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The Top 10 Christmas Presents For Kids 2012 UK

Here is a look at the top 10 predicted best selling toys in the UK for this Christmas, 2012. This list will give you an idea of what to buy for your kids or gifts for young relatives or friends. Some of these presents don't come cheap, like the Furby, gee-wizz nearly £60! I have put a few cheaper alternatives to some of the popular toys in here too, I know it's hard, if your child is begging for a Furby then they may not want anything else, but these are tough times and we just can't afford to always buy what the children want.
 It's only the end of September at the time of typing this and I am already sooo excited about Christmas this year, with a 3 year old and 2 year old. it's just starting to become really fun as they are learning about Santa and will be so happy and grateful for any presents that they will get, I have heard that it gets harder when they know what they want!
This is the official retailers list of top 10 kids gifts for this year, so hopefully you can pick something out, and if not then maybe my alternate selections will help you.
 Can't believe I'm saying this as it's so early, but incase I forget nearer the time, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

NUMBER 1 = Furby

Furby The Furby was first out in 1998, which makes it rather embarrassing to admit that I had one, I was 18! I was so sure that I was younger, but anyway, it was a huge success and they have decided to re-vamp it and bring it out again this Christmas. 

To be completely honest I think the new one actually looks quite tacky in comparison with it's bright block colours, I like the white and black ones though, buy hey these are meant for kids not me! The 2012 version has more voices, apps like meals to feed your Furby and a translator from Furbish to English, it also comes in an array of colours white, yellow, red, teal (blue), black and a pink/purple mix. 

The LED eyes are a great new feature as it makes the Furby seem more emotional. The Furby is an interactive toy that you can play with, the way that you treat it supposed to be how it forms it's personality so this is a great educational toy for kids without them even feeling like they are learning! 

 Your Furby will start off speaking in it's own language called Furbish, the more you talk to it in English, the more it will pick up our language and start to speak it. It can also eat by using an app, it's eyes will have fire in them if you feed it hot chillies!!! 

 This is defiantly an alternate to a child that wants a pet for Christmas. A big warning though, this is set to sell out so get it while you can, if you can't afford it, or you missed out and there are none left then check out the cheaper alternatives below.

Alternatives To The Furby

So, the Furby is set to be the biggest seller at Christmas 2012 in the UK but lets face it, who has the money to spend on something that may just be a fad and forgotten about by our children in a month or so? 

I have had a look around at some similar toys that are a bit cheaper, 1 of them is still quite dear (The FurReal Pup) but it looks like that may be a longer lasting toy in terms of love-ability and I think children will really warm to it, particularly if they want a pet but you don't think they are ready for one yet. 

 The V-tech Kitten is not furry, like the Furby but for some parents this be a welcomed benefit if they have kids that are messy as mine are! It makes cleaning them so much easier when you can just use a baby wipe! 

The Meercat toy looks really good and kids may love this due to those silly Compare The Market adverts! Meercats are actually quite beautiful animals, I seen some the other week at a local farm. (anyone near Erskine in Scotland should pop into Lamont City Farm, it's a tiny wee place but is all run voluntary so please leave them a wee donation if you do go!)  

GREMLINS DANCING GIZMO PLUSH

Dave The Funky Shoulder Monkey

Peers Hardy Chatimal Parrot

Vtech Kidiminiz Interactive Pet Kitten

Peers Hardy Chatimal Meerkat

FurReal Friends Cookie My Playful Pup

NUMBER 2 = The Amazing Web Shooting Spider-Man

The Amazing Web Shooting Spider-Man Spiderman is almost as popular today as it was when he was first on out TV screen in 1967. 

With a few movie franchises in the past few years, it has sky-rocketed again and there have been some quite awesome toys to go with the ever popular character. 

This years Spider man toy with shooting webs is set to be one of the best selling gifts for kids this year. He is a good size at 34cm and the webs can be shot left or right and out of his hands, Spiderman's head also moves from left to right at the same time plus sound effects are made to make this even more realistic. 

 This is for the ages 4 years and over (I see some 30+ guys getting this too!) and it takes 4 AAA batteries which are annoyingly not included.(Yeah, that's right nearly £35 for this and need to buy batteries separately, pet hate of mine!) 

This also comes with a target practice in the shape of his nemesis The Lizard! I have read a few reviews on this and to be honest it seems that it is a lot of money for what it is, it may be a good idea to check out my alternatives, just after the Youtube video below. If your child/brother/hubby/wife is set on this then you may not have a choice and it is early days as it is a new toy so hopefully we will start seeing some better reviews soon. 

 

Here Is A Very Short Youtube Clip Of Web Shooting Spiderman In Action

Alternatives To The Amazing Web Shooting Spider-Man

Here is a fantastic little collection of cheaper Spider man figures. Some of them have just as much fun, playtime like the Zip Rocket Spider Man, it may only be about a third of the size in comparison to the Web Shooting Spider Man, (just under 10cm, the web shooting spidey is 34cm) it is also a third of the price and is a brilliant toy too. This comes in at under a tenner (£8.97 at time of typing this) and a huge plus is that it doesn't take batteries! It also has a shooter that fires a blue...um...thingy! OK I don't actually know what the blue thing is that it fires out but it still looks pretty cool and fun! 

