Holiday Toy Guide: What Are the Hottest New Gifts?

With Christmas rapidly approaching, parents and grandparents may be wondering what the hottest, best-selling gift for young people are this season.

Greg Choron, owner of the Merry-Go-Round Toy Discount Center on North Avenue in New Rochelle, had a few suggestions that are available in his store.

For boys 7 or 8 and up, a new toy is Beyblades, spinning tops that battle each other in a stadium-like arena. There are even online and videogame versions.

New technology allows two people to compete while moving objects with their minds in Mindflex Duel. "The harder you concentrate, the more you can move," Choron said, adding that the battles are waged using sophisticated headgear.

Want a dog but without having to feed it or take for necessary late-night walks? What about Go Go Pup My Walkin' Pup? It's a realistic robot dog toy that can go for walks with you.

"It even whimpers," Choron said.

Everyone remembers the Easy Bake Oven that baked cakes using the heat from a light bulb. But now, Choron said, there's the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven. Recommended for ages 8 and up, he said it comes with a lot more goodies and is a larger oven that doesn't use light bulbs.

Legos are a gift-giving staple, and Choron said the latest entries in the interlocking plastic domain are Ninjago Legos and some amazing additions to the Star Wars line.

"They have some huge space ships now," he said.

Choron didn't want to leave out adults who might be kids at heart.

He suggested Buckyballs, highly magnetized tiny cubes or spheres which can be molded into various shapes, and Trikke, three-wheeled vehicles that are propelled by doing Ss and leaning into curves.

Merry-go-Round Toy Discount Center is located at 188 North Ave. in New Rochelle. The phone number is 914-632-4119.

Choron said the store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday.