Buzz: Nintendo Wii

Despite the terrible name, I believe that Nintendo is going to be the run-away victor in this year's holiday video-games war. Look for the buzz to increase as thanksgiving approaches.

Nintendo's Wii on Toys "R" Us hot holiday list

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Toy retailer Toys "R" Us has unveiled its "hot toy" list for the upcoming holiday season, and this year it includes a video game console for the first time -- Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s (7974.OS) Wii.
Wii's inclusion in the list comes as electronics play an increasingly prominent role in children's toys.
Other hot toys chosen by Toys "R" Us include Fisher-Price's digital camera for children ages 3-years-old and up, and Hasbro's Inc.'s (NYSE:HAS - news) Designer's World, a plug-and-play TV game from its Tiger Games division that lets girls design their own fashion line. Nintendo's Wii will make its U.S. debut on November 19 in what is expected to be a hot holiday season for video game consoles, with Sony Corp.'s (6758.T) PlayStation 3 slated to hit U.S. stores November 17.
But Nintendo, with its "Donkey Kong," "Mario Brothers" and "Pokemon" game franchises, has found success with a younger audience.
"The PlayStation 3 is really geared to a savvy gaming enthusiast," said Kathleen Waugh, a spokeswoman for Toys "R" Us, of the decision to add the Wii to the list. "The Wii system appeals to young kids as well as adults."
The Wii, priced at $250, features a motion-sensing controller that operates like a television remote control and lets players simulate swinging a bat, sword or tennis racquet.
Waugh said one of Toys "R" Us' criteria of adding an item to its hot list is knowing it will have sufficient stock of the item for the holiday season, and she said that Toys "R" Us was able to ensure that by "taking a leadership position on the launch of Wii."
Other toys on the list include T.M.X. Elmo, or Tickle Me Extreme, made by Mattel Inc.'s (NYSE:MAT - news) Fisher-Price division. The doll, which hit stores on September 19 after months of secrecy, is the 10th anniversary edition of the Tickle Me Elmo red plush doll that created a craze when it was introduced. The T.M.X. doll has been flying off store shelves since its introduction last week, but Waugh said Toys "R" Us continues to get new shipments of the doll.
But not all of the toys on the hot list are electronic. The list includes the Speed Stacks StackPack -- a game by Jakks Pacific Inc.'s (Nasdaq:JAKK - news) Play Along division that involves stacking up and down Speed Stack cups in predetermined forms as fast as possible.
The following is Toys "R" Us' "Fabulous 15" list of hot new toys for the 2006 holiday season:
* Blue Man
Group Percussion Tubes from ToyQuest,
* Designer's World from Tiger
Games,
* Dora's Talking Cash Register from Fisher-Price,
* ESPN Fast
Action Football from Fisher-Price,
* Kid-Tough Digital Camera from
Fisher-Price,
* Laugh & Learn Baby Grand Piano from Fisher-Price,
*
Mindstorms NXT from Lego,
* My Scene My Bling Bling Styling Head from
Mattel,
* Pink Nitro Notebook from VTech,
* Power Rangers Deluxe
Manticore Megazord from Bandai,
* Speed Stacks StackPack from Play Along,
* Sound City Railway from Imaginarium,
* Tap Dancing Mumble from
Thinkway,
* T.M.X. Elmo from Fisher-Price, and
* Wii from Nintendo.