For your playing pleasure, here are the top ten toys of 2008 as judged by the German BVS, Bundesverband des Spielwaren-Einzelhandels (Federal Association of Toy Retailers). They’re not all available outside of Germany, but most are. Have fun!
- Biscuit the Golden Retriever from Furreal Friends by Hasbro - A surprisingly realistic robotic dog. $179.99 from HasbroToys in the USA, €249,99 in Germany (product page at Hasbro.de). For ages 5 and up.
- Cosmic Catch by Hasbro - A ball game for 2-6 players where the ball tells you who to throw it to next. Mess up and you’re out! $24.99 from Hasbro.com, €34,99 in Germany (product page at Hasbro.de). For ages 7 and up.
- Eichhorn Marbletrax from Simba Toys - A wooden train set and marble run in one. Couldn’t find it in the US, but here’s the English product page at SimbaToys.de, €44,99 for 33 piece set (product page at SimbaToys.de). Ages 3 and up.
- EyeClops, the TV Microscope by Jakks Pacific - A handheld microscope that magnifies anything by 200 times and broadcasts the images to a television $39.99 in the US (product page at JakksPacific.com), €49,95 in Germany from EyeClops-Mikroskop.de). Ages 6 and up.
- Galileo Carnivorous Plants and Grass of the Dinosaurs by Clementoni - Grow real carnivorous plants in a greenhouse. €27,99 in Germany. For ages 8 and up.
- MX-81 Hypersonic Operations Aircraft by LEGO - The flagship of LEGO astronauts. $79.99 in the USA from LEGO.com, €89,90 in Germany from LEGO.com. For ages 6-14.
- Silverlit PicooZ TandemZ by Silverlit - Small, stable remote controlled helicoptor that can even be flown indoors. Available in red, orange, blue and green camo. €44,95 in Germany at Amazon.de, £24.99 with Europe-wide shipping from from Amazon.co.uk. For ages 15 and up.
- Playmobil Ancient Egypt by Geobra Brandstätter - Help your kids discover the mysteries of Egypt. €79,99 in Germany from Playmobil.de. Does not seem to be available yet on most of the other Playmobil country sites. For ages 5 and up.
- Schweine Schwarte by Goliath Toys - How many hamburgers can the pig eat? Players take turns feeding the pig until he explodes. Whoever fed him the last hamburger is out. For 2-6 players. €24,95 in Germany from Amazon.de. For ages 4 and up.
- U.B. Funkeys by Radica / Mattel - Collectable figures that unlock a virtual world of fun and games. Starter set for $14.61 in USA from Amazon.com, €27,89 in Germany from Amazon.de (see also the official German site). For ages 8 and up.
