New York Magazine

That hand-carved wooden xylophone may be a work of art, but is it really going to make your kid’s eyes light up? Probably not. Do you have to brave an hour-long line to score the battery-guzzling Elmo that hurls itself on the floor, then giggles like a lunatic? Probably. To put an end to the guesswork, we conducted a not-so-scientific experiment: We assembled a fully accredited focus group of opinionated, toy-obsessed 4-to-6-year-olds. We asked the best toy stores in the city to send us their most irresistible items—mini-kitchens, talking parrots, peddle-free tricycles. Then we put them all in the same room and asked the kids to pick their favorites.

Related:

• Archive: “Guides”
• Articles by Sarah Bernard
• Table of Contents: November 26, 2007 issue of New York | Subscribe!