Barbie is Back on Top of Wish Lists

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NRF unveils the toys topping boys' and girls' wish lists this holiday season.

After losing her crown to Disney’s Frozen characters in 2014, Barbie is back at No. 1 on the National Retail Federation’s Top Toys list for the 2015 holiday season.

The survey, which is conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, asks holiday shoppers which toys they plan to buy for the children in their life.

NRF’s Holiday Spending Survey, released earlier this month, found that 41.2 percent of shoppers plan to buy toys this holiday season.

Among those with their shopping lists already prepared, one in five (21.2 percent) will purchase a Barbie for the little girls on their lists; while another 13 percent of adults will buy toys related to Disney’s Frozen. Last year, Frozen broke Barbie's 11-year reign atop the girls' list.

The survey also found that Star Wars is on the minds of children everywhere as adults ranked Star Wars toys as something they would buy for both boys (11.7 percent) and girls (1.9 percent). Star Wars jumped to the No. 2 spot on the boys' list, up from No. 15 last year.

“Retailers are already offering an array of exclusive and unique toy options for parents and adults to choose from this holiday season including high-end electronic and educational toys, board games and even the classics like LEGOs,” says Matthew Shay, president and chief executive officer, NRF. “We know retailers are ready with an array of toy options when it comes to finding what they want over Thanksgiving weekend and all season long.”

The survey found Monster High items, American Girl and My Little Pony products were also popular with those planning to shop for little girls this holiday season.

LEGO toys kept their hold as the most-requested item among boys this year with 12.2 percent of adults planning to buy LEGOs. Cars and trucks, video games, Hot Wheels and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" were a few other hot items listed on the boys’ toy list.

“Timeless brands like LEGO and Barbie will forever resonate with both children and the adults in their life who grew up playing with those same toys,” says Pam Goodfellow, principal analyst, Prosper. “Given the easy access to top toys this holiday season and retailers’ hard-to-pass-up promotions, this is likely to be a big year for the toy category.”

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