Top Toys for Girls, 2009

Barbie, Hannah and Dora trump the Easy Bake Oven

The other day I was on an elevator with three women who were discussing the toys their children wanted for the holidays. One woman expressed concern that her daughter wanted an iPod Touch, and said “a two-hundred dollar electronic item for an eight-year-old girl? Whatever happened to the Easy Bake Oven?!”

I chuckled (to myself, since I wasn’t actually part of the conversation) and recognized that the landscape of gifts for girls has changed a lot since the days when girls just wanted toy ovens that cooked cakes with lightbulbs. iPod Touch aside, here are the other most popular gift items for girls this holiday season, according the National Retail Federation’s 2009 “Top Toys” survey:

Barbie – Most girls wouldn’t go ga-ga for a 60-year-old doll, but if that doll is Barbie, all bets are off. Even though she’s rapidly approaching AARP status, Barbie is still extremely popular among the schoolyard set.

Hannah Montana – Though they may one day occupy a landfill next to Lizzie McGuire and Spice Girls merchandise, right now, Hannah Montana items are hotter than ever.

Video games – They may lean more toward games about princesses than those where the object is  shooting zombies, but still, these days girls are reaching for the controller every bit as much as boys.

Disney Princesses – If there’s one thing that girls love, it’s young sovereignty. Add a little Disney to that and you’ve got a recipe that turns girls’ heads all over the world.

Dora the Explorer – Girls have been going nuts for this pint-sized Indiana Jones for over ten years, and the 2009 holidays don’t seem likely to curtail Dora’s exploring even in the slightest.

Zhu Zhu Pets – These little mechanical hamsters are one of the hottest toys this holiday season for both girls and boys. The only problem is, they’re also one of the hardest to find, due to their extreme popularity. With their low price tags and high desirability, Zhu Zhu Pets are being snatched off of shelves almost instantly. So if you see one, grab first and ask questions later.

Other top gift choices for girls include American Girl dolls, the Nintendo Wii and the Nintendo DS.

Of course every girl is different, but for the most part, these are the items that today’s young lady would love to receive over the holidays this year. I think that it’s a little sad that not one of these toys will bake a cupcake, but I guess that’s progress.

— Noah Belson, Content Quality Analyst