December 2, 1999. Copyright 1999. Graphic News. All rights reserved.

POKEMON TOPS HOT TOYS LIST

LONDON, December 2, Graphic News: PARENTS WILL have to learn a new vocabulary this Christmas with words like Pikachu, Poliwag, Poliwrath and Jiggleypuff Ð all Pokemon characters Ð featuring in Christmas toy wish lists.

The Òpocket monsterÓ craze, which started as a video game, has spawned a £3.7 billion ($6 billion) industry with cartoons, two feature films and toys.

Pokemon lingo sounds similar to ÒFurbishÓ, the jibberish created by Furby, last yearÕs Christmas hot toy Ð a computerized animal with owlish eyes.

ÒDemand is out of control. Pokemon is everywhere and itÕs a phenomenon,Ó said Jonathan Cutler, a spokesman for online retailer eToys Inc. Cutler said he expects shortages of Pokemon merchandise throughout toy shops.

The toys are by Hasbro, trading cards are by Topps and Wizards of the Coast and the video games are by Nintendo.

The Pokemon Red and Blue cartridges each cost £25 ($19.95 in America). Either will do for one child, but if buying for two, get one of each colour and a link cable (sold in most game shops) to connect the hand units.

Each cartridge contains 140 of the 150 monsters that have to be found and caught Ð the remaining ten must be traded from someone who has the other colour.

While Pokemon will strengthen NintendoÕs share of the video game business, Nintendo 64, SegaÕs Dreamcast and SonyÕs Playstation will also feature among the biggest-selling toys this festive season.

Dreamcast is the most powerful games console ever produced and can be connected to the internet so ÒgamersÓ can play against each other. Over a million Dreamcast consoles have been sold in North America since the product was introduced in September.

Lego has a range of toys for all ages, from Primo for infants up to 3 months old to Mindstorms for anyone over the age of nine. The Mindstorms Droid Developers Kit costs £89.99 ($99.99 in America) and contains a Lego microcomputer which with seven built-in programmes plus light sensor, motor and sound allows the construction of fully operational droid robots including Star WarsÕ R2D2.

Among this yearÕs other interactive must-haves is the QX3 Computer Microscope from Mattel, that plugs into a home computer and magnifies objects up to 200 times, and the JamCam, a digital camera with 640 by 480 resolution from KB Gear Interactive.

The Stone is both a necklace and an interactive web-based game. A sequence of symbols on each Stone matches only one other in the world Ð those of your Stonemate, your partner in the on-line puzzle called the Enigma. Through this cult game players get the chance to interact with their Stonemate.

MattelÕs Millennium Princess Barbie is the top seller for girls aged 9-12, while for boys there is a muscle-bound Action Man who comes with a Millennium Countdown watch.

Most disgusting and popular is the Alien Egg which combines the appeal of space travel with the much older fascination with goo. Each plastic pod contains the ÒfoetusÓ of at least one space invader in a sticky, jelly-like substance. The egg has become the fastest growing craze among British youngsters with sales expected to reach 7 million by Christmas.

/ENDS
Sources: British Association of Toy Retailers, Reuters, Hamleys, etoys.com, toysrus.co.uk