Say 'Bye-Bye' to Winter Blues with the Spring 2008 Hot Dozen List from Toy Wishes, The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment

NEW YORK -- April 2008 -- As the sun shines brighter and the classrooms heat up, there's only one thing on children's minds: summer days filled with endless play. But the question of how to fill all those sweet, slow days can make some parents rush towards September faster than a kid after an ice cream truck. In time for warm weather planning, the Spring/Summer 2008 issue of Toy Wishes - the guide to the hottest offerings in family friendly entertainment - hits newsstands April 15th and will provide all the tools necessary to create one cool summer.

Bursting with useful tips and information on everything from budget birthdays to the latest on toy safety, this season's Toy Wishes also spotlights upcoming Hollywood hits for screen lovers of all sizes in its super-savvy Summer 2008 Entertainment Guide. For playing outside in the fresh air or making the most of a drizzly day, Toy Wishes, The Ultimate Guide to Family Entertainment features helpful Hit Lists including 'Top 12 Activity Toys,' 'Top 5 Toys Kids Can Buy With Their Allowance' and 'Top 12 Rainy Day Toys.'

The much anticipated Hot Dozen list, spotlighting Toy Wishes' picks for the hottest toys of the season, completes this jam-packed issue and makes it a comprehensive resource when planning family fun.

So, without further ado, here is the Spring 2008 Hot Dozen (in alphabetical order):

BAKUGAN BATTLE BRAWLERS
(Spin Master/Ages 6 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $2.99-$29.99)
It's an action-packed game and one of the coolest collectibles we've seen in a while, combining cards and figures - all with built-in surprises. To play, lay out the cards and then set your spheres to battle. They come to rest and pop open to reveal their hidden powers. Pick up the cards and see who wins the brawl. It takes strategy, knowledge and information to win.

BANZAI SKIMBOARD SURFER
(ToyQuest/Ages 8 years & up /Approximate Retail Price: $39.99)
What if you could have all the action and challenge of wake boarding right in your backyard? Here ya' go. Roll out the Banzai Wake Board and fill it with water. Then hit the wake and have a simulated wake boarding experience. The set easily connects to the hose and offers hours of backyard play. Make sure kids are supervised when they hit the wake.

BARBIE IDESIGN ULTIMATE STYLIST CD-ROM GAME
(Mattel/Ages 5 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: Basic Game $29.99, Additional 15-card packs $4.99 each)
Dress up play has always been the centerpiece of the Barbie experience. Now kids can indulge their fashion sense and explore their creativity like never before. Kids can create different looks for Barbie, then stage fabulous fashion shows. The USB scanner lets you select, swap and style wardrobe components on screen. Then play games, design your own magazine spreads and more. The cards are transparent, so you can build your looks offline as well. The game comes with the CD-ROM, USB scanner and 50 fashion cards. Additional cards - 200 in all! - are available. Using some quick math, that adds up to 21 million different fashion combinations.

CRAYOLA 3-D SIDEWALK CHALK
(Crayola/Ages 4 years & up/Approximate retail price: $4.99-$9.99)
Create eye-popping sidewalk art with this innovative new activity set from Crayola. Make your masterpiece on any sidewalk, driveway or paved surface and then put on the special glasses to watch the "magic" happen. Warm colors "rise" and cool colors "recede," so you can create astonishing effects. There are two different sets to choose from - Classic or Deluxe Outdoor - and each comes with the special 3-D glasses.

HANNAH MONTANA SURF SHOP HANGOUT & DOLLS
(Play Along/Ages 6 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: Surf Shop $ 29.99, Dolls $10.99-$12.99)
Where does Hannah hang when she's not at her Malibu beach house? At the beach, of course. The surf shop playset is an exact replica of Rico's shop from the mega-hot Disney Channel show. There's lots to do - chill-out at the counter, kick back in the Tiki Hut, or fit your doll with a cool new surfboard. The summer version of the Hannah Montana dolls feature new summertime fashions and a cool new look.

HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2 SING TOGETHER DOLLS
(Mattel/Ages 6 & Up/Approximate Retail Price: $24.99)
Now kids can share the mike with Troy, Gabriella and Sharpay. These dolls each come with a super cool outfit and a microphone that really works. Plus, kids can take turns singing along with their favorite stars. Featuring hit songs from the movie, kids can sing into the mike, and when they put it in front of the doll's mouth, the doll "magically" picks up the song right where they left off.

HOT WHEELS SPEED RACER SKY JUMP TRACK SET
(Mattel/Ages 5 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $49.99)
High-speed races, death-defying leaps and incredible feats of automotive prowess. It's all in a day's racing for Speed Racer. Hot Wheels brings the climactic scenes of the blockbuster movie to life in an awesome track set filled with jumps, crashes and stunts that will remind kids of all the excitement of the final Grand Prix race in the movie. Assemble the track, drop in the cars and go go go. It's never the same race twice.

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL BUILDING SET
(LEGO/Ages 8 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $9.99-$59.99)
All the action, intrigue and excitement of one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the summer is right at kids' fingertips as they build their own Indiana Jones adventures with these exciting sets from LEGO. Special pieces and accessories let kids recreate scenes from the movie or imagine new challenges and excitement for Indy. Four sets in all include Indiana Jones Motorcycle Chase, Indiana Jones and the Lost Tomb, Race for the Stone Treasure and Temple Escape.

NERF N-STRIKE RECON CS-6
(Hasbro/Ages 6 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $19.99)
Get ready for any mission with the customizable N-Strike blaster. Five amazing interchangeable parts - clip-fed blaster, removable shoulder stock, light, barrel extension and flip-up sight - give kids the ultimate in versatility by day or by night. It's totally amazing to configure your Nerf blaster to do battle with anything - or anyone. It's classic Nerf action in a brand new format.

ROCK BAND FOR Wii
(Harmonix Music Systems/ ESRB Rated T for Teen /Approximate Retail Price: Basic game $159, includes lead guitar. Drums $79.99. Microphone $49.99)
It's the video game mega-sensation that's struck a chord with 1.5 million users and generated more than 2.5 million content downloads from the Internet. The game comes with a guitar controller, and up to 4 controllers in all - bass guitar, drums, vocals and lead guitar - can be connected to simulate playing in a real rock band. Compete to see who can stay in the mix and even shift into Overdrive. And a Wii version is currently in the works for you Wii-maniacs!

SUPER SOAKER BOTTLE SHOT
(Hasbro/Ages 5 years & up /Approximate Retail Price: $7.99)
Never run dry in the heat of a water battle when virtually any bottle can become spare ammunition in this ingenious new Super Soaker. Fill a clean bottle with water, screw it on to the universal connection and you're ready to go. You get the amazing hydro-power kids love from Super Soaker including a powerful range of up to 20 feet! It works with almost any standard, screw-top bottle up to 2 liters.

TAMAGOTCHI CONNECTION V5
(Bandai/Ages 8 years & up/Approximate Retail Price: $14.99)
The very first virtual pet has a whole new way to play. The latest version of Tamagotchi Connection introduces Familitchi. That's right, now you can raise and care for an entire family of Tamagotchi pets because kids can raise multiple pets simultaneously, each with individual looks, personalities and needs. Interactive infrared features let kids communicate between one another and store a list of up to 45 friends right on their games. Plus, when a pet grows up, it can connect with a compatible friend for endless generations of the Tamagotchi experience.

Toy Wishes is available for $3.99 at newsstands everywhere. For more information, check out www.toywishes.com.