Toy Test 2000

Top Ten Toys

Oct. 9, 2000

If the kids in your family are already making out their toy list for the holidays, good luck!

You can spend a little or a lot on kids toys, and still have a hit or miss.

But, for the ninth year in a row, Family Fun Magazine let children from all over the country decide their favorites of the season.

The results of their "Toy Test" may help you know what to buy.

Take a room full of kids and give them a room full of toys and you watch them play.

Kid: "THIS IS THE LIPSTICK, AND YOU HAVE TO PUT THIS IN THE ICE FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES, AND PUT IT ON HER HAIR. THIS SIDE CAME OUT BETTER."

Alexandra Kennedy/Family Fun Magazine: "IF, AS ADULTS, WE KNOW WHAT MAKES GREAT TOYS, WE'D ALL MAKE A MILLION ON TOYS. KIDS ARE THE ONLY ONES WHO KNOW WHAT'S MAGICAL ABOUT A TOY. WE LET MORE THAN 700 KIDS PLAY WITH THESE TOYS FOR MORE THAN 22,000."

The top five all-around picks, starting with number 5: The championship challenge soccer stadium by Lego Systems for $50.

Number four, the Baskin Robbins Ice Cream Bar Factory by Wham-O for $30.

Place number three goes to the Dragonfly, a remote controlled stunt car by Toy Max for $70.

Second place winner is Wiggle and Giggle, a game requiring a lot of physical wiggling, for $20 by International Playthings.

And first place, as well as one of the most expensive-- The F-150 Hercules. It's a radio controlled behemoth of a truck for $190.

Kid: "THIS IS MY FAVORITE TOY-- IT GOES FAST!"

And so it begins, and it's barely October.

Top Ten Toys

1. F-150 Hercules (radio control truck), $190, ages 10-12

2. Wiggle & Giggle (game), $20, ages 5-7

3. Dragonfly (battery-powered vehicle), $70, ages 8-9

4. Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Bar Factory, $30, ages 5-7

5. Championship Challenge (Lego soccer stadium), $50, ages 10-12

6. Golden Retreiver (puppy puppet), $60, ages 5-7

7. Slithering Jake the RC Snake (radio control snake), $40, ages 3-4

8. Makeup Mindy (doll with unique beauty accessories), $17, ages 3-4

9. Love to Dance Bear (battery powered Bear In Big Blue House), $30, ages 3-4

10. Apples to Apples Jr. (card game), $16, ages 8-9

Get more on these toys, and age specific ratings at:
Family Fun Magazine Online