Zhu Zhu Pets top lists for Santa in cost-conscious holiday season

They're small and furry and have names like Pipsqueak, Mr. Squiggles and Num Nums. These electronic hamsters, Zhu Zhu Pets, are expected to be this year's holiday craze.

Stores are already finding it difficult to keep the cuddly robots in stock.

The toy's popularity is fueling Black Friday sales at Toys R Us, said spokeswoman Adrienne Giordano. The first 100 customers in line when each of the company's 680 stores opens at midnight will have an opportunity to purchase one Zhu Zhu Pet, which are made in China.

Why are the rodent playthings so popular? "They're definitely affordable, when you can find them," said Reyne Rice, a toy trend specialist for the Toy Industry Association.

Zhu Zhu Pets cost from $10 to $20 and have plenty of accessories, including spin wheels, all less than $25. They are also gender neutral, have several different characters and share some qualities of real hamsters -- except for the whole litter-cleaning aspect.

"It's actually a really good toy," said Tim Walsh, a toy expert, author and creator of the game Blurt! "They appear to be alive to a kid. They seem to move on their own, and they make realistic sounds when they touch their little nose."

The toy, created by Cepia Inc., even has an iPhone application available on its Web site.

Zhu Zhu Pets' popularity mimics the hot toy of last year -- Bakugan Battle Brawlers, which are affordable, collectible action figures.

The interactive qualities of some of the hottest toys have been their selling points, Rice said.

Another theme this year is affordability, Rice said, with fewer toys costing more than $100.

Frugal shoppers are less inclined to purchase big-ticket items, a contributing factor in the falling sales of video game consoles.

Walsh said console sales dropped 29 percent in the first six months of this year, and toys that use an online component, such as WebKinz, are down 43 percent.

However, cheaper prices could appeal to more shoppers -- PlayStation 3 prices have dropped from last year, said Luis Castillo, a general manager at an Alexandria, Va., Best Buy.

The traditional 80-gigabite PlayStation 3 sells for $279, he said, compared to $399 last year.

"They are going to sell well because there's always a new group acquiring them," Castillo said.

He said he has seen more gamers purchasing upgrades or accessories for existing systems, such as "The Beatles: Rock Band." Castillo also expects price drops for flat-panel televisions and GPS devices to add to sales when Best Buy opens at 5 a.m. Friday.

But Rice and Walsh said more families are choosing to forgo the video game consoles and games because of their steep prices -- games alone cost about $60.

Instead, board games are growing in popularity. Sales are up 10 percent, Walsh said, and expected to grow because of buy-one, get-one-free, or half-off sales.

"A lot of games are successful that come out of recessionary times," Walsh said. "Monopoly and Scrabble came out of the Great Depression." He added that UNO, Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary grew in popularity during the economic lows of the 1970s and 1980s.

"It's an affordable way for family entertainment and interaction," Rice said. "They are less expensive than going out to a movie and going to dinner, and kids look forward to it."

Despite an expectation that holiday shoppers will spend less, toy industry expert Richard Gottlieb said he predicts holiday toy sales to increase by nearly 2 percent.

"We are up against horrible numbers from last year," he said. "Because of the Zhu Zhu Pet, it drives people back to the toy department. They come in to buy a Zhu Zhu Pet, and if it's not there, they'll still buy something else.

"And though I don't think people are confident in the economy, I think they are buying with confidence. They may not like the state of the economy, but they understand it, and last year people were scared and didn't know what to expect."

Zhu Zhu Peg Web site: http://www.zhuzhupets.com/

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)