HARRY POTTERS
XMAS VANISHING ACT
Copyright 2001 The Scotsman, All Rights Reserved
[ December 9th 2001 ]
Toy shops
and department stores yesterday admitted they
may not receive further stocks of the coveted
Harry Potter lego models of Hogwarts Castle and
the Hogwarts Express until well after Christmas.
The
£75.99 castle and £45 train are top of the most
wanted list for many children, but parents who
are now panicking about how to get their hands
on them should, perhaps, consider some alternatives,
such as Pogo sticks or computer games. Karen McCran,
a sales assistant at the toy department of John
Lewis in Edinburgh, said: "Pogo sticks are incredibly
popular this year for adults as well as children,
believe it or not. They bounce much higher than
the old ones."
And
while the craze for the latest Playstation 2 games
shows no sign of abating, there is a remarkable
interest in traditional toys. Ms McCran said:
"We are selling a lot of prams, particularly three-wheeler
ones, so children can be like mum as lots of parents
opt for the sporty version now."
Mobile
telephones, the big hit of the past few Christmases,
are unlikely to repeat their success as more than
60 per cent of the population now own one. According
to Dixons, a leading electrical and electronic
retail group, recordable DVD players, digital
cameras and camcorders now top many wish lists
for men and women.
In home
entertainment, Woolworths says the Pearl Harbour
and Tomb Raider films are likely to be the video
best-sellers, while Robbie Williams, Madonna,
Westlife and Michael Jackson are all expected
to top the album charts.
|