The 2008 Holiday Season is just around the corner and we have been busy searching to the ends of the Internet Universe to select an amazing variety of toys, games, playthings, books, CD music and DVDs to feature in our 10th Annual Wish List.

When we began in 1998 while the Kids' Toys and Collectibles Guides at About.com there was a Furby Frenzy about, with some of the furry interactive friends selling for hundreds of dollars at the popular auction site, eBay. We were quite fond with Groovy Girls, debuted by Manhattan Toy. Ty Beanie Babies was another popular item at the auction sites, in shops, and the McDonald's Happy Meal toy of choice. 

While teens had been playing Magic: The Gathering, during 1999 younger siblings discovered Pokémon also brought a new dimension to collectible cards; a challenging new game with a cast of characters and the quest to become the Pokémon Master.  Pokémania quickly spread to other toys, plush, games and a very popular television show. 

The 21st Century welcomed Harry Potter, hero of the series of books by J.K. Rowling.  Pottermania included action figures, card and board games, and a wide range of collectibles. 

The must-have toy for the holidays for 2000 was Let's Pretend Elmo for the youngsters and for the tweens the Lego Championship Challenge, a build and play soccer field complete with players.  Tiger Electronic's Hit Clips were a sign of things to come for portable music.

Video game consoles were in the forefront during 2001, with Xbox, Gamecube, Gameboy Advance and Playstation 2 on many a wish list. LeapFrog/LeapPad adding an educational dimension to electronic play.  The must-have traditional toy was Lego Harry Potter's Hogwart's Castle, they was so high a demand you would be lucky to find one.  A new line of fashion dolls entered the scene, Bratz from MGA Entertainment.

2002 celebrated 50 years of Matchbox with a special collection of 50 1:64 scale vehicles. Each Matchbox Across America car personified one of the 50 states within the union, having detailed decorations commemorating a key state feature, and included a replica of the state's license plate.  Hasbro celebrated it's own 50 year milestone, releasing the 50th Birthday Mr. Potato Head.  Elmo was a hot item, dancing the Chicken Dance.

In 2003 Elmo was doing the Hokey Pokey Dance, Hasbro brought back My Little Pony to the delight of young girls everywhere. Boys collected Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards, and battling beyblades.  Transformers were making a comeback, as were Care Bears. Video games became popular with games now available for every member of the family.

Poker became the game of choice in 2004, with Texas Hold 'Em box sets a popular gift for adults, young and old.  SpongeBob SquarePants silly antics on television led to a selection of play toys and plush pals for younger kids. 

The video game industry, by now, had become a major player for teens and adults, top titles for wish lists included:

1. Dragonball Z: The Legacy of Goku
2. The Sims 2
3. NBA 2005
4. Halo 2
5. Star Wars: The Sith Lords
6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
7. Doom 3
8. Star Wars Galaxies
9. Unreal Tournament 2004

Bandai`s Power Rangers and Tamagotchi were named ALL STARS  at the 2005 Toy Wishes Holiday Preview.  Robosapien, designed by NASA, was a full functioning robot that entertained both kids and their parents.  The robot could walk, run, fart, belch, rap and even had some snazzy kung fu moves.  The always popular Lego featured a very cool Knights Kingdom line of building sets and figures.

Poker remained very popular gift as the 2006 Holiday Season was underway.  According to Lycos Most Popular Toys and Games for the year:

The Top 10 Most Searched Toys the 2006 Holiday Season:
1. Poker
2. Pokemon
3. iPod
4. Neopets
5. Barbie
6. Harry Potter
7. Blackjack
8. Baccarat
9. Bratz
10. Playstation 3

The Top 10 Most Searched Video Games the 2006 Holiday Season
1. Runescape
2. Naruto
3. Grand Theft Auto Vice City
4. WWE Smackdown
5. EverQuest
6. Gundam
7. World of Warcraft
8. Kingdom Hearts 2
9. Halo 2
10. Mortal Combat

For 2007, girls wished for dolls.  Popular dolls included Barbie, Bratz, Dora the Explorer, Disney Princesses, Hannah Montana and American Girl.  Boys were interested in Thomas the Tank Engine, Transformers, RC Vehicles, LEGO, video game consoles, especially the Nintendo Wii and the Xbox 360.

Our personal choices for 2008 will be revealed in the coming weeks.  Make sure to stop by and discover our latest editions as we will be profiling new toys, games, playthings, DVDs, and CDs each day.

I have found the need to turn off comments due to the volume of spam comments.