Envelope, Please: Hottest Pocketbook-Friendly Toy Picks

At February 15th’s Toy of the Year (TOTY) awards—the Oscars of the toy world, held this year at Manhattan’s Chelsea Piers)—the Toy Industry Association (TIA) unveiled its top plaything picks.

Out of courtesy for your wallet—and because so many Americans are either already holding a pink slip or, let’s face it, desperately trying to avoid one—I’ve organized the list of TOTY winners to bring you the toys that rate best on our price index (Translation: You can simultaneously play Santa this year while keep some cash in your checking account).

Did I mention that a relatively steep price doesn’t necessarily mean you should altogether nix a toy from your shopping list? That’s because each toy should be evaluated in terms of its quality-price ratio (the cheapest toy might be poorly constructed, while a seemingly expensive toy could last for a decade and, hence, prove its worth). You should also consider what industry insiders call a toy’s “play value.” A toy with a high play value, for instance, can provide entertainment and educational stimulation during both the initial and subsequent play sessions—and it’ll likely keep your child engaged for years to come.

Here’s the list all of us tightwad toy lovers have been awaiting—from the least expensive TOTY winners, to the most (PS: Scour the net for the best possible price):

$7.95—Outdoor Toy of the Year. Crayola racked up a win for its 3D Sidewalk Chalk, with a price so reasonable that you can afford to be generous with your friends’ children. Kids create their own specialty designs with intense colors that come alive with the provided 3D glasses.

$14.95—Game of the Year. Bananagrams is the high-speed word game that requires no pencil, paper, or board. The price is as right as the amount it takes to play—as little as five minutes. Because the game is uber-portable, you can keep the kiddos busy while you’re waiting in restaurant lines or taking family road trips.

$17.99—Specialty Toy of the Year. Create Your Own Pop-Up Books, by Creativity for Kids/Faber-Castell USA. This DIY book-making kit includes enough stickers, markers, and story starter ideas to guide your child in his or her first self-publishing venture. The set comes with two hardcover pop-up books and simple-enough instructions for children to complete without a lot of hand-holding from mom and pop.

$24.99—Toy of the Year and Boy Toy of the Year—Spinmaster’s Bakugan Battle Brawlers Battle Pack Series 1 Spheres garnered the gold in these two categories for one very good reason:=) Boys around the world have answered the call to brawl with small spheres that magically morph into indomitable Bakugan warriors.

$29.99—Most Innovative Toy of the Year. The big winner at this year’s TOTY, Spinmaster claims a third victory for its Air Hogs Zero Gravity Micro. What’s not to love about a remote-control sports car that can move across the ground, up a wall, and even upside down on the ceiling?

$29.99—Activity Toy of the Year. Add a battery to Crayola’s Color Wonder Magic Light Brush and, ta-dah, the brush lights up as it magically recognizes the paint colors in the pots. The key word with this toy is mess-free: the paints appear to be clear (good news for your walls and sofa), and it’s only after you put the paints on the included Color Wonder paper that they come to life.

$45.99—Educational Toy of the Year. LeapFrog’s TAG Reading System might seem a bit steep—until you recall the lifelong residual returns on building your child’s vocabulary and teaching him or her to love reading. Bonus: The Tag library includes over 20 books and games featuring characters from TV, movies, and classic tales.

$69.99—Infant/Preschool Toy of the Year. Fisher-Price’s Elmo Live actually speaks as his mouth opens and closes, he waves his arms, he sits and stands, and he tells jokes and stories, and he even dances. If you can stand his constant chattering in the background, Elmo just might help you squeeze in a nap while your children play among themselves for at least a half-hour.

$99.99—Girl Toy of the Year. Playmobil’s Horse Farm is the perfect example of a toy with a high play value, which makes its price a tad easier to swallow. The farm’s realistic details—seen in everything from the ponies to the kittens—will encourage endless hours of imaginative play.

$149.00—Electronic Entertainment Toy of the Year. Hasbro’s FurReal Friends Biscuit My Lovin' Pup can actually take orders—the pooch recognizes six commands including “sit,” “speak,” and “lie down.” The dog even wags his tail and barks. The cost just might send die-hard spendthrifts into cardiac arrest. But what’s the value of finally getting to play the big boss? For some of us, that experience is priceless.

Barbie Turns 50—and Shares the Anniversary Spotlight

Whatever secret contention I might have with Barbie—those perfectly-perky breasts, that itsy-bitsy waist, the Stepford-wife grin that makes feminist pioneers quiver—I’ve nonetheless gotta hand the woman her kudos. At 50, The first lady of Mattel is still hot. Really hot.

It’s hard to believe that five decades ago on March 9, 1959, the first Barbie prototype made its debut right here at the Toy Fair. And now, at a time when Barbie must certainly be headlong into perimenopause, the fashion icon’s creators spare no expense in celebrating Barbie’s big anniversary with the liberal use of a certain color—girl-power pink.

This fall when the Pink World Line hits store shelves, our daughters will likely begin hounding us to purchase the affordable $14.99 Barbie FAB Girl (in this iteration of herself, Barbie embodies a PDA-toting intern who transforms into a fashionista by evening, with a quick updo and a reverse-striped pencil skirt). And wouldn’t it be just so cruel to keep the leggy lady homeless? As scores of us are fighting to keep our real-life mortgages out of foreclosure, Barbie is apparently surviving the recession rather comfortably: Her new Dream Town House (you guessed it—it’s pink in every imaginable shade) is a hefty $149.

If you can forgive Barbie’s apparent disregard for real American women's figures—and with some therapy, I’ve let it go—you’ll discover just how well she encourages a gutsy-girl spirit among the children who play with her. Since Barbie sashayed into toy stores around the world, the Renaissance woman has had exactly 108 careers—as a surgeon, a TV chef, a presidential candidate, even a Sea World trainer. In Fall 2009, she’ll add two more jobs to her résumé via the Barbie I Can be series: newborn baby doctor and preschool teacher (both $23.99).

When it comes to anniversary galas, Barbie has plenty of company. USAopoly’s Simpson’s TV is celebrating its 20th; The Pink Panther, Sesame Street, and Nerf all made it over the hill to 40 this year; And the Smurfs, Candyland, and Little People join Barbie for the big 50. Finally, there’s one of my personal faves, Madame Alexander’s Madeline—the cloth doll who comes complete with a series of storybook adventures—is as adorable now as she was when she was introduced in 1939. Since 70 is apparently the new 40 for the unstoppable Boomer set, that means our dear Madeline has at least another seven decades to delight us.