BY KAY S. PEDROTTI

Staff Writer

Today's kids still like the "tried and true" stand-bys under the tree, but collectors seem ready to get Mattel's Barbie out of her pink palace and into a leather jacket.

Bicycles, board games, baby dolls, action figures and video-game setups remain the bread-and-butter for toy sellers this year, according to David Edwards, co-manager of the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Fayette Pavilion.

However, "every year there's something" that nobody can get enough of, Edwards noted. This year it's the Gremlin-looking critters known as "Furbys," made by Tiger Electronics. Their moves and phrases promise to boost battery sales, too, and true toy connoisseurs say the Furbys are a bargain at around $30.

"There are none in Atlanta, anywhere," Edwards said.

Managers at Toys-R-Us stores in Morrow, Tucker and Union City also bemoan the lack of Furbys, since the talkative toys have sold so well and disappeared so quickly that radio stations are auctioning them to the highest bidders for charity.

Meanwhile, Barbie roars out this year in a collectible edition called "Harley Davidson Barbie," which store managers say they also can't keep enough of. The collector editions of the popular doll sell for $25 to $55 in most places, and other renditions include "Gone With the Wind" Barbie, the ever-popular Holiday Barbie, and Native American Barbie.

Larger stores like Wal-Mart also report brisk sales of "older kid" toys like go-carts. Power Wheels though the drive-it-yourself toddler toys have had recall problems still are selling well, said David Edwards. Customer counts and sales are up over the post-Thanksgiving shopping rush last year, he added.

Specialty toy shop owners, like Jackie McDonough at The Elephant's Tale in Peachtree City, report that something called "Rokenbok" is taking the toy world by storm. She said she made a trip to New York's Toy Fair "just to get this."

The expandable, radio control building system is a Lego-compatible building set for remote-control vehicles. A basic starter set is about $150, the deluxe about $200, McDonough said. Make a certain purchase, get a free piece, keep adding on to your set, McDonough said who could resist that allure?

Wooden railways also are selling well, along with the battery-powered Lionel engines that will run with them, McDonough said. Yomega yo-yos are popular now, "and you'd think a yo-yo was the newest thing in the world," she added. The Elephant's Tale also carries the Corolle doll, the world's best-seller in specialty shops. The tiny doll is machine washable, smells like vanilla and sells for $15.

Last year's "Tickle Me Elmo" toys have taken a back seat to "Jumping Tigger," while the Cabbage-Patch babies keep on selling, more slowly some years than others, said Patricia Wells of the Morrow Toys-R-Us.

Emma Williams of the Tucker Toys-R-Us says "if you want to know what's in, it's Furbys and Teletubbies." Small kids are craving the chubby, antennaed creatures from the TV show, while Barney the dinosaur has gone high-tech and "interactive" with the television and the computer in addition to the child.

The sophistication of today's toys might make one wonder whether the Furbys will be wolf-whistling at the Barbies any day now.

Back to the Top of the PageBack to the Weekend Home Page