>> iPhone 7 review 2014 CES Hot Stuff Awards winners: meet the 10 best launches of the show February issue out now! Stuff Gadget Doctor - best stylus for drawing & Korg's Cliphit drumkit January issue of Stuff is out now! The transforming DJI Inspire 1 quadcopter drone shoots 4K video as it soars above December issue out now!‘The Lego Batman Movie’: Lego releases Ultimate Batmobile set An image from ‘The Lego Batman Movie.’ When “The Lego Movie” was released in 2014, it earned $469.2 million world-wide and showed there was a healthy appetite for movies told with Lego bricks and minifigures. Profits weren't only reaped at the box office, but on store shelves. Lego released “The Lego Movie” sets around the movie’s 2014 launch, which were among the company’s top five most profitable series that year (others included Lego Star Wars and Lego Super Heroes). The movie also ignited new interest in Lego building, boosting overall sales of Lego products.
Anticipation is high for “The Lego Batman Movie,” opening Feb. 10. Lego is releasing 18 toy sets tied to the movie, including “The Ultimate Batmobile,” which MarketWatch is exclusively revealing. The “Ultimate Batmobile” set will be released on June 1 with a retail price of $129.99, Lego says. The set includes eight minifigures of “Lego Batman” characters — Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Polka-Dot Man on a flying disc, Alfred Pennyworth (in Batsuit), Wicked Witch of the West and two Flying Monkeys. The Batmobile divides into four different vehicles — the Batmobile, Batwing, Bat-Tank and Batcycle — and there is a rotating Bat-Signal with a Lego light brick. The Batmobile measures 4 inches high, 14 inches long and 6 inches wide. Take a close-up look at the set: ‘The Ultimate Batmobile’ Lego set includes eight minifigures, a rotating Bat-Signal and a Batmobile that divides into four different vehicles. This advertisement is provided by Bankrate, which compiles rate data from more than 4,800 financial institutions.
Bankrate is paid by financial institutions whenever users click on display advertisements or on rate table listings enhanced with features like logos, navigation links, and toll free numbers. Dow Jones receives a share of these revenues when users click on a paid placement. Do You Have the Wrong Financial Advisor? Compare Financial Advisors in Your Neighborhood Mistakes People Make When Choosing a Financial Advisor Exclusive Travel Rewards from Luxury Card 1.12% APY - $10,000 Min. Deposit 30 yr fixed Jumbo 30 yr fixed refi 15 yr fixed refi $30K Home Equity Loan $50K Home Equity Loan $75K Home Equity Loan $100K Home Equity Loan 60 Mo Used Car 48 Mo Used Car 36 Mo Used Car 72 Mo New Car 60 Mo New Car 48 Mo New Car 60 Mo Auto Refi 36 Mo Auto RefiAs if fraught parents didn't have enough to worry about, it has emerged that this Christmas is set to be the biggest year for toy sales in four years.'Must-have' toys like loom bands, Panini stickers and Lego figures are set to send tills ringing as pleading children and competitive parents drive many to the toy aisles.
Sales of toys in Britain are up 6 per cent on last year, according to analysts NPD Group - the best result for the industry since 2010. The Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa doll £34.99 is in the top 12 toys to buy your little one this Christmas Oscar Coppen, nine, plays with a Transformers Stomp and Chomp toy, one of the top twelve toys that are expected to be among the best sellers for children this coming Christmas Revival of brands like Lego (pictured the Lego Disney Princess Cinderella's Romantic Castle) are though to be behind the 6 per cent increase in sales this year Zoomer Dino's Boomer and Zoomer are £99.99 each and can chase, chomp, guard and even roarThe figures come as the Toy Retailers Association released its annual DreamToys list, which includes merchandise from the Disney blockbuster Frozen, the £39.99 Vtech Kidizoom Smart Watch, the £58.99 My Friend Cayla doll and collectable Minecraft figures, which cost from £7.99.Also making the top 12 are Bop It! Beats which combines the original game with songs from popular artists
, the £19.99 Little Live Pets Bird Cage, the £44.99 Nerf Demolisher 2-in-1 and the £80 Lego Movie spaceship.DreamToys committee chairman Gary Grant said: 'It's great to see creative and sharing toys sitting alongside more traditional toys or toys that facilitate a bit of rough and tumble. And with nearly half the list priced under £25, it is relevant for all consumers this Christmas.'All of the toys on this list will undoubtedly be popular this Christmas, so our advice is to shop early to avoid disappointment.' The Disney Frozen Sparkle dolls £16.99 also make the top 12 picks by the Toy Retailers Association Ellis Grittith, nine, plays with the Toot-Toot animal Safari Park which retails for £39.99 and is one of increasing number of popular toys that involves plenty of imagination in play Mason Murphy, eight, plays with a Lego Benny's Spaceship which allows children to build the ship before helping the heroes evade the Robo Police interceptor The The Little Live Pets Bird Cage sees the bird respond to your touch, sing, chirp and tweet just for you
Luca Woolley, nine, plays with the Bop-it! Beats machine which combines the original game with songs from popular artists Merchandise from Disney cartoon Frozen is set to be a big seller this festive season Technology such as smart watches (pictured, £39.99) also feature prominently in top 72 A boy looks delighted to even be holding the Nerf Demolisher 2 in 1 (£44.99) The NPD Group predicted that an increase in spending on toys this Christmas would take annual sales to more than £3 billion, an increase of £166 million in one year.It said the growth was due to continued interest in interactive and internet-connected toys, strong sales in classic categories such as building sets and arts and crafts as well as new, highly anticipated products coming to the market in time for Christmas. Katie Smith, aged 9, with the toy My Friend Cayla, the world's first 'living' doll Once, it was up to a child’s imagination to bring a doll to life, WRITES SEAN POULTER.But now, there is a toy that can actually hold a conversation – and it’s much more than just ‘hello’ and ‘how are you?’
