LeapFrog
My Magical Wand Cinderella - Tollytots
Power Rangers Deluxe Megazord - Samurai Gigazord - Bandai
See: Best place to buy LeapPad 2
6-8 YEARS
HEXBUG Warriors Battle Stadium - Innovation First International
Kurio7 - Techno Source, a division of LF Products
La Dee Da Dolls - Spin Master
Lego Friends Heartlake Stables - Lego Systems
Monster High High School - Mattel
Skylanders Giants - Activision
9+ YEARS
Air Hogs Battle Tracker - Spin Master
Wii U GamePad - Nintendo
Words with Friends Luxe - Hasbro
Y Fliker - Yvolution
Toy Insider isn’t alone in talking up the LeapPad 2. Major toy sellers Walmart and Toys R Us also put the tablet on their lists of top toys for the 2012 holiday season.
Last year the first edition LeapPad sold out in the run up to Christmas.
This year the updated version of the £89.99 tablet has a faster processor, double the memory and an extra camera on the front. See our LeapPad 2 video review (by a six-year-old child!).
One of the LeapPad's big kids' tablet rivals, VTech's Innotab has also been updated recently. See: VTech InnoTab 2 review
Toy Insider's list includes the LeapPad 2 in its Hot 20 List of toys for three-to-five year olds, but prefers the Kurio 7 tablet from Techno Source for children who are 6 to 8 years old. See: Kurio 7 tablet review
Reuters reports that in 2011 the fourth quarter accounted for 46 percent of LeapFrog's annual sales.
See also - Group test: Best tablets for children
At large toy makers Mattel Inc and Hasbro Inc, more than 30 percent of annual sales come during the final quarter of the year.
Other toys on the Toy Insider list include: the Lego Friends Heartlake Stables, a Lego set geared toward girls. A new high school playset for Mattel's Monster High is on lists from Toy Insider and Walmart. Activision Blizzard’s Skylanders series of videogames and action figures is on the Toy Insider list and the Toys R Us list after a strong 2011 launch, with the Skylanders Giants coming out this year.
The most expensive product on the Toy Insider list is Nintendo Co's Wii U videogame console (due November), which will cost from US $299.
Comments
Sandra said: I dont think there is anything wrong with all the new tablets coming out for kids such as the LeapPad2 but kids should have balance as well as learning from these various tablets they should be out playing on theirStunt Scooters
Charlie said: LeapPad2 explorer 2 is fantastic It has been my bestseller time and time again As well as the monster high dolls Worth noting is that the furbys are making a comeback in 2012 - httpwwwthatstoptencomvie