0-2 AGE GROUP

Our testers: Skylar Powers, 2, Overland; Conner, 2, Hazelwood, Kendall 1 1/2, Maryland Heights, Miles, 13 months, Kirkwood

The winner:

Thinkativity Feed & Learn Singing Croc ($19.99)

Though it wasn’t the No. 1 favorite of any tester (each seemed to like a different toy), it seemed to be No. 2 for every tester, and the parents really loved it. You feed the crocodile letters and it sings a little song about each. “It took Miles a little bit to figure out how to use it,” says mom Sarah Coleman, “but once he did, he seemed to love it and I loved that it is educational.”

Honorable mentions

Chicco Ducati Monster Ride-on Motorcycle ($69.99: This was Miles’ favorite toy. He loved zooming around the play area on it. It was easy to put together and just the right size for little legs.

Chicco Talking Garden Activity Table ($84.99): An educational toy that teaches you the alphabet, shapes and, of course, makes noise.

Elmo Live! by Fisher-Price ($60): This year’s new Elmo toy is Elmo at its best. He opens his mouth wide to chat up his little friends. Most kids ran to it first, because they know Elmo from TV. “His whole face lit up as soon as he turned it on,” says Katie Stockman, Conner’s mom. However, it did scare Kendall when it started talking.

Also tested

The Lavendar Dreams Nighty Lite Doll ($12.99) at Gorman’s: Both girls seemed to like this, though for one, it lost favor once she saw the more high-tech Baby Alive in the 3-5 age group.

The Wiggles’ Wigglin Musical Microphone ($19.95): Once the kids figured out how to work this, it seemed to be a hit.

Mega Bloks Smart Builders Piano ($34.99): Though this is touted as one of the big toys of the year, only one kid even went to play with it.

Sing & Celebrate 20th Anniversary Barney ($19.99): The kids who watch Barney on TV were drawn to this plush toy that sings Barney hits.

Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube by Munchkin ($29.99): Another toy the kids didn’t play with much.

Crayola TaDoodles Scribble and Sing Art Station ($41.25): Though the kids seemed to love this toy that sings while you scribble, the parents were a little afraid those markers would end up all over their house.

Munchkin Play N Pat Frog Water Mat ($9.99): Only the youngest tester, Miles, played with this toy more appropriate for babies.

3-5 AGE GROUP

Our testers:

Kaitlyn, 4 1/2, Ballwin, Taylor, 3, St. Charles, Ethan, 3, Mildstat, Stevent, 5, Wildwood
Skyler Grotz, 4, Granite City

Overall winners: (girls’ choice) Hasbro’s Baby Alive Learns to Potty ($59.99)

Taylor became very attached to this interactive baby doll, who can be fed a bottle or little packets of baby food, and then needs a diaper change. It’s a heavy doll for little arms and operates with batteries.

(boy’s winner) Thomas Great Discovery Action Canyon Set ($44.99) “He likes anything with wheels, especially trains and trucks,” said Ethan’s mom. The boys especially liked the bridge action on the set, but parents - be forewarned: Only one train is included, and it requires batteries.

Other favorites:

Fisher-Price Handy Manny Transforming Tool Truck ($55): Ethan loved this toy, and he explained: “I like fixin’ it.”

The Incredible Hulk Smash Hands ($19.99): This was Steven’s favorite toy in the bunch, and he was our oldest tester. It’s a great toy for a physically active kid, as long as they know not to bash someone’s head with it. These oversized hands can still hurt — even if the child thinks he’s playing.

Playmobil Circus Animal Trailer ($42.99): This was Kaitlyn’s favorite toy and requires the most imaginative play. It did have a lot of small plastic pieces and the doors on the trailer fell off repeatedly.

Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 1.3MP Pix Junior ($59.99): The kids enjoyed taking pictures of their parents, but there is no eyehole viewfinder, so it takes some supervision and instruction for little ones to get the hang of it.

Fisher-Price Dora Saves the Snow Princess Prance & Fly Pegasus ($49.99): A nice looking toy, but the doll kept falling off the horse, which only went forward intermittently. “I can tell you a four-year-old is going to be frustrated with that,” Kaitlyn’s mom said.

Step 2’s 50s Diner ($149.99): The younger testers (ages 2 to 3) enjoyed this play kitchen the most. It was a bit smaller than expected and really does not accommodate more than two children at a time.

Fisher-Price Imaginext Spike the Ultra Dinosaur ($139.99): Some of the other children ran to this toy first, but lost interest in it surprisingly fast. It runs through batteries very quickly and comes with a recharable battery pack. “I thought that would be a big hit,” Steven’s mom Tina, said. And Spike really scared some of the younger children. In fact, Kaitlyn’s strongest opinion was about Spike: “The dinosaur really freaked me out!”
Also tested:

Tag Reading System by Leap Frog ($49.99)

Power Rangers Jungle Fury Mega Mission Helmet ($49.99)

LeapFrog Leapster Learning Game System ($59.99) with Scholastic Clifford Reading game ($24.99)

6-9 AGE GROUP

Our testers:

Grant Emmenderfer, 8, St. Peters
Taylore Nunley, 8, Affton
Maggie Simmons, 7, Wentzville
Ahmid Rehmani, 7, West County

Overall winners: (Boy’s choice) Bakugan Battle Arena ($29.99).

