Here Comes Santa Claus - Loaded With Toys A Mind-Boggling Array Of Fun Gifts Await Those Shopping For Children

Shopping for toys this holiday season? Get ready for some gift-giving merriment. We’re not discussing flannel pajamas for Aunt Dottie or power tools for Grandpa Joe we’re talking bright, funny, silly, playful toys.

You could thumb through a toy catalog and pick up the phone. Or walk into a toy store and begin the holidays with a “Ho, ho, ho.”

Toy stores melt away the stresses of the season, evoke laughter and encourage playfulness … Brio trains beckon at the door. Beanie Babies peek from wooden crates. Zoob Morphing Modeling systems await your design. A Snafu game dares your intelligence.

The Inland Northwest is brimming with toys at places like Boo Radley’s, Toytropolis and The Children’s Corner Bookshop in downtown Spokane. At NorthTown Mall there are two new shops, Someplace Else Toys and Learning is Fun. Whiz Kids is at the Franklin Park Mall and The Purple Dragon Toy Store is on Spokane’s South Hill. The Spokane Valley boasts a gleaming new Toys R Us, and in Coeur d’Alene, check out Kay-Bee Toys, Hastings and the Book & Game Co.

Scattered throughout the region, these toy merchants specialize in Kid Fun. After attending annual toy and book fairs and looking at hundreds of the latest dolls, games and crafts, they have lined their shelves with favorite picks. Walk in and these merchants will offer personal assistance.

Feel overwhelmed? They will help select an age-appropriate gift for your grandson living back East or the niece you hardly know. They will make recommendations to fit your budget, and in some cases, gift wrap your selection.

This toy guide has been prepared by a handful of toy experts who have chosen their favorites in four age categories. Of course with hundreds of toys to choose from, what follows is merely a sampling to inspire your own search.

While several of the toys listed may be found at more than one store, the merchant who recommends the toy is listed after the review. The manufacturer and store’s price is also cited.

Before you begin toy shopping, take a moment to get organized. Jot down the kids on your list, their ages and interests. Give yourself a price range for each gift. Even better, try to narrow down your gift to a single category: toy, game, doll, craft or book. This will lessen the choices and leave time for a few laughs. Happy Holidays!

Infants/toddlers

Stacking Rings (Lamaze, $19.99)

This three-ring stacking game comes with a soft-stuffed tower and one-size rings, so there is no need to stack them in any correct order. It promotes eye-hand coordination and triggers visual and tactile responses. Plus, squeeze the ring and it makes a squeaky noise. (Learning Is Fun)

Finger Puppets (Folkmanis, $2.99-$4.95)

All ages love finger puppets, but young ones especially will delight in a menagerie of finger friends, including a white mouse, monarch butterfly and bright red ladybug. Perfect for stocking stuffers, or to bring to life a child’s favorite bedtime story, such as Eric Carle’s “Will You Be My Friend?” “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “The Very Grouchy Ladybug.” (Learning is Fun)

Rainmaker Rattle (Hohner, $17.95)

Children can see the sound of falling rain as well as hear it in this colorful version of the traditional African rain stick. A soothing sound captivates toddlers when multi-color beads cascade through colored balconies inside the 16-inch plastic cylinder. This toy introduces youngsters to color, movement, shapes and sound. Older siblings will love it too. (Whiz Kids)

Bathtime Squirting Floaters (Applause, $3.95)

Young tykes will squeal when bathtime includes the ever-popular floating bath toy topped by a favorite Disney or Sesame Street character. Durable, non-toxic and reasonably priced. (Boo Radley’s)

Hmong Sand Pets (Hmong Needlecrafts, $4.95-$26.95)

Designed by a Seattle artisan, these delightful creatures are a stylish variation of the Beanie Baby. The endearing bean-bagged bugs, frogs and lizards are in fluorescent metallic and sequined fabrics. (Boo Radley’s)

“The Hat” by Jan Brett (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $16.95)

This hardback book tells the charming tale of a girl named Lisa whose woolen stocking flies off the clothesline, and the farm and forest animals can’t wait to share its warmth. Children will adore the beautiful illustrations when the animal friends parade their borrowed woolens. (The Children’s Corner Bookshop)

Ages 3-5

Rainbow Peg Play (Learning Resources, $12.50)

There are several variations of play with this reversible pegboard kit, which includes 30 pegs in six bright colors. Youngsters can create colorful designs, stack pegs into towers, and use colorful strings to lace the beads. This multi-use toy enhances math skills such as patterning, sequencing and geometric shape identification. (Learning is Fun)

My First Skills Floor Puzzle (Frank Schaffer, $14.95)

There are four puzzles in this set, each teaching an important preschool skill: colors, numbers, letters and shapes. Each set of 12 large-size puzzle pieces are perfect for little hands. (Learning is Fun)

Pretend and Play Calculator Cash Register (Learning Resources, $49.95)

This solar-powered cash register has a working calculator and digital display. The over-sized cash drawer is loaded with play money, checkbook and credit card. Sturdy and durable, this is a great addition for preschoolers playing “store” and school-aged children who are learning math skills. (Whiz Kids)

Interstar Master Builder Set (International Playthings, $18.89)

Vibrant plastic pieces are especially ridged to fit together without fuss in this 24-piece construction set. Young builders are provided plenty of creative fuel with wheels, axles, links and twisters, which fit into a sturdy carry-and-storage bucket. (Whiz Kids)

Model Magic (Crayola, $2.95)

