A walk through a toy store

Was at a store that day with mum, cos mum wants to buy christmas presents for two kids, while I need to look for a birthday present for a friend's kid and vouchers for another friend's baby shower.

You know how those toy stores always put the latest, hottest, most popular toys at the front of the store so they catches the eyes of the kids - and hence the parents' attention (through the kid's screams I assume - IwantthatIwantthatIwantthat!!!) - as soon as they walk in.

I realised that I dont now how half of those toys operate. There was this shelf fully decked out with this toy got blade-something..that looks like round disc UFO thingey, apparently split up in 3 layers (it was hard deciphering the japanese instructions and totally incomprehensible illustration) but and comes with a launcher with the box.

There are so many different choices for this UFO thingey, in addition to having fanciful names like the "Pheonix" (I think it's called that because..erm..the toy came in the colour orange?) which after 15 minutes of looking, my mum and I couldn't figure out why one box cost 7 bucks more than the other box. There are accessories, e.g. the launcher (which is this plastic thing that looked like a beer bottle opener to me), some round plastic rings, light bulbs.

At least I heard of Ben Ten, who he and his friends (plus whatever pet/enemy/toy/whatever! ) had fully lined up the opposite shelf. (Hey I pride myself for knowing Ben Ten ok..for someone who doesn't even know that tv is showing the cartoon to know that this character exist. Seriously my last known famous cartoon-turned-merchandise was Pikachu. I don't even know what Ben Ten does that makes him so popular with kids).

Anyway my mum and I ended up with big headaches..cos we really have no idea what kids nowadays play with. Playacting seems to be not so fashionable now..given that toys like Transformers were banished to those shelves at the back. What happened to playdoh, lego and the likes?

I was kinda going to give up but my mum saw this remote car which she bought for the two kids last year Christmas. Apparently, she had bought some other toys for these two kids, until she saw someone in the toy store playing around with this car. Very colourful and the kids at the store then love it! So I bought them this toy car instead and the two kids were very happy and kept playing with them, she said.

Disco lights remote control car? I was reading the box and kinda hesitating when suddenly this korean lady who was with her toddler at the side chirped in English, "Yes, my boy love it!I highly recommend it!"

Oohh..ok..for a stranger to say that..says a lot. So I took the box to the cashier to pay, while my mum supervised the store staff testing out the remote control car. After I paid, I walked to my mother's side who was wildly gesticulating to me cos the staff had put in the battery and running the car.

OMG. Disco lights and music,turning front wheels... I had half a mind to ask for a refund immediately if not for the fact that my mother would be offended by the insinuation that her taste was bad..

I just hope that those would be what really enthrall kids after all.