Top Ten Best Christmas Toys of 2009

Christmas 2009 could be a great one for kids and adults alike with some of the amazing new toys on the market. When it comes to innovative and fun Christmas toys, this year has some of the best I've ever seen, with new spins on classic favorites like dolls and stuffed animals for girls to an amazing RC car for boys, as well as one of the best toys out there for getting girls and boys alike to really use their brains (and even some that are very inexpensive!). So make Christmas 2009 a truly unforgettable one with some of the must-have best toys of 2009:

Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres - This game won the 2009 toy of the year award in the category of the best toys for boys. There are many, many Bakugan toys out there (and even a TV series and video game), as it is poised to become the next big thing in toys for boys, a la Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh. The Bakugan toys are cool little spheres that magically pop into battle-ready action figures when rolled onto metallic Bakugan cards. Kids must use points, special abilities, their selection of Bakugan, and even a few shooting tricks to emerge victorious. It's actually a pretty complicated game that requires a lot of thought and strategy, which is good, but be prepared to be completely lost when your kids try to talk to you about the game. And while it may start out relatively inexpensive (the starter set is $11.99), with so many Bakugan toys on the market, be prepared to watch hard-earned allowance money turn into cards, action figures, and even wrist launchers. And if your boys already have some Bakugan toys, be sure to listen carefully to which ones they say they want for Christmas so you get them the right thing.

Dolls Based on Movies - With all of the innovative, electronic toys of 2009, it's nice to see some more simplistic, inexpensive toys out there, and girls still haven't tired of basic dolls. You can celebrate Disney finally having a film featuring a black princess with the Disney Princess and the Frog "Just One Kiss" Tiana doll (the movie comes out just in time for the holidays, so be prepared for a lot of Tiana items to be found on girls' Christmas list). Other dolls that will likely be popular in 2009 are the Bella and Edward Barbie dolls from the 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' movies. And don't be surprised if daughters that you thought long outgrew dolls ask for these two. (All these dolls are about $25 each.)

Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro - When it comes to toys of 2009 that boys and their dads will both enjoy, this is definitely one. It won the 2009 award for the most innovative toy of the year, and it's easy to see why. This remote controlled car isn't stopped by walls and even the ceiling as it defies gravity by driving up and even upside down, and it's very inexpensive for a RC car at just around $30. But be forewarned, these might not be the best Christmas gifts for boys that live in homes with popcorn ceilings because the cars have to have relatively smooth surfaces to function properly on.

Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters - Be prepared, parents; Zhu Zhu pets may become the Furbies of Christmas 2009. These interactive, "smart" pets squeak and move around like real hamsters without the mess, and they even have hamster accessories like a wheel and those fun-looking colorful tubes that real hamsters love running around in. They're pretty inexpensive for an interactive toy at over $30 and are already selling out at a lot of places, so you may be forced to get your kids the real deal if can't find them anywhere.

FurReal Friends - And if a hamster isn't enough, some kids may delight in having a FurReal friend, another brand of realistic toy pets that move and make sounds like real animals. From normal pets like kitties and puppies to more exotic ones like a baby chimp and even a baby elephant, these are definitely some of the best toys of Christmas 2009 for kids with mean parents that just don't want the real thing. But knowing that 50 percent of the profits from sales of Zambi the baby elephant will go to Project Zambi, a society that helps children orphaned by the AIDS virus, might make you feel a little better about buying your kids an imitation pet. And these are pretty inexpensive, too, with prices ranging from $30 to $50.

Fisher-Price Fun 2 Learn Smart Fit - Think of this interactive game that hooks up to your TV like a Wii Fit for wee ones. It comes with a pad that kids jump, walk, skip, and run on while learning spelling, shapes, patterns, and colors and, of course, having a great time while doing so. This is great toy for young girls and boys that don't get to spend a lot of time outdoors, and it will teach your kids that both learning and exercising can be fun. Plus it's an expensive alternative to a video game at just over $40.

Live Butterfly Garden - This mini garden is one of the best Christmas gifts of 2009 for nature lovers and kids fascinated by bugs. It comes with a butterfly habitat and a certificate for food and caterpillar larvae that you can send in. Once you get your food and larvae, girls and boys alike will be amazed by the metamorphosis process, and will love setting their newly-formed butterflies free. It's another of the best inexpensive, educational toys of 2009 at $25 or less. (Note: you may want to wait until the springtime to send in your certificate so the poor butterflies don't freeze to death).

Crayola 3D Sidewalk Chalk - I would have absolutely loved to have this stuff as a kid. Each stick of chalk has two different-colored sides that, when used to together and viewed through 3D glasses, make your kids' creations spring to life. This is another winner of an award for one of the best toys of 2009, being named the Outdoor Toy of Year. And at under $10, it's one of the most inexpensive toys you can buy for your kids that they'll still be extremely entertained with.

Mindflex - When it comes to the best futuristic toys of 2009, this one definitely takes the cake. It's one of the coolest toys you'll ever play with, and adults and kids will both be amazed by this futuristic game. You wear a headset that actually uses your brainwaves to move a levitating ball through a set of obstacles. That's right; this toy actually tries to read your mind! Being so new and so different, it might be hard to find, so you'll definitely want to preorder this amazing new toy long before Christmas to ensure you get to experience what could be the future of toys and gaming (right now at most stores it costs around $80.00).

U-Create Toys - Some of the best toys of Christmas 2009 for creative kids will be U-Create toys. There's U-Create Games and Artimation, which makes your child's drawings, designs, and ideas spring to life in the form of animation and a limitless amount of playable games that they design themselves. There's also U-Create Music, which lets kids mix music like a professional DJ using a huge online library. Both are much cheaper than video game systems at just under $60 and $40, respectively, so that's even more of an incentive for you to encourage your kids to create their own fun.

So while the cost and stress of find the best Christmas toys of 2009 may bring you down, keep in mind that some of these toys might be as fun for you as they are for the kids, and you might find yourself just as excited on Christmas morning.

SOURCES: http://besttoysguide.com/featured/new-toys-fall-2009
http://toys.about.com/od/toyfair2008/tp/TotyAwardWinningToys.htm
http://www.hottoys2009.com/