Why this weird-looking $85 toy will be the most popular buy this Christmas
With Christmas just around the corner, there’s one toy that’s already topping kids wish lists — so you’ll need to get in quick.
Christmas may be still more than a month away, but as any parent knows — it’s already crunch time when it comes to buying toys.
Every year there’s one toy that’s the top of every kids list, sparking a frenzy among desperate parents who can imagine the disappointment on their kids faces when the don’t get the toy they wanted on Christmas Day.
This year, kids are tipped to be tearing open their presents in the hopes that they’ve received a Rizmo.
What is a Rizmo?
The $85 interactive product looks like a Furby but acts much like a Tamogochi that needs nurtured by kids for at least five hours to see it transform from a fluffy ball into an alien.
Once fully grown, a Rizmo can repeat words back and even sing, in different styles depending on which one you get.
A quick glance on social media and you can see the toy is already a hit, with heaps of proud ‘parents’ posing with their Rizmo children:
Launched earlier this year, eBay Australia’s Sophie Onikul told news.com.au the Rizmo was already a trending toy purchase, with demand only expected to grow as it gets closer to Christmas.
“We’re definitely seeing that Aussies love Rizmo and again it’s linked to that trend of toys that you need to nurture, and encouraging that element of patience among children,” she said.
“Added to that is the surprise, because you’re not sure if this Rizmo will be a hip hop star or a pop star, so it adds a bit of mystery to the toy as well.”
Also tipped to be popular again this year is Hatchimals, with the $139 HatchiWOW Llamacorn already trending on eBay.
The interactive toy has proved a consistent favourite for Christmas — but this is one toy you definitely don’t want to leave to last minute.
Last year, desperate parents took to Facebook groups offering hundreds of dollars for the toy, which had flown off shelves in most brick and mortar stores.
Other toys expected to be a hit are Owleez, the Nerf Fortnite TS Blaster and the Lego Duplo Frozen Ice Castle.
Ms Onikul advised parents should get cracking early and use planning services like eBay’s wishlist function, which means your planned purchases were ready to go for any flash sales.
“Get organised and shop early because you’ll avoid missing out,” she said. “You can even add items to your wishlist and if you’ve got them sitting in your cart and you keep checking eBay this week we’re going to have hot deals on those toys.”
While most parents do the bulk of Christmas present shopping in November, there were still some that left it dangerously late.
Fortunately, most online retailers had special shipping arrangements for most last minute present buys.
“eBay research recently showed that most parents will have done their Christmas toy shopping about a month out from Christmas,” Ms Onikul said.
“But when it comes to ordering online from eBay we suggest you get your order in at least five or six days before Christmas.
“We do have some which you can filter which is eBay guarantee delivery and that way you can get an accurate delivery time and get some of those orders expedited.”