Thirty days to Christmas and already the toy shops are crammed with anxious parents, aunts, uncles, grannies and grandads - wishlists in hand - trying to beat the rush.
Unfortunately, the rush is well underway, with queues for checkouts on weekdays as well as weekends. The more savvy shoppers have done their scouting trips and bought the toys at the best possible prices. The rest of us just want to find the toys and get home in one piece. Already, three items are not available - the electronic version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, Thunderbirds Tracy Island and PlayStation 2.
Amazing Ally, an interactive doll, is hotly tipped to disappear from the shelves soon, while there may be a rush on the board game version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
If you are heading to the shop and you haven't got a credit card, you may need to make a few trips to the ATM, as the average spend is between £100 and £200 per child with some spending up to £500.
For the under-threes, Mr Cathal O'Dea, manager of Smyths, Jervis Street, Dublin, says the dancing bear from Bear in the Big Blue House is very popular (£29.99 Smyths nationwide; £32.99 Argos). He "comes to life with hilarious dance moves and arm gestures when his hand is pressed. He even sings the Cha Cha Cha as he is dancing".
That ubiquitous purple Barney is still big with the tots, with a talking Barney for £36.99 in Smyths and eSpecially My Barney at £64.99.
A notable feature is that all are spin-off merchandising from children's television shows.
Even with the under-threes, there can be disappointments. One fraught Kildare mother, who had brought the family to Dublin to shop and to visit Clery's Santa (thankfully, no queue, she said), was very disappointed to find that the Happyland construction set her almost-three-year-old son wanted was not available. There had been a manufacturing problem, explained Ms Lisa Murphy in the Early Learning Centre, Henry Street, Dublin.
"It had 95 pieces with a working crane and a toilet which flushed. My son had his heart set on it," the mother said. Ms Murphy offered to let her know if it became available but she decided to cut her losses, and, instead, buy some Bob the Builder items. The Early Learning Centre, which has three branches in Dublin, is out of dolls' houses, kitchens and giant garages, said Ms Murphy.
For the over-threes, especially girls, one of this year's crazes is the mechanical dog. Options include Teksta (£49.99 Smyths; £50 Banba Toymaster) and Poochi (£29.99 Smyths; £30 Banba Toymaster). The more expensive Rocket the Wonder Dog listens and responds. Well he might, at £125 in the Early Learning Centre, plus batteries costing about £10 (three D batteries, one 9-volt and three AAA required).
Ms Cathy Sherwin of Banba Toymaster, Jervis Street, said Action Man, Pokemon, Digimon, and WWF wrestlers are all popular with boys over three. For girls, the new Barbie generation dolls are a must (£21.99 in Smyths and Argos; £23 in Banba Toymaster).
Mr Cathal O'Dea of Smyths says the Amazing Ally doll is flying off the shelves. She can say more than 16,000 phrases. At £74.99 this prodigy doesn't come cheap.
Parents may feel they have to purchase brand names, which market heavily, and are often associated with film or cartoon characters.
If your daughter wants a Barbie, will her Christmas be ruined if she gets Steffi? Mr O'Dea, of Smyths, says, five years ago, generic dolls were "pathetic". Now, "they're up to speed. We've tried to identify the ones that are successful in the European market. For instance, Steffi Love is a big success in Germany, while the Ultracorp range (comparable to the Action Man range) is doing very well in America", he says.
Steffi Trend Girls, a 29cm high doll with long blond hair, cost £3.49, compared to the new Barbie generation girl range, which cost £21.99 each in Smyths.
It may be difficult to persuade your offspring that Ultracorp and Steffi are just as good as Action Man and Barbie, but it should be easier when it comes to board games. For instance, Connect4 costs £11.99, with Super4 costing just £4.99. Battleship costs £13.99 with Super Battle Ship costing £5.99 in Smyths.
If you don't feel up to braving the crowds, there is a variety of online shopping options available (see panel) The World of Wonder, in Mallow, Co Cork, has a website, www.toys-nireland.com, which showcases a limited range of toys. Customers can e-mail requests for other toys.
The standard delivery charge is £5. This covers anything from Pokemon to a boxed doll, with costs increasing with size. Demand is strong, with a lot of requests from the US and Australia for toys to be delivered to relatives in Ireland.
Prices on the website are similar to the World of Wonder shops, with Digimon's fantastic digivolving figures costing £8.99 (comparable to Smyths). These are popular with four to seven-year-old boys, says Ms O'Sullivan. For girls, Barbie is still big, she says, with Barbie Radio House (£44.99) and Barbie's aeroplane (£64.99) especially popular.
World of Wonder (shops in Mallow, Galway, Kilkenny, Tipperary, Wexford, Kilkenny and Limerick) is part of the Musgrave Group, which operates the SuperToys franchise. The Irish toy market is valued at more than £100 million, exclusive of computers and computer games. Market share is divided fairly evenly between independent toy retailers and the multiple groups.
If you're worried about the safety of the toys you buy, look for the CE mark, which is an assurance that the toy is safe, bearing in mind the normal behaviour of children and that the toy is used as intended. Playthings are not covered by CE safety regulations. These include items such as sports equipment, metal pointed darts, slings and catapults and fashion jewellery for children.
Where possible these playthings should be used by children old enough to understand their inherent dangers, according to the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs. Particular care should be taken when buying a toy with electrical parts or a transformer.
If you come across a toy that seems unsafe, the consumer watchdog advises that you should not purchase it. Instead, contact the Office of the Director of Consumer Affairs, which will check it out. (tel: 01-402 5555; website: www.odca.ie).
More than 95 per cent of toys are imported, with the vast majority made in China. If you're concerned about the conditions under which a toy is manufactured, you might consider the suggestion by Trocaire and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that, when you buy toys and gifts, you keep the receipt. Post it to the manufacturer along with a letter of concern, asking the company about its ethical policies. It might also be worth writing to the store manager. Trocaire's website has sample letters available (www.trocaire.org; www.ictu.ie).
