Hot Holiday Toys: Zhu Zhu Pets

Forget the Cabbage Patch craze, the long lines for Tickle-Me Elmo, X-Box madness and other hunts for hot holiday toys of years past. 2009 is the year of the Zhu Zhu Pet.

The robotic hamsters on wheels hit the market two months ago, and kids are clamoring them.

"Oh mom, I want one!" shrieked a preteen girl as they whirled and squeaked down the aisles of a Toys "R" Us store in Gaithersburg.

Store manager April Gelsinger has just six left on the shelf, and the company has had to impose a four per-person, per-day limit.

"Before they even hit stores, the phone was king of ringing, people were asking about them coming, and it's been selling out as soon as we get them," says Gelsinger.

Zhu Zhu Pets dart around, play in tubes, and respond to each other with 40 different sound effects. They are out of stock at the online stores of Wal-Mart, Target, and Toys "R" Us.

Now the online price wars have begun. They're going for $25 to $40 on Amazon.com, $40 to $80 on Craigslist. Nick Lee and his cousin spotted the trend early. They did their research and decided to buy 80 of them ahead of the rush. Now he's selling his bunch on Craigslist, hoping to make some holiday cash.

"I'm in school and my money's a little scarce so this is a good boost," said Lee.

Why the hamster hype? Well, they're cute, they don't bite, they don't smell and you don't have to feed them.

"They appeal to boys and girls, which is important for a best-selling toy, and to every parent who ever said no to the real thing," said AOL's consumer advisor, Regina Lewis.

With retailers cutting back on inventory this year, it's a good bet that Zhu Zhu Pets will sell out early, but stores are offering plenty of substitutes.

Wal-Mart is leading the low-price pack, offering a hundred toys for $10. That includes best sellers like Monopoly, Barbie

Toys "R" Us is banking on exclusives, like Interactive Buzz and Woody, and, for a bit more cash, Disney-branded netbooks.

AOL's Lewis predicts the Beatles Rock Band game, and Sony's e-Reader will be big sellers, too.

"If you've got youngsters, you do want that 'Oh!' moment when they see, 'Oh my gosh, he must have come, look at this'!" said Lewis.

If that means you've got to have the robotic rodent, be prepared to pay a premium for it.