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Frozen beating out Barbie atop girls' wish lists this Christmas

VIDEO: Familiar favourites like video games, scooters, iPads, and walking, talking stuffed animals should once again reign, too.
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Disney's 2013 smash hit movie 'Frozen' and its merchandise is expected to be one of this Christmas's biggest-selling toys


So, the annual Christmas question: what's the most popular toy on kids' wish lists this holiday season?

Of course, video games should stay strong. There are family games, which are popular presents to keep mom, dad, and everyone else camped around the fire. Scooters, headphones, and iPads make the grade as well, according to the tykes quoted in the video above.

In 2014, there are Lottie Dolls and Little Live Pets, this year's version of the always-popular 'stuffed animals come-to-life, walk and talk' genre.

And then there's any toy from the movie Frozen. The Disney smash hit's main character Elsa is the trendy toy this Christmas, with the movie's merchandise beating out Barbie as the holiday season's top gift for girls for the first time in 11 years (according to a study by the National Retail Association).

According to the survey, 20 per cent of parents questioned plan to buy dolls of Elsa and Frozen's other characters – sister Anna, plus Olaf the snowman – versus 16 per cent for Barbie.

"The Elsa takeover of the toy aisle has been months in the making," writes Forbes's Clare O'Connor in the link above. "In the weeks leading up to Halloween, Frozen costumes were the most-searched online by a wide margin despite the film being almost a year old at the time.

But as O'Connor notes, it's not as if Frozen's Elsa and Anna aren't Barbies of their own version. And while the movie has received praise for an ending that promotes a healthier, less dependant-on-men message for young girls, it's also been criticized for adding another couple of thin-waited, beautiful women/girls to Disney's ever-growing lineup of princesses.

"Those who'd rather their girls dispensed with dolls entirely, Barbie or otherwise, may be heartened to hear that the number six toy on the NRF's list for girls is LEGO," she writes. "This bodes well for startups like GoldieBlox, the toy construction sets encouraging girls to get interested in science and technology."