Will Sing-a-ma-jigs Be This Year's Zhu Zhu Pets?

It may be too early to tell which toys parents will be hunting for this holiday season, but with Christmas just months away, there is already buzz building around Mattel's harmonizing plush characters, the Sing-a-ma-jigs.

Love them or hate them, these quirky toys are quickly becoming Internet stars. The toys, which croon like "Alvin and the Chipmunks", have already starred in a number of Youtube videos and have now scored a place on Toys 'R Us' "Fabulous 15" list of the best toys for the upcoming holiday season.

There are six characters to choose from, each with their own vocal range and personal song, and they sell for $12.99 each. The combination of being collectible and inexpensive may make them a hot property this holiday season.

But other toys on the "Fabulous 15" list also share these traits, an indication that cute and collectible may be the winning formula this holiday season.

Squinkies, from Blip Toys, are also hot collectibles and they made the list.

The Squinkies' Cupcake Surprise Bake Shop, which retails about $22.99, made it into Toys 'R Us' list. Blip also sells smaller packs of Squinkies shaped like animals, fairies and other characters that are even less expensive. The toys can be used to top pencils, as jewelry or as inspiration for imaginative play.

Like last year, there are a range of price points and age groups represented on the Toys 'R Us list. While the toy retailer likes to say that there never really is one "hot toy" that is perfect for all children (and that may indeed be the case), there usually is a toy that tends to capture more headlines than the rest.

Remember the animated Elmo dolls that have won the distinction in the years past? This year, there are two toys in this spirit.

The first is Fisher-Price's remote-controlled Imaginext Bigfoot the Monster. The toy features more than 80 actions and phrases, including stomping and belching. Targeted at children ages 3 to 8 years old, the toy's remote uses symbols to make it easy to operate even if the child who receives it can't read yet.

Bigfoot costs about $109.99, which shows that not all toys have to be inexpensive to be popular this year.

Dance Star Mickey, also from Fisher-Price, didn't make the "Fabulous 15," but Toys 'R Us still expects it to be a "hot" toy this year. The animatronic Mickey can groove to one of six different songs in disco, techno, or Latin rhythms. He also can play interactive games such as "Mickey Says" and "Freeze Dance."

Mickey, which will cost about $69.99, goes on sale on Oct. 5.

Games have gained in popularity since the economic downturn hit as families hunkered down and looked for inexpensive ways to entertain themselves.

Beer Pong for Kids?

This year's "Fabulous 15" list contains several games at varying prices that should provide plenty of entertainment.