Hannah Montana challenges Barbie

Look out, Barbie. Here comes Hannah Montana.

The National Retail Foundation's 2008 Top Toys survey, conducted by BIGresearch, says Barbie's still No. 1 on the hot toys list for girls, but Hannah Montana jumped four spots this year to No. 2. Hannah Montana replaces Bratz dolls, which dropped to the fourth spot. This year, video games and "High School Musical" merchandise (like Hannah Montana, a Disney franchise) also appeared for the first time on the top ten list for girls.

Top gifts for boys will be similar to last year, with electronics taking the top spots in the form of video games and Nintendo Wii. Boys will also ask for LEGOS, cars and Transformers. Traditional toys Star Wars and Hot Wheels reemerged on the top ten list this year after falling off of the list in previous years.

"Retailers have been scaling back inventory in anticipation of a challenging holiday season, so parents are encouraged to shop early to ensure they are able to find specific toys," said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin in a statement. "The good news for parents is that many retailers are featuring toys as loss leaders this year, heavily discounting and promoting these items to bring shoppers into stores."

According to NRF's holiday survey, released earlier this week, 41.6 percent of consumers plan to purchase toys this year.

 

 

2008 Top Toys for Girls

 

1. Barbie

2. Disney Hannah Montana

3. Dolls (generic)

4. Bratz

5. Nintendo Wii

6. Video Games

7. Elmo

8. Disney High School Musical

9. Disney Princess

10. American Girl

 

2008 Top Toys for Boys

1. Video Games

2. Nintendo Wii

3. LEGO

4. Cars (generic)

5. Transformers

6. Elmo

7. Star Wars

8. Hot Wheels

9. Remote Controlled Vehicles

10. Xbox 360

The NRF explains it's survey: The 2008 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey was designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the winter holidays. The survey, which polled 8,758 consumers, was conducted for NRF by BIGresearch from Nov. 5-11. The consumer poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.0 percent.

BIGresearch is a consumer market intelligence firm that provides unique consumer insights that are gathered online utilizing very large sample sizes. BIGresearch's syndicated Consumer Intentions and Actions survey monitors the pulse of more than 8,000 consumers each month to empower its clients with unique insights for identifying opportunities in a fragmented and changing marketplace.