PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. — It's nearing crunch time to finish up holiday shopping. If you're still looking for the perfect gift for your kids or grandkids, we talked to the experts, some Kansas City-area kids, about what they want.
Four-year-old Freddy was shopping with his mom and brother at The Learning Tree toy store in Prairie Village. He couldn’t quite narrow down his list.
“This and this and this and this; I kind of like everything here,” he said.
Another young shopper, 2-year-old Ruie, was less particular.
“Bring me a present,” said Ruie said.
“What kind of present?” her mom asked.
“Purple,” Ruie said.
Whether you’re shopping for a Freddy or a Ruie, there are tons of popular toys to choose from.
Many of the hottest toys each year have been around for decades, but Learning Tree owner Brett Goodwin said his shop still tries to keep up with what's new.
“We want to be on top of all the trends,” Goodwin said. “Of course, a lot of the hottest toys have been around for a while. Pokémon remains one of the hottest properties around."
Pokémon, Legos and slime are high on the Today show's hottest toy list.
While such toys are hot at Goodwin's store, so are newer toys like electronic lassos.
“This is one of the big hits of the season, for sure, and so fun," Goodwin said of the lasso.
Gallup predicts Americans will spend an average of $1,014 on holiday gifts this year. That’s well above the $923 they estimated last year.
Goodwin said he's felt the increase in his store.
“Inflation is definitely a concern,” he said. “We work hard to keep our prices as low as possible, and that is always a tricky path to go down, so we do our best.”
For the last-minute shopper — you're not alone. Goodwin expects store traffic to remain high through the rest of the holiday season.
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KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
