"Games: PSP. Otherwise, nothing's really hot."

—Rafael Rodriguez, Castle Hill Toys & Games, Bronx, N.Y., Winter 2005

 

"Pixel Blocks. They're a really big hit."

—Doris Jelliff, Dinosaur Hill, New York, N.Y., Winter 2005

www.dinosaurhill.com

 

"The package [for Safari animal figurines] comes with details on the animals, and kids just love them."

—Neil Ramyad, Zittles/Zitomer, New York, N.Y., August 2006

 

"Anything castle. Schylling. Schleich. Papo. … It doesn't matter who you have them from, they all sell. … I had someone buy six yesterday without even thinking about it. Knights and horses."

—Ricki Block, Ariel's Child, New Windsor, N.Y., Winter 2005

www.teachntoys.com

 

"The bigger and more expensive [the Bruder truck], the better it is!"

—Karen Barwick, Boomerang Toys, New York, NY

www.boomerangtoys.com

 

"Corolle dolls — it's a basic."

—Steve Reis, Fantastic Kids, Halesite, N.Y., Winter 2005

 

"For us, Nitro vehicles are one of the biggest things in the past 20 years."

—Bruce Throne, Walt's Hobby, Syracuse, N.Y., December 2006

 

"Hot Wheels from Mattel are always the best sellers."

—Joseph Baiocco, Big Top of Scarsdale Inc., Heathcote, N.Y., August 2006

 

"My favorite is called Space Faces by Educational Insights."

—Dina Hanson, manager, Fun Stuff Inc, Seaford, N.Y., Winter 2005

www.fstoys.com

 

"Never buy at the Toy Fair. Always bring it back, evaluate, look at it, and then make decisions."

—Angela Strodel, director of operations, Frog Alley Toys, Skaneateles, N.Y., November 2006

 

"People [are] going crazy for Sudoku by University Games."

—Betty Nobles, buyer, The Village Toy Shop, New Hartford, N.Y., March 2006

www.thevillagetoyshop.com

 

"Ravensburger has a wonderful line of puzzles for ages 2 and up."

—Michael Stone, general manager, Children's General Store, New York, N.Y., Winter 2005

 

Papo and Schleich. The price stays the same and the quality gets better."

—Gideon Rettich, partner, Classic Toys, New York, N.Y., Winter 2005

www.toysinportland.com

 

"The Plymouth Toys products from Vermont are great for beginners. Plymouth Toys is picking up things that are not licensed, such as military vehicles and cars, and that's good, too."

—Fred Hutchins, owner, Jan's Hobby Shop, New York, N.Y., December 2006

 

"The up-and-down roller coaster by STEP 2. It's like a 10-foot track and it's for 2 and up. It's a big colorful long track."

—Dorothy Bazini, cashier, Funco Land, Lake Grove, N.Y., Winter 2005

 

Set by Set Enterprises, Inc. is a "perennial best seller."

 —Nelson Ng, owner, Whipper Snippers, New York, N.Y., February 2006

www.whippersnippers.com

 

"Believe it or not, I work the entire [Toy Fair] show twice."

—Allen Brafman, Little Things Toy Store, Brooklyn, N.Y., January 2007

 

"We sold a lot of pirate costumes, a lot of Star Wars stuff and a lot of sexy costumes."

—Paul Blum, owner, Abracadabra, New York, N.Y., January 2006

www.abracadabrasuperstore.com

 

"Yes, of course [I read TDmonthly]. To keep current and to do more research and see how things shift in the toy world."

—Jay, owner, Gepetto's Toy Box, New York, N.Y., November 2006

www.nyctoys.com