CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: SURFING INTERNET FOR HOTTEST TOYS FOR CHRISTMAS (COLUMN 114)

OK, parents -- it's that time again. To find the hottest toy for Christmas.

Peggy: Indeed, my living room is filled with toy catalogs and wish lists as my children prepare for the big day.

Joni: I guess this is how Santa feels all year. What a job.

Peggy: The Internet can offer some advice for parents who wonder about the toys their children are requesting.

Joni: OK -- last year it was Tickle Me Elmo. This year it's (drum roll please) Furby? What the heck is a Furby, and who said it was the hottest toy?

Peggy: We can find out online at Furby's own Web site. Thank you Tiger Toys.

www.furby.com

Joni: It looks kind of like a Gizmo from Gremlins.

Peggy: Furby's site is powered by ShockWave, so Furby can talk and interact with visitors.

Joni: A friend told me Furby speaks no English when you first get him (her?). It learns from your kids. And apparently if two are in a room together, they converse.

Peggy: If you need a little help understanding Furby, the Web site gives you a dictionary. Yes, you can translate "Furbish" to English right here.

Joni: Is this anything like pig Latin?

Peggy: At least I understand pig Latin. This looks a little more complicated. Maybe we should just try talking to Furby. I typed "Hi, Furby," which translates to "kah a-loh" in Furbish or "Me Light" in English. Not much of a conversation.

Joni: It reminds me of some chat rooms. You can also send postcards and learn the story line from this site. I wonder what some of the other hot toys are for Christmas? Let's check out Toys R Us.

www.toysrus.com

Peggy: It seems that Barbie promises to be popular again this year. No surprise there. Barbie has entered the information age. The toy store is advertising Barbie Software Girls, interactive Barbie.

Joni: I noticed on TV the other day that you can even get a Barbie digital camera to plug in images to your computer. Barbie must have been studying computer programming on the side. And we thought she was just spending time with Ken.

I'm clicking on Hot Toys to see what other toys this site says will be popular this year. Here's one called Baby Born. It drinks, wets, eats and makes a fussy sound. Sometimes realistic toys go too far.

Peggy: The toy sites have nice, helpful features including gift suggestions. Grandparents, aunts and uncles at a loss for what to buy could check out these suggestions.

Peggy: You can even play some games online, like Geoffrey Dress Up and Word Jumbles.

Joni: It's nice that they list toy recalls as well. While you're window shopping, you could take a stroll through their "safe, virtual playground." There's an area here called "Kid's Call." Kids rate the latest craze. They are release dates for the latest video games and links to other hot sites.

Shall we go to Sesame Street and see what Elmo is laughing about?

Peggy: Sure. You can see Elmo and his pals at

www.ctw.org

Peggy: On the side, you'll find a tiny link called Shop. That takes you to toys, and here's the toy the Children's Television Workshop is promoting, Sleep and Snore Ernie. Look Joni, it's Sesame Street bean bag toys. Thought you might like those.

Joni: How about a trip to FAO Schwarz? They have a top toy column. FAO Schwarz has compiled a list of the Christmas "must haves." It might be interesting to see what's on the list of these toy experts.

www.faoschwarz.com

The list includes interactive Arthur and his sister, D.W. They can interact with your computer or TV. There's a pitching machine, Legos, you name it. Hey, there's that digital Barbie camera. Teletubbies look big for the holidays along with Babe, who's getting ready to star in his own movie. Don't you hate it when barnyard animals have a bigger budget than we do?

Peggy: Yes, but how can you be mad at our Babe, such a nice little pig.

Joni: OK, he deserves it more than those tiny little bugs. Two bug movies in one season.

Peggy: I'm sure we won't be buying bugs at our house. Yuk.

Joni: It's a little much. Furby, you may notice, is out of stock.

Peggy: Bet they have plenty of those bugs. You can read about the 23 winners of the Toy of the Year Awards. Some 400 kid testers looked at the season's newest toys. Results are divided by age groups.

Joni: Wow. There's a candy dot maker. I remember those little candies on paper when I was a kid. Now there's a toy I wouldn't mind finding in my stocking.

Peggy: Let's take a look at K-B Toys Online.

www.kbtoy.com

Joni: There's a 4-foot inflatable Godzilla on sale, Peggy. What do you think?

Peggy: That looks like something my 4-year-old son needs. He could tackle it instead of my furniture. Here's something a little different, coupons for in-store promotions. You could save $7 on in-line skates.

Joni: They also list release dates of the hottest home video games. That seems to be a big item for the teens. Maybe we should check out a Super Nintendo, Sega or Play Station site. Most toys have their own Web sites. Let's take a tour through Nintendo.

www.nintendo.com

Peggy: The site has news about Nintendo products and games.

Joni: You can also link to Web sites for individual games, like Zelda and Pokemon.

Peggy: The site offers N-sider information, which links you with other Nintendo gamers. They have daily chat, and if you dare, you can enter the Arena and pit your scores against others.

Joni: I am interested in the code bank button. It says to click on the system for which you want codes. Wow, I learned how to find mini-bonus games in one of my favorite Super Nintendo games. OK, it's really the only one I'm good at. OK, so I'm not very good.

Peggy: See. It pays to surf. Here's another hot toy spot, eToys

www.eToys.com

Peggy: This site offers picks of the week and 20 under $20 for the month. Pick of the week for 4- to 5-year-olds is Zoo Who, a mix and match building set. Mix a lion with a robot.

Joni: What's your favorite toy site? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in Cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.