Here is a modeling compound that doesn’t flake, crumble or get sticky. The soft white substance is pliable, lightweight and reusable when kept in an airtight container. When used to make models, it dries within 24 hours without needing kiln firing or baking. After drying, Model Magic can be painted with markers, tempura, watercolors, acrylics or enamels. (Learning is Fun)

Dot A Dot Art (Dot A Dot Co., $14.95)

A unique idea for paint projects, these tubes of non-toxic paint come in a set of four bright colors. The sponge-tip applicators allow children to create works of art using a dot technique that doesn’t need water, brushes or paint cups. Encourages creativity, fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination with no mess. (The Purple Dragon Toy Store)

Ages 5-7

Rainforest Floor Puzzle (Frank Schaffer, $13.95)

A beautifully illustrated, 4-foot-tall, 100-piece floor puzzle gives children a vivid look at the different types of animals that live in a rainforest. An identifier key helps kids match playing pieces to the animals shown on the puzzle or allows for sorting into groups. (Learning is Fun)

Magnet Play and Learn Set (Magnetic Fun, $13.95)

Kids will enjoy hours of play while discovering the fun and science of magnets with a kit that includes wand and horseshoe magnets and a variety of magnetic objects. (Learning is Fun)

Copy Cast Molding Kit (Creativity for Kids, $16.95)

This “Parents Choice Award” kit allows youngsters to make wacky plastic replicas and molds. The unusual casting kit actually makes a reusable mold so a cast of a hand, foot or toy can be made again and again. Paints are included. (Whiz Kids)

Fractured Fairytale Stories (publishers and prices vary)

Several authors add a humorous twist to the classic fairy tales of maidens and princes resulting in some great books giving children new perspectives and unpredictable endings. These stories often have strong female heroines. Some excellent choices are “The Bootmaker and the Elves” by Susan Lowell; “Cinderella’s Rat” by Susan Meddaugh; “The Gingerbread Boy” by Richard Egielski; and “Rumpelstiltskin’s Daughter” by Diane Stanley. (The Children’s Corner Bookshop)

Illustory Story Kit (Chimeric, 20.95)

A child will take pride in writing and illustrating a personal story that is bound in a hardback edition to treasure forever. The story kit includes special writing and drawing pages, markers, instructions and a postage-paid envelope. The child creates the story and sends it to the company for typesetting and binding. Within six weeks it is returned as a hardback book. Instructions teach young authors the parts of a book title, dedication and author’s page and a “story web” helps them construct their literary masterpieces. (The Purple Dragon Toy Store)

Nostalgia Lunch Boxes (various companies, $14.95)

Remember the metal lunch boxes of yesteryear? They’re back and kids will love these colorful thematic boxes featuring Curious George, G.I. Joe or Tootsie Roll candies. (Boo Radley’s)

3 for Me Game (Patch Products, $10.95)

This thinking game grows with children since it includes three levels of play in one box. Kids search among 48 plastic pictures to find three items with a common characteristic, such as: things that are blue or things you eat. The game gets tougher as the choices narrow. For more advanced players, there are challenging variations that require keener association skills. (Uncle’s Games and Puzzles)

Ages 8-12

Marlarky Game (Patch Products, $31.95)

How did the football get its strange shape? This bluffing game provides players with such imponderable questions and each player answers with a probable guess. The best bluffer is likely to score the most points. (Uncle’s Games and Puzzles)

American Girl Books and Accessories (Pleasant Company, prices vary)

Books, calendars, craft kits, paper dolls and diaries are a few items in the American Girl collection intended to give girls a taste of American history through fictional characters. All products are historically accurate and highlight virtues such as kindness, courage and resourcefulness. (The Children’s Corner Bookshop)

Beeswax Candle Kit (Creativity For Kids, $15.20)

Kids can make candles by themselves because no heat is required with this complete kit, including all supplies and instructions. Taper, birthday and decorative candles will delight boys and girls, and make great gifts too. (Whiz Kids)

Newton on Slime (Wild Goose, $16.95)

A chemistry cook’s tour of polymers, colloids and disappearing water. Kids will discover why slime balls are a culinary and chemical impossibility and reach new conclusions about root beer foam. This “Parents Choice Aware” science kit includes chemicals, solutions, flasks, tubes and gloves. Adult supervision is recommended. (Whiz Kids)

Rush Hour Puzzle Game (Binary Arts, $15.95)

The sliding-block puzzle game is designed to challenge an older child’s sequential thinking skills. Players try to match the traffic setup shown on a puzzle card by sliding the puzzle’s movable cars forward and reverse. Gridlocked? The puzzle’s solution is on the back of each Rush Hour card. There are 40 traffic challenges, ranked from beginner to expert. (The Purple Dragon Toy Store)

Magnetic Poetry For Kids (Magnetic Poetry Inc., $19.95)

Fooling around with magnetic words on the refrigerator will provide laughter while slipping in some language skills. Each set includes 350-plus words on precut magnets for creating sensational sentences and phrases. Also available are sets for learning French and Spanish. (Boo Radley’s)

Bop It (Parker Brothers, $28.95)

Roll, twist or bop the stick in this electronic game of fast reflexes that requires players to listen to spoken and musical commands and respond to them as fast as possible. Play solo or in a group for hilarious entertainment. (Uncle’s Games and Puzzles)

Monopoly Star Wars Classic Trilogy Edition (Parker Brothers, $33.95)

Star Wars fanatics will cherish the classic Monopoly game with a galactic twist. The game board features properties and scenes from the Star Wars trilogy and nine pewter tokens of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the gang. Rebel and Imperial game cards might reward you, penalize you, or send you to Tatooine. (Uncles Games and Puzzles)

, DataTimes