What's Selling

If you're a retailer and would like to take part in PLAYTHINGS' monthly survey of what's selling, e-mail the editors at dgerardi@cahners.com.

Unless otherwise noted, all prices listed below are retail prices.

Even with plenty of sun, sand and surf for locals and tourists to enjoy year round, there are many play items that have become island favorites on Maui. While not as densely populated as Oahu, Maui still boasts a small handful of toyshops and specialty retailers with a few unique items. The KB Toys of the Kaahumanu Shopping Center strongly resembles other mainland stores in the chain—although far smaller than most suburban locations—and consumers seemed just as interested in the latest offerings from Mattel's Barbie and Fisher-Price's Rescue Heroes as those in the lower 48.

At KB Toys' Kaahumanu neighbor, PTL Toys, old favorites remain particularly popular among parents. "The old-fashioned wood toys are doing very well," Roberta Means, co-owner of PTL Toys, tells PLAYTHINGS. The store, which has a mix of tourists and locals, does very well with toys from Small World, Learning Curve and International Playthings. Means adds that younger buyers enjoy newer and more cutting-edge gadgets. "The Hoberman Spheres are especially popular with kids today."

Specialty items for infants and toddlers can be found at Keiki Time in the Maui Mall with Lamaze Infant Development System toys being continual hot sellers, with products like the Lamaze First Mirror and Lamaze Inchworm attracting much attention. Additionally, a salesperson in the store noted that the developmental toys from Tiny Love were steady sellers and that Russ Berrie continued to be one of the more popular plush brands for toddlers.

Plush animals also find many a good home at The Endangered Species Store in the Whalers Village resort mall on the island's East Shore. After a day of hitting the beach and taking in some rays many visitors found furry and cuddly friends like tigers and monkeys to take home as a reminder to their vacation to the island.

In addition to some of the world's best beaches and surf spots, the Hawaiian resort island also boasts one of the country's most unique specialty retailers: the Paper Airplane Museum of Maui. The museum, which is open free to the public, boasts more than 2000 models and kits on display and only airplanes that are over 95 percent paper qualify to be exhibited. Thanks to Ben Affleck's heroic performance this summer on the big screen, the store has seen its popularly rise. "We have had many, many WWII vets come into the museum after looking at the movie Pearl Harbor," says owner and self-declared Tin Can Man Ray Roberts, "We have a special WWII poster they sign. Then we give them a paper airplane gift."

The shop, which displays paper airplane recreations of everything from Leonardo da Vinci's aircraft designs to the Concord and even the Space Shuttle, sells kits from around the world as well as items that are handcrafted by Roberts out of soda cans including airplanes, cars, trains and even dinosaurs. The non-profit museum is certainly a one of a kind specialty retailer located on the splendid vacation island.

It was time to remember the days of September in the New York Metro area as school supplies were rolled out—literally. Selling steadily were backpacks on wheels, popular with parents who feared heavy schoolbooks would harm their children's backs and most-wanted by students whose reasons ranged from functionality to "just plain cool." Even little ones were getting into the act, with one cute kindergartener acquiring a bright turquoise Blues Clues backpack on wheels for the first day of school. "She looks just like a little stewardess," her mom remarked, as the eager student wheeled her new purchase all around the store.

Just as important as the backpack itself, were the popular paraphernalia hanging from the zippers. Crazy and cool were rubber "pooping animal" key chains featuring rubbery pigs, cows, hippos and the like squirting a gooey brown substance out of a hole in the posterior when squeezed. While parents were repulsed, kids couldn't get enough of the $2 and under novelty items. "The grosser the better," one party storeowner reported. "As soon as we get them in, they sell out." He was busy unpacking a brand new shipment—this one of "pooping babies" (you get the idea) and "booger noses," rubber noses on a key chain that (you guessed it!) squirt a green goop out of the nostrils when pinched. "Mom, can I pul-eeezz get a booger nose?" an anxious 10-year-old shopper cajoled. "Absolutely not!" his disgusted mother replied. However, as soon as she disappeared down the aisle, her son fished a handful of change from his pocket and purchased the nasty nose anyway.

As for getting to school, scooters were still a popular mode of transportation, but everyone who wanted one has one by now. Stores were trying mightily to clear out their scooter stock, with prices still scaled down to $29.99 at some outlets for the popular Razor model (original price: $99.99 and up), and even lower tags for the less desirable imitations. While foot-powered scooters still filled the streets, the motorized versions quickly fell from grace. In fact, school officials were kept busy over the summer banning the mini "gopeds" from school grounds. In addition, following up on neighborhood complaints, many municipalities deemed these buzzing bikes illegal for riders under 15 years of age.

Street Flyers (sneakers with wheels that retract into the soles) also hit the brakes as this fad item that never really caught on was piled high on clearance tables. Originally selling for around $99 a pair, this funky footwear was now begging for buyers at $29.99.

But for those that still wanted to get off the heels and on the wheels, the latest and greatest "gotta have it" mode of transportation was The Runt, a miniature bicycle reminiscent of the clown bikes in the circus. On display and selling for $99 at many toyshops, this racy little ride-on is primed to be the hottest thing on two wheels this fall.

In an effort to fill those last hazy crazy days of summer before school began, craft kits were flying off the shelves. Creativity for Kids, Curiosity Kits, DSI, Alex and a host of others slashed their prices and offered lots of buy-one-get-one in hopes of clearing the shelves to make way for new fall offerings. Hemp bracelet kits, tattoo kits, sand art, lanyard string and lots of beads and accessories headed the list of create-it-yourself favorites.

