Boys’ Christmas Toys: The Top 10 For 2011

Boys’ Christmas toys in 2011 feature an exciting mix of technology and electronics with traditional favorites. Here (in reverse order) are our top 10 festive faves to give you inspiration for this present-buying season.

At position # 10 is the Doctor Who Personalise Your Sonic Screwdriver Set. Kids of all ages (and not a few adults!) have long been fans of the Time Lord and his adventures. Now you can create your own custom Sonic Screwdriver from over 80 different combinations, inclduing light and sound effects. Just what a boy needs to save the Universe one more time!

Our #9 top toy is Let’s Rock Elmo, the musical toy for younger children between 18 months and four years based on the popular character from Sesame Street. He’s got a microphone, a tambourine and a drum set, and he can recognise which one he is given. He knows six songs, and kids can rock and dance along with him as part of his band. He can also interact with the Let’s Rock Elmo Guitar, which is available separately.

Check out full details about Let’s Rock Elmo.

At #8 comes the Fireman Sam Pontypandy Rescue Set. Fireman Sam has been a favourite character for over 20 years, and fans of the TV series as well as the toys will love this 15 piece play set, which includes curved street and wrote pieces, a supermarket and trolley, cones, a fire extinguisher, a ladder, and figures — including Fireman Sam himself of course. Follow his adventures in Pontypandy as he goes to the rescue and saves the townspeople from all kinds of scrapes. This could be a great addition to any Fireman Sam collection.

Find out more about the Fireman Sam Pontypandy Rescue Set.

In the #7 spot comes the Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber, an all new toy in the great Star Wars tradition to give kids a new and exciting Jedi experience. The blade contains a progressive light-up feature, with LED effects and realistic sounds. Kids can develop their lightsaber skills with the “Force Tech Training” DVD and be part of their own Anakin Skywalker adventures.

Have a look at details of the Star Wars Ultimate FX Lightsaber.

The Kidizoom Twist Digital Camera takes the #6 position, as a great two megapixel camera with built-in flash, 4x digital zoom, 256 MB of built-in storage, and the potential for expanded memory via the SD card slot. Not only can you take pictures, but you can also record your voice, shoot video, and play games. Its durable casing and easy to navigate buttons make it a great camera for kids aged three and up — and there’s a range of stamps, frames, and photo effects to make your pictures even more fun.

Here’s where to find out more about the Kidizoom Twist.

At #5 comes the Nerf Vortex Nitron Blaster, the high-tech toy blaster gun. It includes an electronic scope, 20 disc removable magazine and the discs themselves, and instructions for use. It can shoot the special rubber projectiles up to 30 feet with high accuracy, thanks to the electronic scope and its pulsing target lights. It’s customisable with a range of optional accessories and could be loads of fun for boys aged eight and up.

Check out more specs on the Nerf Vortex Nitron!

In place #4 is the Lego Ninjago Fire Temple, a set for fans of the Masters of Spinjitzu Lego theme. It contains mini-figures of the heroes Sensei-Wu, Zane, Kai and Nya, and Lord Garmadon, Samukai and Genral Kruncha of the Skeleton Army. It includes a range of weapons, and the Fire Dragon ready to spit fire balls. Take part in the epic battle to save the Dragon Sword of Fire, and defeat the evil members of the Skeleton Army.

Learn more about the LEGO Ninjago Fire Temple.

In 3rd place comes the Moshi Monsters Moshling Tree House, a place to keep your moshlings and play with them as you build up your collection. We just love these collectable figures which are part of the huge Moshi Monsters craze that’s been gripping kids worldwide. The tree opens up and includes a basket lift and the Roxy moshling.

Read more info on the Moshling Tree House.

At #2 in the best of the best list, the LeapPad Explorer makes a great gift for boys or girls who have been enviously eyeing Mum and Dad’s iPad and longing for a tablet computer of their own. With kids being so technologically savvy these days, it’s a great idea for them to have a handheld learning computer that can take a wide range of games and apps and incorporates a camera, video recorder and microphone. Parents will like the range of learning support features that come with the LeapPad, and the way it can track an individual users learning level.

Find out more about the LeapPad Explorer.

The Doggie Doo Game is our #1 pick for Christmas 2011 — and it could be the weirdest of all! This pooping pup is sure to appeal to plenty of kids, especially those 4 – 9 year olds with a mischievous sense of humour. Just like a real pet, this doggie has to do his business … so to play the game, throw the dice and, when it’s your turn, squeeze the handle of the dachshund’s lead. Sooner or later, he’ll do his stuff — and the first player to score three poops wins. Mum and Dad may think it’s gross, but that’s all part of the fun, isn’t it?

Find out more and check out our best price for the Doggie Doo game.

