A dancing garbage truck, a £460 toddler Ferrari and a wristband that unleashes alien sound and light effects will be the most popular toys this Christmas, according to a leading British retailer.
Toy store Hamleys released its annual list of predicted top sellers, with the old-fashioned toy nostalgia of recent years making way for high-tech gadgets with hefty price tags.
Top of the list is £82 Stinky the Garbage Truck, which gobbles cars before breaking into a song and dance routine.
The £75 Vtech Kidizoom video camera allows "little ones" to capture their adventures with the help of a built-in video editor, digital zoom and colour LCD screen.
The Ben10 Ultimate Alien Disc Ultimatrix is a wristband that requires a mini disk to produce "alien sound and light effects" and sells for a relatively moderate £23. Hamleys said the Ferrari F1 Electric Ride-On had been designed in conjunction with Ferrari engineers and assembled by hand "to ensure the precision, build quality and durability demanded by owners of an adult Ferrari is matched in the child version".
The car has a 12V motor and an electronic gearbox with two forward gears and reverse.
Also making the list is the £35 Turbo Twister, a remote-controlled car featuring flashing LED lights, and the £1,500 Swarovski crystal-adorned model of a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG.
Some old favourites return, complete with technology upgrades, including the Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear with afterburner jet lights and sounds, and a Barbie wearing a real video camera positioned inside her necklace and a screen encased on her back.
Other early favourites include the £25 Dave the Funky Monkey, who sits on the shoulder and interacts with passers-by, and the £13 Kung Zhu Hamsters, which wage war against each other in a miniature plastic arena.
Hamleys official Laura Olver said: "The trend seems to be about the high-tech toys this year, with the favourites looking like the Barbie Video Girl for the little film-makers and, of course, the much anticipated Battling Interactive Kung-Zhu Hamsters this festive season.
"However, the traditional favourites are still sure to be a big hit with the kids this year as Lego, teddy bears, dressing-up kits and a variety of board games still fly off the shelves."
On the other hand, Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear is expected to be this year's must-have Christmas present, according to another retailer.
The jet-pack figurine from the blockbuster summer ilm, the My Stroll and Play Walker and the Ladybird Seven-in-One doll set will all be a common sight under the Christmas tree, Woolworths.co.uk predicts.
The toys sell for between £36 and £40.
Other toys tipped for the tree include the £110 Sylvanian Families Regency Hotel, Lego City Fire Station at £60 and the £40 Scalextric Micro Maximum Mayhem.
The relatively inexpensive £10 Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters, previously known as Go Go Hamsters, return to the list after demand led to them selling out weeks before Christmas last year.