Florence Catching, of North Augusta, searches over stacks of Spice Girls dolls at K-Mart looking for a Ginger Spice doll for her granddaughter. CHRISTINE DE LESSIO/STAFF

Holiday commodities

This year's hottest toys are interactive, furry and very hard to find

Web posted November 29, 1998

By Emily Sollie
Staff Writer

Bewildered, pulling doll after doll off the shelves at the North Augusta Kmart, Florence Catchings lets out a sigh.

``I just can't find anything I want,'' she says. She doesn't know which Spice Girl is which. ``I'm looking for Ginger, or Geri, I don't know.''

With Sporty Spice in one hand and Scary Spice in the other, she searches the shelves for her 9-year-old granddaughter Erin's favorite Spice Girl.

``Oh, there's one,'' she says, reaching for the top shelf with relief. ``Is that Ginger Spice? That's the one I want. I was getting frustrated!''

The holidays dish up as much frustration as cheer when, like Mrs. Catchings, you're looking for one of the season's hottest toys.

The most popular toys this year, says Kmart sales associate Curtis Jones, are ``toys we don't have -- Furbys and Teletubbies. We can't keep them in. They come in, and they go right back out.''

Furby, in case you're among the unenlightened, is a more cuddly, plush version of one of last year's big hits, the virtual pet. It tells you when it's hungry, thirsty, sleepy, or needs a hug. Its eyes open and close, its ears wiggle, its mouth moves when it speaks -- initially in Furbish, but eventually in English, as you teach it new words. The toys have only been in stores nationwide since October, and shipments all over the Augusta area sell out as soon as they're on shelves.

Toys R Us in Augusta gets shipments of the furry toys almost every day, says customer service manager Lisa Dunham. To avoid the frenzy that would ensue if they started stocking the toys during store hours, they put them out before the store opens in the morning. They have a waiting list of customers who want Furbys, and they have to be present when the store opens at 9:30 a.m. to claim the toy.

This Christmas, kids like toys that talk to them. Teletubbies -- Po, Dipsy, LaLa and Tinky-Winky, the colorful stars of the British television program for young children -- talk when kids press their protruding tummies. Another popular toy, Ms. Dunham says, is Chuck My Talking Truck -- a voice-activated truck that comes to you when you call it.

For the under-5 set, the Bouncing Tigger doll is the year's most wanted. That's what 3-year-old Brandon Hicks, of North Augusta, is asking for -- along with Rugrats toys from the Nickelodeon cartoon that is now a feature-length movie in theaters. Brandon is also still a big fan of Buzz Lightyear and Woody, the main characters from 1996's Toy Story.

But Monday, Brandon was helping his mom and dad shop for older brother Brian, who, at 7, has more mature taste. One of the items on his wish list is a Nintendo 64 video game system. But today, Robert and April Hicks are hunting for a less expensive toy.

``We're looking for Mechanix cars,'' says Mr. Hicks. Mechanix, Hot Wheels cars that kids can take apart and rebuild, have been difficult to come by as well.

Lou and Mickey Frick, of North Augusta, look at a remote control erector set for their 36-year-old mentally handicapped son, Kit.CHRISTINE DE LESSIO/STAFF

``They're hard to find -- I have't seen them anywhere,'' Mr. Hicks says. The only one Kmart has in stock is one Brian already has.

The Hicks, like most families, are just getting started with their Christmas shopping. With three kids in the family -- the two boys, and 5-year-old Rachel -- they're going to be spending a lot of time in stores in the coming weeks.

Rachel shouldn't be too difficult, though -- she mainly wants Barbie stuff, Mrs. Hicks says.

Barbie, as always, is a big seller at Christmas time, says Kay-Bee Toys communications manager John Reilly. Holiday Barbie won't be sold after this year, he said, so people are rushing to add that limited-edition doll to collections. Another hot Barbie item, the Holiday Sisters set, features Barbie and her two younger sisters, Kelly and Stacie, decked out for the season in black velvet and Christmas plaid.

For boys, dolls depicting popular wrestlers from the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling leagues are hot this year, Mr. Reilly said. Among the most popular: Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldberg, and Hollywood Hogan.

But no matter what toys the retailers push, the kids are the ultimate test of what will be a success, Mr. Reilly says.

``The bottom line is that the toy has to be fun,'' he says. ``There has to be an appeal for the child, and if that isn't there all the hype in the world isn't going to sell the toy.''