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Hottest toys this Christmas:

Zhu Zhu Pets.

Moxie Girlz (dolls made by MGA Entertainment Inc).

Liv Dolls (by Spin Master Ltd).

Barbie Fashionistas (by Mattel Inc).

Nerf items by Hasbro Inc.

Lego building sets.

Mindflex by Mattel Inc., which uses brain waves to move a ball through a course.

Source: The Associated Press

Although The Associated Press has tagged Zhu Zhu Pets as "this year's bona fide must-have toy," it doesn't seem that the battery-operated hamsters are at the top of area children's Christmas lists.

"None of my friends' kids are nuts over the Zhu Zhu Pets," said Marietta resident Amanda Haney-Cech.

The $10 robotic toys, made by Cepia LLC, have been making headlines recently due not only to their scarcity, but also the safety concerns surrounding them.

The San Fransisco-based GoodGuide consumer group found that the Mr. Squiggles version of the robotic hamster had unsafe amounts of the chemical Antimony in its hair and on its nose. However, the AP reported Monday that government regulators declared the toys to be safe and in compliance with current toy safety laws.

Haney-Cech said her 4-year-old daughter Geneva hasn't requested the Zhu Zhu Pets or any of the other toys that have been deemed as this year's most popular.

"This year there wasn't any one thing that she really, really wanted," said Haney-Cech. "She asked for Crayola toys and craft item type of things, and she asked for new rollerblades."

Haney-Cech noted that Geneva wrote a letter to Santa and asked that he bring her a Baby Alive Whoopsie Doo Doll. According to the doll maker's Web site, www.hasbrotoyshop.com, the doll's realistic features include requiring a diaper change and a bottle when it cries.

Haney-Cech added that she prefers to avoid the crowds when it comes to Christmas shopping for Geneva, but she would go the extra mile if necessary.

"There is nothing that I'm not willing to pay an extra $20 to $50 for to avoid the crowds on Black Friday," she said. "But if there was something she really wanted, maybe I would consider getting up earlier or ordering online. Santa always figures out a way to get it there."

Two of the gifts that Melissa Childers' sons want for Christmas are featured on the Hot Toys 2009 Web site www.hottoys2009.com. The list of popular toys on the Web site is generated based upon sales data from the site's affiliates Amazon, Wal-Mart, Target, Toys "R" Us and eBay.

"My ninth-grader is asking for an iPod Touch and my sixth grader is asking for a PS3 (PlayStation 3) slim," said Childers, who lives in Marietta with her husband, Bob, and their two boys Levi, 11, and Wyatt, 14. "Electronics is the thing with my children."

The iPod Touch, which is manufactured by Apple Inc., allows for music, video and game play. The PlayStation 3 is a video game unit and Blu-ray player that is manufactured by Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.

Childers added that both of the boys also enjoy Legos and they spend a lot of time on the computer they got for Christmas last year.

When it comes to shopping for the boys' Christmas gifts, Childers said she often looks to the Internet.

"I'm a big online shopper. Cyber Monday is one of my big things, but sometimes I'll hold out until I find the best deal," she said. "I'm a bargain shopper."

Denise Heitman and her husband, Mark, of Fleming, don't fight crowds or shop online for their two sons' Christmas presents. Their boys, Braden, who is 9, and Bryce, who is 8, enjoy electronic items.

"He (Braden) really likes Legos and anything that's science-related," Denise said. "And of course the (Nintendo) DSi and Wii games and DS games."

Heitman added that Bryce asked for a Nintendo DSi, which is on the Hot Toys 2009 list and a laptop computer.

Other popular electronic items include the portable Nintendo DS Lite and DSi video game units.

Marietta resident Sarah Misel's two daughters, Grace, who is 9, and Julia, who is 13, also enjoy video games.

"This Christmas, they've not asked for a whole lot," she said. "Wii games has been the main thing."

Misel said she shops on Black Friday, but she doesn't purchase high-priced items. She noted that she often turns to the Internet to make price comparisons.

"I've been online this year to find one thing I thought of specifically that I couldn't find anywhere else, but ended up finding it locally at Toys 'R' Us. It was a Wii game," she said. "I'm hitting all the sales that I can possibly find."

Misel noted that Grace asked for the "Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party 3" video game for the Wii, which allows players to follow on-screen commands and dance to popular music on a motion activated mat.

She said Julia wants the "Guitar Hero" video game for the Wii. The popular "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" games feature color-coded guitars and drum sets played along with the corresponding notes on the television screen.

"That was her big request," she said.