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| Crayola Model Magic w Presto Dots |
It’s December 25th. The tree is beautifully lit, shiny packages with colorful ribbons beneath. Sun just starting to rise and squeals of delight can be heard as children scamper downstairs to see what Santa has brought. Parents, exhausted but pleased, watch as their children rip through the packages with joy.
Three hours later, three days later, three weeks later…dare we say three MONTHS later…where are those toys? We can only hope that something is still being played with but we all know how it goes.
Is your Christmas shopping done yet? Finding just the right thing to bring your little ones joy, long-lasting playtime pleasure, is a daunting task. The Good Housekeeping Research Institute understands that and every year does what it can to help us figure it out!
NBC’s Today Show host Meredith Viera interviewed Miriam Arond of Good Houskeeping Research Institute to introduce the best toys of this season. Ms. Arond explained just how Good Housekeeping does their extensive research to come up with a “Best Toys for Christmas” list.
Starting with hundreds of toys that appear to be the most promising, they first weed out those that do not size up to the highest toy safety standards. Next, they bring in a team of 100 or more experts—CHILDREN—to try them out. For four days of extensive play, those toys are played with, poked, prodded, stretched, tossed, and EXPERIENCED hands-on by the youngsters. The adult onlookers pay careful attention to the toys that are played with the most.
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| Think Geek’s Electric Guitar Shirt |
After that, toys laid aside, the children are asked survey questions about each item. Which one did they like best? Which ones not-so-much? Why did they like, or not like, each one. Finally, the recommendation list is compiled and is published in Good Housekeeping’s December issue.
Here are 10 of the best toys, listed alphabetically, that made the list this year!