Top Big Media Toys

Sure, you can watch the toy commercials on TV and read the advertising inserts in your local newspaper. But if you really want to know what the hot big media toys are this holiday season, listen to the playtime experts at the Toy Industry Association.

Click on these links to find what's hot right now. Then, if you want to play even further, go to ToyAwards.org and register your vote for the 2011 Toy of the Year awards. Winners will be announced in early 2011.

In the meantime, happy shopping and merry everything!

Ben 10 Ultimate Alien
Cartoon Network Enterprises
cartoonnetwork.com
6 to 11 years
The Ben 10 franchise has solidified its position as a top global evergreen brand, becoming a multi-category success since debuting on shelves in the U.S. in 2006. Led by a master toy line from Bandai, a top-selling interactive franchise from D3Publisher and a wide range of product categories, Ben 10 has enjoyed consistent global growth because of its high-quality products and CNE's commitment to keeping the brand and its consumer products line relevant to today's consumers. Chuggington™
Ludorum
chuggington.com
2 to 6 years
Chuggington is a modern television series that appeals to children ages 2 to 6. Using feature-quality CGI animation, Chuggington follows the adventures of Koko, Wilson and Brewster – Chuggington's 'trainees' – as they learn to 'ride the rails' of life. Chuggington features fast-paced action, social readiness lessons and stories that resonate with kids and parents around the world. Dinosaur Train
The Jim Henson Company
PBSKIDS.org/dinosaurtrain
3 to 6 years
Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while encouraging basic scientific thinking and skills. The Dinosaur Train is a colorful locomotive customized to accommodate all kinds of dinosaurs. It has the ability to visit the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous worlds, while the Trains' Conductor, a knowledgeable Troodon, provides passengers with fascinating facts along the way. Monster High™
Mattel
monsterhigh.com
Tween to teen
Monster High™ brings together the teenage descendants of the world's most famous monsters to brave high school. Grounded in a fun and humorous storyline that captures the awkward moments teens experience, Monster High™ explores the powerful bonds of friendship and the challenges of fitting in -- all delivered through a "monster" chic aesthetic and tone. Mattel offers rich publishing, web and entertainment content, as well as an array of consumer products like apparel, accessories and toys. Thomas & Friends™
HIT Entertainment
www.thomasandfriends.com
2 to 5 years
Thomas & Friends has been making tracks to great destinations for over 65 years with classic stories of adventures from the railways on the Island of Sodor. The #1 blue engine and his friends invite children to enter a world of imagination through the tracks of a train and the words of a story. As children embark for fun and excitement with their engine friends, adventures unfold that lead to timeless life lessons such as discovery, friendship and cooperation. Toy Story 3
Disney Consumer Products
www.disney.com/toystory
All ages
Toy Story first delighted audiences 15 years ago when Woody, Buzz and the rest of the gang jumped out of the toy box and into our hearts. Proving that you can't take the toys out of the Toy Story, Disney Consumer Products and its best-in-class toy manufacturing partners created a robust selection of toys and an unprecedented retail marketing program inspired by Toy Story 3, the highest grossing animated film of all time.