Parents to pony up for this year’s top Christmas gift

A LIFE-SIZE pony that wiggles her ears, swishes her tail and eats a special carrot is expected to become the biggest selling toy this Christmas.

Fu-Real Butterscotch, which goes on sale in November, is expected to gallop out of toy shops faster than Furbys, Tamagotchis or Barbie Dolls.

At 39 inches tall and 42 inches long, Butterscotch puts the traditional rocking horse and My Little Ponies in the ha’penny place.

“Little children can climb on her back, and experience the realistic animation, movement and sounds that make it seem like a real pony ride,” said James Byrne of Byrne’s World of Wonder toy shop.

“As children continue to grow up faster and become more sophisticated in their play, it’s great to see a little magic put back into Christmas this year with Butterscotch,” he said.

Competing with Butterscotch for Santa’s most popular request, will be a boggle-eyed furry toy that flips on to its backside, dementedly flaps its arms and giggles.

The Tickle Me Elmo, based on a puppet from Sesame Street, first made its debut 10 years ago. The cuddly toy is now back on the market with a more sophisticated range of movements and sounds, including a shriek when it is tickled.

Other toys on the prized list include the recently launched Irish edition of Trivial Pursuit, demand for which is already outstripping supply.

And it seems that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, even at the age of six, as the latest edition of a Bratz doll comes with a real diamond pendant complete with a certificate of authenticity — expected to be a big hit for the girls into a bit of bling.

For the boys, Hollywood movies Pirates of the Caribbean and Star Wars are making their mark, inspiring the Isla Cruces playset and a Transformer toy set.

As the seasonal madness gets underway, parents are being advised that stocks of the top toys often run out so to get there early.

Parents can log onto www.worldofwonder.ie to save time and avoid sad faces.