14 Toys They Want

These toys are sure to be more popular than the box they arrived in—and Mom might like them too. Try one of them as a gift this year.

Teach her early that a woman's prerogative is to change her mind, and her wardrobe, as often as the situation warrants. Little girls will love the ease of mixing and matching 24 pieces of magnetic clothing, and the included stand will help little hands keep the doll upright during wardrobe changes.

Babes in Toyland have been waiting for a feminized version of the classic spotted dog follow-me toy. Introducing Fiona. She moves when touched by your little one, has three friendly tunes and will bark if ignored to remind your baby or toddler to play with her (bonus: you don't have to toilet train her).

Keep the ‘Are we there yet?', ‘I'm starving' and ‘Is lunch ready yet?' comments at bay with these fun and functional disposable placemats. They'll be too busy to whine if inspired to create a masterpiece as they await your own culinary triumph…the grilled cheese sandwich.

While the gift of money is sometimes hard for children to understand, the gift of a goat or a chicken brings excitement. Sit down together to choose what gifts you can give to families in need (from animals to trees to antibiotics) and make a difference across the world. Helping kids learn the true gift of giving (with no wrapping involved)—that's a holiday miracle.

This eco-friendly and educational game from Canadian artist Anouk Bikkers comes with 36 pairs of endangered species images for a beautiful take on the classic memory game. Appropriate for players young and old, use just nine of the pairs for kids 3 to 6, and all 36 pairs for older kids and adults. Included with the game is a book highlighting the animals and their threatened habitats.

Let them belt it out and put on a concert at home long before the days you'll actually be driving them to one. This microphone/headset combo allows two people to sing, has an iPod/MP3/CD player connection and comes with applause and light sound effects. Your stars are born!

a lean green fighting machine. This multi purpose toy is fun for kids ages 3 and up (including parents). It's a truck, it's a lesson in recycling, it's an example to us all. The cardboard box it comes in (also recycled, naturally) sports images of bottles, cans and paper that parents can cut out for kids to sort and load into the truck's slots, then cart away and dump in the nearest bin. Made of recycled milk bottles, this toy brings a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘it is what it is'.

It's a ball, it's a maze, it's a puzzle challenge and it's pretty addictive. Unlike traditional flat-surface mazes that are composed of one path, perplexus challenges players to maneuver a small marble around complex barriers inside a transparent sphere with three dimensional tracks and 100 barriers. Great for motor and dexterity skills, as well as hand-eye coordination.

It's better than a stinky old blanket and a few chairs. Kids build the Crazy Forts with the balls and sticks provided—any shape works—which leaves more for the imagination. Kids create and build their fort as they like and then play inside their own tea house, castle, dog house, igloo…the list goes on (it's very open ended).

The perfect big impact gift for grandparents who are looking for a toy that will last. We love that this toy can double up as a fresh produce market for kids who love to shop or be used as a lemonade stand that even the older kids will use. It's equipped with lots of accessories to add on at any time and is popular for both boys and girls.

For a better stuffed animal (kids really do like getting them as gifts), try the quirky French-designed (so stylish!) Deglingos. They're machine-washable (major bonus) and their funky patchwork look makes them the hippest plush animals around.

Encourage the joy of experimentation with the Starter Ball Track Set, made from solid, natural, untreated beech wood, the perfect marble run for beginners. Little builders will enjoy setting up the various ramps and blocks to make a run for the marble, dropping down from one level to the next and setting off a domino reaction at the end.

Simple, single-sized, lightweight rectangular blocks (made of pine from renewable French forests), the Kapla Block system encourages children to think ‘outside the box' (you know, the one with the action figure emblazoned all over it) and build an endless number of designs. You don't need to tell them they are also being introduced to the basics of geometry and physics too. Why spoil the fun?

For that crafty girl (and we're not talking about how she comes up with excuses not to clean her room), the Fairies Petal People by Klutz Books is a lovely activity book sure to keep her busy for hours creating little fairy dolls with poseable bodies and petal-perfect dresses. And if moms needs to get involved, it's one of the few craft sets we've found for which we can actually understand the directions!