and the winner is...

Ahh, it's that time of the year when the top toy choices for the holidays are announced. Just like clockwork, it's the ritual that happens this time every year to build buzz for new products available for kids and give parents something incredible they may not have ever thought about buying. Sure. It's also the time for retail to give out their lists as well, and that's when we watch the toy companies all run around waving their hands in the air over getting their product on one or more of these lists. It happens every year! Oh, such an incredible honor and PR opp. Uh-huh.

You have to feel sad for those products that made the list the previous year only to be shoved aside and outshone by the newbies. So short is the life of a typical best toy, tossed aside for the sake of the new, better, shinier, most important license, must-haves.

You also have to ask yourselves who is making these lists and why they account for any opinion. This is a good question and one worth speculating. It might just have something to do with sales and the product itself, not to mention deals and exclusives and a whole boatload of other factors. The results are, well, their lists.

Having said that, many educators have qualified expertise in picking new "best-of" products each year. They bring a developmental spin to their recommendations, which certainly is an important buying factor. But you have to wonder where the expertise lies with some of the retailers' lists. What might be a trade buyer of a toy product line from a manufacturer one year may have been buying lawn care products the year before. Do they have the qualified expertise? Probably no more than most people because a toy product is an emotional experience, and the only person really capable of saying this is a great product is the child, and well, they really don't talk much about it! I suspect those trade buyers look more at the dollars than the actual product benefits—just Say'n.

But all of this is the business of play products. It is often said that the toy business is a fashion business, and you must create the buzz each year, or you get left behind the pack. Sad, but true. Long gone are those toys that last more than three years on the shelves with the exception of a few evergreens, and even they have to have their own "new" buzz as well.

It's an expensive bet on the part of the toy companies. But we still cherish those "Best of" lists.

I'm not being a Scrooge, but it's important to remember that long before these lists are even compiled, a team of designers, marketers, artists, and packagers poured their hearts and souls into crafting a product that, despite all the cost, manufacturing, margin targets and loads of other challenges, becomes what they believe can be a beloved play product. One that a child loves and actually plays with. The type of toy a parent or caregiver chooses reflects their understanding of their child, not that of a former lawn care trade buyer!

Let's make a conscious choice to buy products that look fun, encourage a child's imagination, inspire creative thinking, and evoke their own version of storytelling. These toys are more than just time occupiers. Most importantly, let's buy products that create lasting memories. This is a powerful decision that can shape a child's play experience and, if that is great, shape who they can become. Lists are great, but use them as just another information point when selecting great gifts for your children.

Now, go and run in circles with your hands waving in the air because you will pick great toys!