Grant and Ahmid ran straight to the Bakugan Battle Arena board game. Ahmid didn’t even check out the other games in his age group. The second he seen Bakugan, he bolted to the game and started playing with Grant. His father, Zafar, said “I wasn’t surprised at all that my son choose Bakugan. I expected him to go to it. He enjoys playing with the Bakugan action figures.” Grant’s mom, Pam, said she’s a bit hesitant when it comes to all the little pieces needed to play the game.

(Girls’s choice) Didj and Color Me Gemz

Taylore couldn’t put down the Didj Custom Gaming System by Leap Frog ($89.99). “When I’m bored, I can play video games for hours.” The Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull game ($29.99) kept her busy for about 20 minutes.

Maggie chose the Color Me Gemz purse set ($13.99). A hat set ($13.99) and a jewlery box ($25) is also available. “I love to color and I like crafts,” says Maggie. Her mother, Jill, says “my daughter is drawn to arts and crafts, especially coloring and any other type of game with stickers.”
Honorable mentions:

Barbie & the Diamond Castle Princess Liana and Princess Alexa ($29.99 each). During free-play, a few girls from the older age groups spent some time playing with the Barbie dolls. These Barbies sing.

Crayola Glow Station ($39.66). A few kids picked up the light wand and started drawing on the glow canvas. They liked the “glow in the dark” drawings they were creating.

Star Wars the Clone Wars Clone Trooper Voice Changer helmet ($36.99). One child from the 3 to 5 age group slipped on the helmet and began waving his arms. His mom said, maybe this toy should have been tested in the younger age group. He seems to love it.

Other favorites:

Discovery Kids 2-in-1 Microscope ($29.99). A few of the kids remarked that the microscope was hard to use. They had some difficulty keeping the slide specimen under the scope.

Magnext 100 Count Magnacase 360 ($49.99). This toy features magnetic parts ideal for constructing anything from buildings to trucks. A few kids plopped down in front of it and played briefly.

Bratz Girlz Really Rock! Jade ($19.99). One little girl picked up the doll just for a moment and then set it down and hurried off to take a look at the Barbie dolls.

Transformers Animated Supreme Roll Out Command Optimus Prime ($49.99). This transformer toy had a few hands on it, I spotted one boy changing the robot figure to the vehicle figure, and then back again. He seemed to be enjoying the toy.

LEGO Police Command Center 7743 ($44.99). Hmmm. This toy had me worried until a father popped in and started putting it together. It looks like the older kids (Dad) will have a good time playing command center with their younger kids. Parents just one thing: look out for all the itsy, bitsy parts.

10 and up AGE GROUP

Our testers

Indea Ruhl, 14, Maryland Heights
Madeleine Swier, 11, Richmond Heights
Latrell Simmons, 12, South County
Matt Lawson, 12, St. Louis

The winners

Guitar Hero World Tour for XBox 360 ($249.99) XBox 360 system ($259.99)

Latrell really liked playing this game, checking out songs his parents could relate to. He said, “It was fun, cool and exciting.” In fact, all the kids, even those from other age groups, flocked to this.

Jamming with this cordless guitar can be quite a challenge. The World Tour also comes with a drum set with sticks and a microphone in case you want to jam with your whole family.

Honorable mentions

Mario Kart Wii with Wii Wheel ($49.99). This was a toss-up. The kids really liked playing with this, but more kids enjoyed the Guitar Hero and didn’t have a Wii at home.

Disney High School Musical 3 Sing Together Doll - Sharpay ($19.99). This doll sings into a microphone that comes in the package. You can get these dolls for quite a few of the High School Musical 3 characters, including Gabriella and Troy.

U-Dance by Tiger Electronics ($74.99). This game just takes plugging it into the television and puttin sensora on your feet. Your feet and the game do the rest.

Also tested

Hannah Montana Guitar ($119.99). The girls liked this, but it didn’t come with an amp, so it was hard to see what it could do.

Estes Viper RC Airplane with Motion Sensing Control ($39.99). This airplane must be played with outside and it takes a while for the plane to charge.

Imagine Fashion Designer for Nintendo DS ($29.99). The girls liked playing with this, but it fell short of the favorites.

Mega Bloks King Arthur Battlemotion Castle ($69.99). This was a lot of work with a lot of pieces. One child started playing with it toward the end of the testing period, but didn’t get very far.

Mega Bloks - Struxx Robotrixx - T-Rex ($69.99). The kids passed over this one. It looked intimidating because of all the pieces.

Little Miss Matched “The Artist in Me” ($16.95). I think this one got lost in the shuffle because there were so many other cool toys and games. On little girl did pick it at the end of the testing and said it looked like a lot of fun.

Tamagotchi Connection key chain ($14.99). This toy was so little, it was missed by the kids.