Toys from the past 'will fill Christmas stockings'

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Toy manufacturers are going back to the future with a relaunch of an Eighties favourite this Christmas. Cabbage Patch Kids, which caused riots in stores in 1983 as frantic parents rushed to buy them, are predicted to be one of the biggest-selling toys this year by the Toy Retailers Association. The retro look continues with the re-emergence of Power Rangers, which first burst onto our television screens ten years ago, and Star Wars figures, popular once again with the recent release of two new films and a new DVD box set. And despite all the innovative computer games on offer children are still playing with toys their parents enjoyed as youngsters. Christmas classics such as Cluedo and Monopoly are in the association's top ten this year but for the first time in many years Barbie has had her crown stolen by the street-wise Bratz dolls. However, the annual top ten predictions, whittled down from 60, are not always spot on. Last year three toys predicted by the retailers to be bestsellers failed to make the grade. Bionicles, Boohbah and LeapPad Learning System fell short of being a hit with consumers. In Christmas 2001 only four of the association's predicted top ten products were successful. With 50 per cent of toy sales made in November and December and ?14 million taken in the seven days before Christmas, the publicity generated from the top ten list is important for the retail industry. It is worth more than ?2.1 billion annually; each child up to the age of 14 receives toys worth an average of ?179. Five-year-olds do best with an annual haul of toys worth an average of ?278. Ben Green, chairman of the TRA, said: "We do this to try and give the public information about the big toys of the year. Cabbage Patch Kids are the biggest surprise. They were a late entry, launched in August, and we were surprised how quickly they took off. Natalie, 11, staring intently at the Bratz and Cabbage Patch Kids displays, was asked for her top tip of the year. "Cabbage Patch, definitely."They are tiny and cute and I love their dresses. If you are upset maybe they will comfort you, they are definitely on my Christmas list. But I would like a Bratz doll as well because they are more into fashion."Caption: Onward Christmas soldiers: Ben Watkins, 2, gets to grips with Robosapien, one of the 'top ten' toys tipped to head this year's sales