Dream Toys top Christmas list 2016 includes Hatchimals, a selfie kit and Paw Patrol…but some are already sold out
Shoppers will have to be quick if they want to get their hands on these items
A CUDDLY toy that hatches out of an egg was today named as one of this year’s must-have Christmas toys - and it is already selling out.
The annual Dream Toys list also includes a giant talking sausage and a kit that lets youngsters make “selfie” music videos with a smartphone app.
The Toy Retailers’ Association reckon the 12 are the must-haves of 2016.
But parents face disappointed kids - the £59.99 Hatchimals are already sold out or in short supply in some major shops after being on sale just a month.
They are being offered on sites like eBay for three times the price as makers Spin Master vow to ramp up production.
Hatchimals are cuddly chicks that come in brightly coloured speckled eggs.
They don’t hatch on their own - youngsters have to hold them to encourage them to peck their way out.
They also help “raise” them through three more stages from “baby” to “toddler” to “kid”.
Silly Sausage is a family game where players respond to commands from the foot-long red plastic sausage - such as passing it on or twisting it... and it's safe to say that the family friendly game has already proven a hit with British mums.
SelfieMic, for £19.99, has a selfie stick, karaoke microphone, earpiece and an app with a thousands songs to let kids record themselves singing hit tunes.
Nerf N-Strike Elite Hyperfire and Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage are familiar names on the list.
And there are film and TV licenses with a Thomas & Friends train set, the U-Wing Fighter from Star Wars Rogue One spin off movie and a plane from hit cartoon Paw Patrol.
Snuggles My Dream Puppy is another interactive toy like Hatchimals.
The Dream Toys list is among the priciest ever - even though organisers say it is “very affordable”. The total for all 12 is £644.88 - with an average price of just over £53.74.
It’s less than last year but more than any other in the past decade.
Dream Toys for 2016
Shopkins Chef Club Hot Spot Kitchen Flair Leisure Products £24.99
Snuggle My Dream Puppy Character Options £49.99
Nerf N-Strike Elite Hyperfire Hasbro £59.99
Speak Out Hasbro £19.99
Silly Sausage John Adams £19.99
Friends Amusement Park Roller Coaster Lego £89.99
Star Wars Rebel U-Wing Fighter Lego £69.99
Hot Wheels Ultimate Garage Mattel £89.99
Thomas & Friends Sky-High Bridge Jump Mattel £99.99
Hatchimals Spin Master Toys £59.99
Paw Patrol Air Patroller Spin Master Toys £39.99
SelfieMic Worlds Apart £19.99
Gary Grant, chairman of the DreamToys committee, said: “The list is incredibly diverse, with familiar names appearing alongside some clever innovations that will ensure these toys will be on Christmas wish lists up and down the country.
“It’s also great to see that, in these uncertain times, this is a very affordable DreamToys list.”
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He added: “The one unifying thing in the DreamToys selection this year is a sense of real family fun at the heart of many of the toys represented - such as Silly Sausage.
“I’m sure that’s what many families are looking for this year - great value toys and games that all the family can play.”
Industry experts expect the toys sales this year to beat sales records - with old-style ones flying off shelves.
We're expecting annual sales to reach 400 million toys for the first time ever
Frederique Tutt, toy industry analyst for the NPD Group, said: “This year, sales in the more traditional categories have been growing the market, with games and puzzles, dolls and plush accounting for 70 per cent of the overall market increase to date.
"We expect many families will be enjoying quality time together this Christmas with games and puzzles as old favourites will be joined by the hilarious Speak Out and Silly Sausage.
“We’re forecasting a very merry Christmas for the toy industry - expecting annual sales to reach 400 million toys for the first time ever which will potentially see the industry achieve an all-time record high in 2016, going over the £3.3billion mark.”
This year there is also a Dreamtoys app - to make it easier for kids and parents to explore the list.