My Friend Cayla, the world’s first ‘living’ doll, can talk about hobbies, tell stories, play games and even help with homework by accessing the internet to search for her answers.And it seems we will be hearing a lot more of this noisy doll, since it features in a top 12 list of toys predicted to be the best-sellers this Christmas by industry experts.At 18 inches tall and with a hairbrush and mirror provided for playing with her long blonde hair, Cayla is in many ways like a traditional doll.But she is the first to be connected to the internet. She works by using voice recognition technology to ‘hear’ what people say. She then sends the sound clip wirelessly to a smartphone app, which translates it into text and searches the internet for an answer.Some parents don’t seem convinced, with one writing on forum Mumsnet: ‘Personally I find it a bit freaky... I’m sure it’s going to drive me bonkers!’But manufacturer Vivid insisted the toy, which costs £58.99, is educational.
A spokesman said: ‘They can talk about their likes and dislikes and hobbies. Cayla can even answer questions about maths, general knowledge and the weather.’Vivid added that Cayla’s web searches are controlled by Google’s SafeSearch technology to protect children from unsuitable material and block some words.Brand manager Catherine Scott said: ‘If swear words or nasty words come up, she will say: “That’s not very nice, we are not talking about that”.’ The top 12 Christmas list, compiled by a panel from the Toy Retailers Association, also includes two dolls inspired by the hit Disney movie Frozen, a clear sign of the mania still surrounding the film almost a year after it was released.Toy shop owner Gary Grant said there is still huge demand for Frozen merchandise, adding: ‘Quite frankly, you could sell empty boxes if they had Frozen written on them.’The list is dominated by futuristic toys this year, including a smart watch for children as young as five. The £39.99 Kidizoom watch includes a camera, a voice recorder and games.
The most expensive toy on the list is an interactive pet dinosaur called Boomer, at £99.99.But while children’s toys are becoming ever more high-tech, traditional brand Lego still holds on to a spot in the top 12 with a model of Benny’s Spaceship from this year’s Lego movie. Increased interest in low-priced and collectable toys such as Panini stickers and Lego mini figures had also spurred healthy growth in impulse-buying, and also meant the average price for toys dropped from £7.69 to £6.95.Meanwhile, three toys related to Frozen are among the year's top 10 sellers, with sales currently stronger than they were after the film's initial release, NPD said. From the 72 toys in the list the panel selected 12 Top Toys that they believe will be dominating thewish lists this Christmas; they are, in alphabetical order:Bop It! Beats £21.99Disney Frozen Snow Glow Elsa £34.99Disney Frozen Sparkle Doll (assorted) £16.99Kidizoom Smart Watch £39.99Little Live Pets Bird Cage £19.99Minecraft Figures (assorted) £7.99My Friend Cayla £58.99Nerf Demolisher 2-in-1 £44.99The Lego Movie - Benny’s Spaceship £79.99Toot-Toot Animals Safari Park £39.99Transformers Stomp & Chomp £89.99Zoomer Dino- Boomer £99.99 NPD Group toys analyst Frederique Tutt said: 'The British toy market is leading resurgence in toy sales in Europe.'The innovation that the industry has invested in has also
started to pay back. Impulse sales of collectibles and lower-priced toys are up as well as licences from movies including Frozen, and this year's craze, loom bands.'These two factors combined delivered the fastest growth rate in toy sales since 2010 which suggests that Christmas 2014 might be the best for some time.' Best of friends: Sam and his penguin friend Monty in this year's John Lewis Christmas advert Last year it was the enduring friendship of a hare and a bear that melted our hearts.Twelve months on, John Lewis hopes the bond between a boy and a penguin will similarly capture the public’s imagination.This year’s two-minute festive commercial tells the story of seven-year-old Sam and his friend Monty.The boy gradually realises Monty is longing for a penguin companion. And so on Christmas morning Sam surprises Monty with the gift of a new penguin friend named Mabel.The soundtrack is John Lennon’s song Real Love, performed by Tom Odell.The company has spent £1million creating the ad, while £7million will be spent on the marketing campaign.