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.

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