As summer days drift away, thoughts quickly turn to fourth quarter forecasts. It's still a sure bet that Nintendo's Game Boy Advance will be at the top of holiday wish lists this season. By far the hottest handheld on the market, the over $100 price tag makes it a perfect "big ticket" item for the holidays. Retailers who can't keep the Game Boy Advance in stock now are trying to stockpile the elusive handheld for December, when it will be joined by the much-hyped, highly anticipated Nintendo GameCube.

And before you can even deflate your beach ball, the holiday countdown has begun, with toy folks taking on the arduous task of predicting what's hot and what's not for 2001.

Providing a clue to holiday merchandising, one retailer's July ordering list included Darda's boxed sets of die-cast race cars ($22 to $100), Learning Resources' toy electronics (such as telephones and cash registers), and Playmobil. Lego's Bionicle series also fueled September hopes.

Hopes were also high for Pick Up Pizzas ($24.95), the invention of a store/catalog operation, which creates some of the toys it sells. Eureka Studios' Orangutangle Block Set ($24.95) also made this store's July ordering list. "The Orangutangle," explained an executive there, "is a set of blocks that can be hooked together by their hands so you create a big 'tree' of monkeys hanging off each other."

"Anything with Todd McFarlane's name sells and will sell in September," maintained an executive for a two-store comic book retailer. Specifically, he stated, he was awaiting the latest in McFarlane's series of figures from the '60s rock-and-roll era, including Jim Morrison and Jerry Garcia. "Already McFarlane's done Alice Cooper, Janis Joplin and Kid Rock." Additionally, figures based on the band Metallica and Angus Young of AC/DC are scheduled for later this year. Playmates' line based on The Simpsons, he added, also fueled September expectations.

Likewise, Maisto's series of die-cast cars as well as model trains from LGB and Lionel can expect a warm fall welcome from the hobby half of a respected toy store in the region.

The Morro Bay retailer who ordered Darda's sets said that July's top sellers were headed by Learning Curve's Thomas the Tank Engine ensemble, specifically its individual cars ($9.95) with figure-eight tracks ($39.99). The store is located on the beach, so it is no surprise that Air Burst Rockets from the William Mark Corp. ($29.99), beach buckets and pails from SmallWorld, International Playthings' plastic beach toys and Schylling tin buckets ($3.50 to $6.50) were big sellers. Still other movers were Do A Dot Art! ($16.50), Blo Pens art coloring sets with heavy stock paper from Color Workshop, and baby toys from Small World and Learning Curve's Lamaze and FeltKids.

Hot weather toys made the top 10 list for the Northern California retailer that creates some of its toys and focuses on newly invented ones from outside sources. Mookie Toys' Super Swing Ball Tennis ($39.95), the Hydro Glider Shark ($14.95) and the Scatterfish ($19.95) game (both from Wild Planet), Funrise Toys' Water Balloon Pump ($12.95) and D&L's Rocket Balloons ($14.95) were on this store's best seller list in late summer. Completing the list were Franklin Sports' Tetherball ($39.95), the Smash game ($29.95) from Mookie Toys, indoor/outdoor croquet ($44.95) from M&P World Associates, a Giant Swallowtail Kite ($21.95) from Go Fly A Kite, plus a Melody Lap Harp with carrying case and song sheet ($56.95) from the store/catalog itself.

While the owner of a store situated in the shadows of the Hearst Castle, a Central California tourist attraction, was looking forward to Lego's Bionicle series (a line that takes traditional Lego toys into robot-like action figure territory), Pamela Drake's Woodkin's ($13.95 to $17.95) was tapped as a top seller. Further top sellers for late summer included kites from Go Fly A Kite ($9.95 to $30), Lego's dinosaurs and Life on Mars systems, the plush Myrtle Stable Horses from Applause ($4.95 to $16.95), Color Workshops's BloPens and Breyer horses ($10 to $100), as well as Oz West's Pop Shotz, an air-powered gun ($7.99), and the Klutz book line.

Ohio Art's Betty Spaghetty dolls ($17 to $20) and Bruder trucks ($25 to $50) were headliners for a Los Angeles-area store owner. He added that the Creativity for Kids line ($10 to $20), Learning Curve's Thomas the Tank Engine ensemble, Corolle Dolls ($15 to $60), the newest of Ty's Beanie Babies ($4 to $6.99), Kettler's tricycles and the Magz construction sets, in which kids use magnetic bars and balls to build objects such as blocks, bridges, and pyramids, were others. The owner went on to emphasize that his ordering focuses on the basics: Mattel's Barbies and Hot Wheels and games by Milton Bradley.

The champions of the hobby world might be divided into two categories, according to one retailer who heads the hobby side of a San Mateo store: radio control (RC) and die cast. In the former, he placed HPI's RS4 nitro gas-powered car ($330), Associated's TC3 electric racecar ($170) and the Firebird XL airplane ($120 for the largest size) from Hobby Zone. In the latter, Gemini Jet's 747 commercial, 140 scale, airplane and Corgi Classics' aviation archive military plane, 1/72 scale ($30 to $140).

"Military models outsell commercial," he observed. But all models sold as Father's Day gifts, he added.

And who are the champions of the comic book store world? "I'd nominate the figures from the 1995 flick Nightmare Before Christmas ($40 to $60). It has become a cult film." Those constantly evolving figures, he said, are created by a Japanese firm, Jun Printing. After that, the retailer placed DC Direct's line of action figures based on comic book characters Green Lantern, the Flash, Aquaman and, of course, Superman and Wonder Woman. Most of those heroes will be featured on the Cartoon Network's upcoming Justice League animated series. To be sure, Toy Biz's Spider-Man and X-Men figures, based on the Marvel Comics characters, were not ignored.

Todd McFarlane's Shrek figures are not yet blockbusters, according to the retailer, but Dreamworks, the movie's studio, may re-introduce the film later this year. If so, Shrek figures may find themselves in battle with Darda's race cars.