When the time for buying Christmas presents comes around, you’ll sometimes hear people say: “Boys are so hard to buy for!” But in our opinion, that’s just not true! There are masses of great ideas for boys’ Christmas toys — and if there’s any problem, its that it can sometimes be hard to settle on the right choice out of so many.

So to make Christmas shopping a little bit easier, we’ve tried to take the angst out of your decision-making by showing you some of this year’s most popular toys for boys, with reviews and customer comments to help you decide which toys will make the best Christmas presents.

Kids are quick to latch on to the latest craze or fashion — but don’t forget that whatever trends are hot this year, boys will always be boys, whether they are eight or eighty! So there are always going to be popular categories of boys’ toys to help you narrow down your choice, such as sports toys, electronics and video games, ride-on toys and toy vehicles, building toys and all those rough and tumble games that lend themselves to outdoor play. And if you’re buying a gift for a boy outside your own family, it’s a smart idea to have a quiet word with the parents to find out what his particular favorites are — and make sure that you aren’t duplicating someone else’s idea!

Sometimes it feels as though the Christmas season is upon us before the summer is even over! But a happy and stress-free Christmas is all about great planning, and more and more people are choosing to do their Xmas shopping online and spare themselves the crush and hassle of last-minute visits to the department stores or shopping centre. It’s worth remembering that every year some of the most popular items sell out well ahead of the holiday season, so you can save yourself disappointment and frustration by ordering online — and it’s a great way to have presents delivered to friends and relatives who live far away. Saves you postage too!

Building and Construction Toys

Ever since we can remember, boys have loved their Lego! There are dozens of different Lego sets to choose from, with buckets of building bricks that suit children as young as 18 months, to sophisticated models of robots, spaceships and fortresses and kits related to movies such as Star Wars, Harry Potter, Toy Story, and The Prince of Persia.

This year, we’re interested to see how popular the Lego Hero Factory series of toys and models is going to be. In their fight against the dastardly Von Nebula and his henchmen, citizens across the galaxy are asked to keep a watchful eye and alert the Hero Factory of any sign of these dangerous criminals!

Click here to browse through a comprehensive range of Lego toys and games for a wide range of ages.

Musical Toys

What little boy hasn’t dreamt of being a rock star? We’ve got a feeling that the award-winning Paper Jamz^TM guitar toys from WowWee are going to be hot this Christmas, as kids get a taste of the rock band experience with these innovative and affordable play instruments.

There are actually drums and amps in the Paper Jamz range, as well as guitars (and the obligatory cool straps!), and the instruments are powered by new Active Graphics Technology^TM that enables you to play like an expert just by touching the surface. There are three play modes, and five guitar shapes. And parents who might dread the idea of yet another musical toy are going to love the built-in headphone jack that lets your budding rock stars jam to their hearts’ content without disturbing everyone else!

Find out more about Paper Jamz.

Battle Toys

Fans of the Beyblades series are going to love getting ready to do battle with their Metal Fusion Tops in Stadium that comes with the Beyblade Metal Fusion Super Vortex Battle Set. And look out this Christmas for the Kung Zhu^TM Hamsters, from the makers of the hugely popular Zhu Zhu Pets — training in their special arena before going into battle with their armour, fighting gear and special vehicles. And boys who have loved making their own armoured action figures can take their hobby one stage further as they create their own toy armour, with Armouron from Bandai. When they suit up, they can join in games that recreate the ancient order of Armouron knights.

Check out these Battle Toys and more.

Cars and Vehicle Toys

Whether they are interested in building toy cars, operating remote controlled vehicles or enjoying a child-sized ride-on, there are plenty of fun choices to stimulate the imagination as well as providing driving enjoyment. The Ferrari F1 Electric Ride-On is a fantastic model car for kids up to the age of 6, made under licence from Ferrari and designed in conjunction with Ferrari engineers. Has a top speed of 5mph!

Remote control car fans will have a blast with the radio controlled Turbo Twister, doing stunts and twists, 360 degree front axle spins, with flashing light show.

Meccano toys have been a favorite with budding mechanical engineers and designers for over 100 years, and their appeal is set to last. Recommended for ages 8 and up, the Meccano 50 model set allows boys and girls to create motorised models using steel girders and plates, nuts, bolts and wheels. A toy classic.

Boys’ Gadgets

There are great ideas for the scientifically curious and inventive child to explore, create and feast the imagination. Doctor Who fans will be thrilled to play with their very own Sonic Screwdriver, the famous tool used by the Time Lord to get himself out of numerous scrapes and dangerous situations.

And how about mixing mind power with physical co-ordination with the Mindflex^TM game, which uses a headset to measure brainwave activity and set you off on an obstacle course that will challenge skill and mental focus.

Follow the links in the right hand column to find more reviews of this year’s best boys’ toys — and if you have comments to make, tell us what you think!