The electronic Spider Man Figure is £22.99 at the time of typing this which is not all that cheaper than the web shooting version but does have a lot more features like lights, sounds and a missile launcher, so much more to keep a young child entertained. 

 To be honest my favourite is the Mr Potato Head Spider Spud! This is so comical looking and comes with a range off accessories and of course it does not require batteries so no ongoing costs. This is for ages 2 and up though so it might not be the best replacement for an older child.

Zip Rocket Spider-Man Figure

Amazing Spider-Man Electronic Figure

Mr Potato Head Spider Spud

Spider-Man Figure Whipping Web Line

Capture Trap Spider Man Figure

Amazing Spider-Man Web Battlers Figure

NUMBER 3 = Lego Monster Fighters Ghost Train

Although I am not usually a huge fan of toys that have a high price tag to them, Lego has been around for years and years and has great educational value and longevity. Many fans of Lego actually continue to play with it into adulthood, although I'm sure not too many of them would admit to this! 

The Lego Monster Fighters Ghost Train has a huge array of parts to it, this comes with a spooky looking ghost train that has a prison, glow in the dark features through most of the parts, little ghost and hero figurines and an aeroplane that has a moving propeller, missiles and an absolutely awesome ghost catching weapon that vacuums the ghosts up! 

 This toy teaches children to use great imagination and there is so much to do, even building this up is fantastic fun then there is literally hours worth of play once the Lego has been put together and it is fairly quiet play too, which is always a bonus! 

As this is a high priced present, I would only recommend you make sure that the person you buy this for is really into their Lego and I think you will be onto a winner in the best parents/aunt/uncle/friend award in the child's eyes! 

Unlike some of the items in this top 10 list that may not even see it into the new year (Furby comes to mind!) this Lego train and plane will likely still be getting played with next Christmas. 

 

Alternatives To The Lego Monster Fighters Ghost Train

To give some alternatives to the Ghost Train, I tried to stay on track (ha ha ha , you get it... on track.... humour may not be my forte!) anyway, I usually give some cheaper options in the alternatives section but due to the Lego Train set being such a specific item, I have given some other Lego train sets that cost the same or some actually cost more, don't hate me please!

 I have also included a train set for girls, this is not made by Lego but unfortunately it doesn't seem that Lego actually do girl's train sets, which is quite shocking really in this day and age and for a well known company, tut tut Lego!

 There is also a Lego Duplo set in there for those of you wanting to buy a train set for a younger child.

 Train sets can be enjoyed by children of all ages, and when they have a Lego one that they can actually build up themselves, this brings pride as well as just a toy to play with. They will love to show you and their friends the set that they put together on their own, or with the help of a parent or older sibling. 

 I will say again that this is defiantly in the high priced category, but this can be for a Christmas and birthday rolled into one and when it comes time for their birthday you can just purchase a more reasonably priced part to go with set, like another train or carriage.

LEGO City 7937 Train Station

LEGO DUPLO 5608 Train Starter Set

Hello Kitty Train Station Set

Lego City 7939 Cargo Train

Lego City 7938 Passenger Train

Lego Harry Potter 4841: Hogwart's Express

NUMBER 4 = LeapPad 2

Okay, so I had said that I would buy the Vtech Innotab for my kids when they are old enough but I might have to just wait and see what happens between now and that time as there seems to be 2 similar hand held console type things for kids and the LeapFrog LeapPad is winning the war with me right now! 

 Although obviously similar to the Vtech, the LeapFrog also has a camera with video and microphone but the camera is on both the front and the back. 

More amazing to me is the way the games remember the previous answers and levels of progress of your child and will automatically start to ask harder questions and make game play more difficult to constantly challenge the child. Welcome to the world of modern technology! This is ingenious! 

 I do agree that children do spend far too much time indoors nowadays and most don't get enough exercise due to all of the TV shows and games consoles but this is at least educational and you could save it for night time play or for traveling in the car if you go on long journeys.

 

Alternatives To The LeapPad 2

(Due to the similarities I have just merged the Vtech and the LeapFrog's alternative items into 1.) 

 The Leappad and Innotab's are really quite similar and there are not many other options around at the moment, I have tried to find some alternatives but these are either more expensive or just don't have the same features to them, in fact they don't even come close.

 The items below are as close to these tablets as I could find. The Kurio 7 is probably the most similar but has a much higher price of £159.99 although there is currently £10 off at the moment, it has many features including internet access and many people have described as having more functions that an ipad!

 The Fireman Sam tablet is great for younger kids, I think it looks a bit like the front of an arcade machine! Lots of colourful pictures of Fireman Sam and his friends and nice clear numbers from 1 to 5 to help learning to count. 

 The Vtech Progress laptop is a great choice for getting kids used to using a keyboard and mouse which will put them ahead for learning in school. It is not a tablet like others but as I said previously, there was not a great choice of similar items. (if you find good alternatives to the LeapFrog and Innotab's, please leave a message about it in comments section at the bottom of this page, thanks)

Kurio 7 Android Tablet for Kids

My FIRST Laptop

Inspiration Works Fireman Sam Fun and Learn Tablet

Vtech Progress Laptop

Barbie Fashion Tablet

Lexibook 7-inch Tablet Master