Last Christmas interactive hamsters topped little girl’s wish lists, and while they might do the same this year they have some tough competition from an interactive monkey called Dave!



Dave The Funky Monkey has already caught the atention of the mainstream media. The Metro, Daily Mail and Sky News have all showcased Dave. Stores are tipping him to be one of the top sellers this Christmas.




So what can Dave The Funky Monkey do? On the surface he looks like your average cuddly toy. It's what's hidden underneath the fur that makes him so remarkable - some clever technology that allows him to move his head and arms in a natural and realistic fashion. You can use a pocket sized remote controller to make Dave move - it has various of pre-programmed sequences, but Dave can actually perform around 30 different actions.



One of the best things about Dave is that he comes with a special harness which means he can sit on your shoulder! In some regards he's a bit like a robotic ventriloquist puppet, and thanks to his cute looks and funny gestures you are guaranteed to make people laugh out loud.

Dave The Funky Shoulder Monkey is distributed by Wow! Stuff, whose other products include educational toys produced in conjunction with the Science Museum. Nick Donaldson, a UK inventor whose previous creations have won medals in the equivalent of the Olympics for robots (Robo Games), is the brains behind Dave The Monkey.



If Dave The Monkey doesn't go straight to the top of the best selling toys list, then it won't be because of his price - you can snap him up for around £25 - great value considering what he can do.

Dave will be available to purchase from Toysrus, Debenhams, Play.com and other popular stores.

Although as I write this post it's still August, toy retailers up and down the country are already busy promoting what they think will the big sellers this Christmas. This process of picking which toys and games to promote actually starts much earlier, here in the UK the first big event of the year is the Toy Fair held in London in February, which is organized by the British Toy & Hobby Association.

The Toy Fair is the only exhibition dedicated to toys in the UK. Around 180 exhibitors take part and these include both the big name such as Bandai, LEGO & Hasbro plus many smaller and often newer companies. It's the ideal place for retailers to try out the products of the future.

Awards are also given out to the best toys across a range of categories including building sets, action figures, girls toys and role-play toys. This years winners included Jolly Octopus, Zhu Zhu Pets Hair Salon, Armouron and the Iron Man II F1 Racer.

Ravensburger's Jolly Octopus is a game aimed at children aged four and upwards. Two to four players at a time have to compete to collect crabs located around the base of the game, but watch out for Jolly's tentacles! Like the best games it's simple but fun to play, and each game lasts around 10 minutes.

The Zhu Zhu Pets Hair Salon is one of the latest toys in the Zhu Zhu Pets range of electronic hamsters, playsets and accessories. If you remember last year, Zhu Zhu Hamsters were one of the must have toys and at times where impossible to get hold of. The salon playset features lights and a hair dryer that really blows air. It's ideal for the newest longhaired hamsters who go by the names of Kingston, Pax, Roxie and Ryder.

One of the more unusual winners comes in the form of Bandai’s Armouron which is a new role-play toy that combines construction and role-play. You can choose from two Armouron Starter Sets, a blue one and a red one. These can be added too by purchasing additional Snapperons. Imagine a futuristic gladiator costume - that’s what Armouron sets are like.

Released off the back of the smash hit Iron Man II movie, the Iron Man II F1 Racer is a bright red, futuristic racing car. It comes with a Tony Stark action figure, firing missiles  and a detachable fender which Iron Man can use as a jet pack.

The toys featured above cost around £15 - £30 so shouldn’t break the bank!

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