"We do game nights in the schools. Even though Target is carrying them, none of their staff can play the games, so they can't hand sell them."

—Jacque Flagg, owner, Jacque's Inc., Bryan, Texas, February 2006

www.jacquesstore.com

 

"I don't do plush unless it's puppets, like Folkmanis. Kids can role play and act out. If it's just a stuffed animal, it doesn't sell well for me. I need something with more action to it."

—Anna Barr, owner, Anna's Toy Depot, Austin, Texas, October 2006

www.annastoydepot.com

 

"Blokus by far is the hottest. It's simple and you can have fairly young kids with adults, but with just adults it can be cutthroat. ... That 's why I like it so much."

—Fred Rosenberg, owner, On the Park, Kingwood, Texas, December 2006

 

"Boys like superheros (Rubie's). Spider-Man has been big for us."

—Shery Collins, owner, Abundant Joy for All Ages, Spring, Texas, January 2007

 

"I think [Tonner Wizard of Oz dolls are popular] because the collectors have known the movie since they were children."

—Suzanne Corselli, owner, Not Just Dolls, Dallas, Texas, June 2006

www.notjustdolls.com

 

"The most popular for swimming is the Swimming Ring (Marvel Comics). It has a Spider-Man on it so it's very popular for the boys."

—Zia Rizvi, owner, Toys & More, Houston, Texas, July 2006

 

"The Stomp Rocket Junior (D & L) because it's easy to use and the rockets fly really high. Little boys especially love to see how hard they can stomp something. With this one they can stomp the heck of it."

—Terry Myers, Kaleidoscope Toys, Dear, Round Rock, Texas, July 2006

 

"Traditional toys are not readily available because electronic stuff is popular, but people look for traditional toys."

—Anna Barr, owner, Anna's Toy Depot, Austin, Texas, December 2006

 

"We sell a ton of those little knight costumes, sets of armor, pilots. We do well with Aeroxmax for boy costumes."

—Debbie Scholl, owner, Fundamentally Toys, Houston, Texas, January 2007