Newest toys nearly as active as your kids

Toy store aisles tend to bombard with sensory overload. Family members, especially youngsters, can easily be overwhelmed by an avalanche of holiday toy options. But like baggers at the grocery store, there’s an art to stuffing Santa’s sack of goodies. And we’ve hijacked the big red one’s checklist and are spreading holiday cheer with a few suggestions for boys, girls and tinier elves.

FOR BOYS

Bakugan Battle Brawlers

Price: $2.99-$29.99 Manufacturer: Spin Master Ages: 6 and older Quickly becoming the next Pokemon or Yu Gi Oh!, this collectible card game continues flying off shelves in a blur. Individual packages include one metal card and one Bakugan ball. Kids spread out their cards and roll their Bakugan ball over the cards. Magnets cause the balls to pop open and reveal a specific creature. Kids battle it out, drawing from more than 100 characters available. Pros: Hot property Cons: The Bakugan balls are small enough to become couch food.

Hot Wheels Turbo Driver

Price: $20.99 Manufacturer: Mattel Ages: 4 and older This line of die-cast cars races its way into the computer. Pop the included CD-ROM into your computer and connect the controller with the enclosed USB cable. Each set comes with a working Hot Wheels car that also serves as a game cartridge. A total of eight Hot Wheels Car-Tridges are available (Invader, Drift King and more). Slide the cartridge into the controller and race in colorful virtual worlds such as the jungle, Arctic and around a steaming volcano. Pros: Hot Wheels come to life on the computer screen Cons: Not Mac compatible

EyeClops Night Vision

Price: $79.99 Manufacturer: Jakks Pacific Ages: 8 and older You don’t have to be James Bond to use nifty gadgets. Budding super spies can snoop around and see in the dark with the EyeClops Night Vision. Both kids and adults slip on these rubber-strapped goggles and use its infrared technology to see up to 50 feet in the dark. Backyard play will never be the same. Pros: What kid wouldn’t want to see in the dark? Cons: Some things should just stay in the dark.

FOR GIRLS

Clickables Fairy Charms Starter Set Price: $29.99 Manufacturer: Techno Source Ages: 7 and older This interactive jewelry box, which comes with a necklace and three charms, combines safe online and offline play. Girls go online (www.pixiehollow.com) to visit Disney fairies Tinker Bell and friends and create their own fairy. The jewelry box-shaped Clickables system plugs into a computer with the included USB cord. Touch the center of the jewelry box with one of the charms, and it beams with lights and music. Each charm unlocks a particular gift, which can be found in the Pixie Hollow virtual world. Additional charms ($4.99 each) and friendship bracelets ($9.99) are sold separately. Pros: An inventive twist on online play with an added dress-up element Cons: Online can be hypnotizing.

Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker

Price: $29.99 Manufacturer: Jakks Pacific Ages: 8 and older The popularity of cupcakes bakes its way into girl toys. Use one of the four included batter flavors to fashion homemade cupcakes in a flash. Add water, stir and place the cupcake maker in the microwave for 30 seconds. Use the enclosed froster to decorate the cupcake and doll it up with sprinkles, too. Need more refills? Packages are $5.99-$11.99 each. Pros: Fun comes to the kitchen while promoting the art of cooking Cons: May require a game of tag to help burn off the calories.

Girl Tech Stylin’ Studio

Price: $59.99 Manufacturer: Mattel Ages: 8 and older The popular Digi Makeover toy goes to the next level. Girls give themselves digital makeovers with the Stylin’ Studio. Players plug the unit into a computer’s USB port and start primping. The unit includes a touch pad and stylus so girls can add hair, makeup, accessories and clothing effects to their image. Print the picture or e-mail it to a friend. Pros: Girls can play dress-up with oodles of options and without the mess Cons: Not Mac compatible

FOR EVERYONE

Crayola Glow Station

Price: $29.99 Manufacturer: Crayola Ages: 6 and older Kids take the light wand and put it to the glow canvas to create glow-in-the-dark artwork. They use stencils, texture sheets and other tools to enhance the illustrations. Or petite artists can draw with a dry-erase marker on acetate and use the light wand to transfer the image to the glow canvas. Pros: A fresh and inventive way for children to enjoy drawing Cons: Don’t lose that wand!

U-Dance

Price: $74.99 Manufacturer: Hasbro Ages: 8 and older It’s a plug-in-and-play video game that asks players to bust a move. This dancing game doesn’t require a mat. Instead, it relies on motion-sensor technology. Players attach sensors to their feet and follow the footprints that pop up on screen. Dance along to the beat of music from the likes of Chris Brown and the Jackson 5. As the game progresses, it gets more difficult. Pros: Exercise masked as game play Cons: The four AA batteries needed to operate the system are not included.

FOR YOUNGER ONES

Animal Scramble

Price: $25 Manufacturer: Wild Planet Ages: 3 and older A preschooler game that fuses education and physical activity. Kids run while using an electronic giraffe toy to tag other animal figures while playing games that teach colors, letters, and animal names, sounds and attributes. For example, if the giraffe blurts out an instruction like “Who is orange?” the player runs and tags the tiger and moves on to the next command as soon as possible. And it includes two other games, a memory-building exercise and a hide-and-seek treasure hunt. Pros: A great way to sneak in learning and exercise Cons: If you lose an animal figure, the game is a bust.

Elmo Live!

Price: $59.99 Manufacturer: Fisher-Price Ages: 18 months and older They’ve tickled him, made him stand up, fall down and get up again. Now Fisher-Price takes its interactive Elmo toy to the most technologically advanced stretch of Sesame Street. It’s as if you’re watching the fuzzy red monster perform as he does on TV. Watch his mouth open and close while he sings songs, plays games, and tells stories and jokes. Elmo stands up, but if he’s tired, he’ll sit on his stool, cross his legs and flap his arms. He’ll come to life with a touch to his nose, foot, back or belly. Pros: The closest kids can get to hanging with the real Muppet Cons: A bit heavy for tinier tots to carry, and you can’t cuddle with an animatronic.

Laugh & Learn Smart Bounce and Spin Pony

Price: $69.99 Manufacturer: Fisher-Price Ages: 12-36 months Last year, Fisher-Price paired education and exercise with its Smart Cycle, an exercise bike kids use to play learning games. This one is designed for early toddlers. It looks like a cute, horse-shaped, bouncy, ride-on toy. But parents plug it into the TV and kids experience learning and reinforcement by just being kids. Games include learning first words, animals, letters, counting and more. And it has a basic bounce mode so kids can ride at will without Mom and Dad having to turn on the TV. The wide base of the horse provides stability as tots spin and bounce while hanging onto the handlebar, which sports a roller drum that plays music and other sounds. Pros: It offers multiple ways to play, teaches toddlers and promotes physical activity Cons: Could be a gateway to the sometimes-addictive world of video games.

Kota the Triceratops

Price: $300 Manufacturer: Playskool Ages: 3 and older Playskool doesn’t know the meaning of the word extinct. With a heavy dose of modern technology, kids can get up close and personal with Kota the Triceratops, an animatronic dinosaur that measures more than 40 inches long. With sensors scattered throughout his body, Kota responds to touch with a roar, a flick of the tail or a move of the head. Talk to him, and he’ll roar back. Feed him a toy leaf when he’s hungry or climb on top of him for a ride. Pros: Can’t get much cooler than a pet dinosaur Cons: For that kind of money, you could buy a dog.