MINNEAPOLIS -- Commercials will get your kids excited about what to expect under the tree this season, but parents, how do you know if that "hot new toy" is really worth the money? Well, we put some of them to the test for you.
We took over the kindergarten class of the YWCA in Minneapolis and some kids of KARE staffers wanted to help with our testing too. We set all seven of the little ones loose to see what the "real" experts thought. This is how they rate it.
We picked five toys and tried to get a little something for everyone. First up is the Nerf Vortex Nitron. We thought the disc shooting gun would be a big hit with the boys, and we were right. The gun boasts a 20 disc magazine, an acceleration trigger and it even has a scope.
Actually, it wasn't just the boys that got a kick out of it. The downside? It takes a ton of batteries, eight to be exact, and we started the day with 20 discs and ended it with just 16.
The Nerf Vortex Nitron runs a steep $50 but it was clearly a favorite, so we give it a thumbs up!
Fijit Friends claims to be your little girl's funny, dancing, talking, new electronic best-friend. The interactive toy is supposed to respond with more than 150 phrases. The problem is, Fijit is hard to understand. Even more frustrating? Fijit didn't give the right responses to the kids, or simply didn't respond at all.
Fijit Friends runs $39.99. Save your cash. We give it a thumbs down.
This is Mattel's email response to our test results:
"We are sorry to hear about the difficulties you experienced with your Fijit Friends. With every Fijit Friend, we first recommend changing her batteries when you get her home. The batteries that come when you first purchase a Fijit Friend are called "try-me" batteries and are not intended for general play. We've found that simply replacing the "try-me" batteries with fresh batteries, will greatly improves your first experiences with Fijit.
It's also important to note that Fijit Friends have built-in voice recognition capabilities that are optimized for girls aged 6 to 9 years old, who communicate in clear, enunciated phrases, within close range of the toy, and in an environment that has limited external noises. To further help girls unlock the fun of Fijit Friends, we package a reference card that lists key phrases, which should be repeated exactly as they appear - without abbreviations or alternating words, which may cause her not to respond."
Our technology toy is the Disney Pixar Cars 2 Appmates. Download the free app on your iPad and the cars can drive through different scenes. Don't worry mom and dad, the game claims to be safe for your iPad screen.
Though the kids did seem interested in the game, we found they really had a tough time making it work. Perhaps a little practice would make perfect, but at just $19.99 for the double car pack, it's not a bad deal. We give the Cars 2 Appmates an, eh.
Our next toy has a little twist. Angry Birds became an app phenomenon a few years back, now the toy version has gone anti-animated.
Most of the kids seemed to enjoy playing Angry Birds Knock on Wood, but when it came down to it, not one of our kid testers picked it as their favorite.
The game is recommended for kids five and up, but using the cards and keeping score proved to be too much for our five-year-olds. They simply wanted to knock stuff down.
"With the cards it might be better for say, my 10-year-old, and it might pose an additional challenge for that age, because they actually have something to go for and some points to go for, but at this age, they're not concerned about the points, they just want to fling the bird," said KARE 11's Renee Tessman who brought both her son and the nephew to the testing.
The good news? It was the cheapest toy on the list. At less than $12, we simply have to give Angry Birds Knock on Wood, a thumbs up!
The Leap Frog LeapPad Explorer was our educational pick. It proved to be a favorite among the girls as well as our parents and teacher. The kids quickly figured out how to use the camera and got a candid shot of our photographer Craig Norkus.
"I have to say I like the Leap Frog. You probably saw that coming," said our teacher Elaine Markey. "The kids figured out the camera right away. For me, even if it didn't have anything else on it, I'd buy it for the camera."
Right at $100, the LeapPad is pricey, but along with fun games, the pad comes with math, reading, even geography curriculum. Parents can track their kids progress and the skill level changes as your kids do.
"It's educational and it's a good travel thing in the car that she can really do by herself and keep herself entertained by doing other things and there's an educational component to it," said KARE'S Mandy Whiteside who brought her daughter to the testing.
The only downside? Not one of the boys was even remotely interested in trying it. That aside, we still give the LeapPad a big thumbs up!
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)