The BIONICLE line of action figures from LEGO is expected to be the best-selling toy; other innovative products that made PlayDate's Top Ten List of Best-Selling Toys include Rescue Heroes, Tonka Dusty My Talkin' Tool Bench, Cranium Cadoo, Me-Mo-Mo, and the Imagination Desk.

PlayDate's survey expects the best-selling PC game to be The Sims Hot Date. The best-selling video game is expected to be "Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty" for PlayStation 2, which the survey predicts will the best-selling console this holiday season, surpassing sales of the much-anticipated Xbox from Microsoft and the Nintendo GameCube.

"Most of the products named in our survey exemplify the growing popularity of toys that require children to use their imagination and intelligence," said PlayDate co-founder and toy industry expert Sean McGowan.

The survey also identified best-selling brands, like Barbie, Bob the Builder, and Power Rangers, as well as new products tied to three of the holiday season's biggest movies, "Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone," "Lord of the Rings" and "Monsters, Inc."

To conduct the survey, PlayDate Inc. gathers sales predictions from leading retailers, such as Toys 'R' Us, KB, and Electronics Boutique, specialty retailers, such as Zany Brainy, as well as on-line retailers, including amazon.com. The results are published early in the holiday shopping season to help parents get a head-start on the toys and games that will be in the greatest demand by children across the country.

Last month, PlayDate 2001, the company's third annual media showcase, gave members of the press a sneak peek at the winners of the survey, plus a special "Hot 1's To Watch" list of sleeper hits, which included BRATZ dolls, Monkey Bikes, Xtreme Ants Live Ant Habitat and the Incredible Shrinky Dinks Maker.

To see the complete results of the PlayDate 2001 survey, please visit
http://www.playdate2001.com.

About PlayDate

PlayDate Inc. is a privately owned, independent marketing services company. PlayDate Inc. surveys retailers at the end of the third quarter, identifying those toys and games expected to be the best selling products during the holiday season. Its principals include Sean McGowan, veteran Wall Street analyst known nationally for his award-winning research on the toy and videogame industries, and Jon Salisbury, long-time publisher of toy industry periodicals. McGowan and Salisbury have more than thirty years of combined experience in the U.S. and European toy industries. PlayDate Inc. produces an annual media showcase to display the products of toy and game companies who have been named on its surveys.