Announced each year by the magazine's editorial team, the release of the Toy Wishes Hot Dozen is recognized as the 'official' kick-off to the holiday family entertainment shopping and editorial season. Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toy Wishes Holiday 2005 and toy and children's lifestyle industry expert Chris Byrne (AKA The Toy Guy®), unveiled this year's Hot Dozen at the Fourth Annual Toy Wishes Holiday Preview held at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The Holiday Preview is an annual media event showcasing more than 500 toys and entertainment products and featuring a wide array of children's and family entertainment companies including toy manufacturers, entertainment companies, licensors and retailers.

The Toy Wishes editorial staff began the Hot Dozen selection process more than a year ago on their annual quest to preview - and review - all of the toys and games hitting the market in 2005. Over the past six years, the magazine has accurately predicted the best-selling and most popular toys of the year, from the more than 150,000 toys on the market at any given time. While Toy Wishes magazine features more than 500 new toys, only those predicted to be the most impossible to find because of their popularity receive Hot Dozen status.

So, in an attempt to relieve holiday shopping jitters and frantic attempts to find the impossible, this year's Hot Dozen is as follows (in alphabetical order)

-- BLACK BELTS KARATE HOME STUDIO
(Spin Master/Ages 3 years & up/ $24.99)
Kids will get a kick (and a lot more) out of this complete karate studio that helps younger kids learn the basics of karate -- blocks, punches, stances and kicks -- at their own pace as they watch the 30-minute video on VHS or DVD. Work out with Tommy Nitro and his team as they guide kids step by step through what they need to know. It's easy and fun. This is especially great for kids who are just starting to be interested in martial arts.

-- DORA'S TALKING KITCHEN
(Fisher-Price/Ages 2 years & up/$79.99)
No character is more popular than Dora the Explorer this holiday season. Dora's Talking Kitchen brings the fun home as kids play along with their friend to turn make-believe cooking into a bilingual adventure. The kitchen looks just like the one Dora has on her TV show, and includes lights, sounds and encouraging phrases as well as more than 25 pieces designed to make playing kitchen a learning, playing, laughing adventure.

-- FLY WHEELS ASSORTMENT
(Jakks Pacific/Ages 8 years & up/$4.99-$39.99)
The original Fly Wheels sold more than a million replica wheels, and they were one of this year's summer phenoms. Well the craze has spun out of control. Now there's stunt ramps, deluxe sets and exclusive rapid-fire launchers. Plus, there's even a high-tech, high-performance radio-controlled version! Fly Wheels R/C lets kids change out their wheels on the dual-motor, full-function chassis to do all kinds of high-speed driving and amazing stunts -- even in the water -- depending on the style and diameter.

-- FURBY
(Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up/$39.99)
He's back and more fun than ever thanks to advanced technology and "emoto-tronics" that let Furby seem more real than ever with facial expressions that reflect his many changing moods. Voice recognition means that Furby can communicate in his own language -- "Furbish" -- or in English. He'll share stories, tell jokes, play games and much more. Oh, and Mom and Dad -- this time around, he has an off switch.

-- I-DOG
(Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up/$29.99)
He ain't nothing but a sound dog! And he's rockin' all the time as you "feed" this robotic pooch a steady diet of whatever music rocks your world. This adorable, animated dog features the now-classic iPod styling and responds with lights, sounds and movement to whatever music you play. Plus, I-Dog has a personality that changes depending on how much you play with him. And the I-Dog has a quality integrated speaker that you can use to play music from any source that has a headphone jack. A great, fun gift for anyone who loves music.

-- iZ
(Zizzle/Ages 5 years & up/$39.99)
What iZ is is an out-of-this world character that melds music and play in a fun toy that's reminiscent of Sputnik-era designs. Kids can "create" their own music by turning some things that might be ears and flicking what look like antennae. You may not be sure what iZ is, but he's cute as can be and lots of fun for kids to play with. He can be posed in all kinds of crazy positions and has a speaker where you can hook up any kind of music source. You may not be sure why you'll love him, but you will.

-- LEAPSTER L-MAX LEARNING GAME SYSTEM
(LeapFrog/For kids pre-K through 4th grade/$99.99)
The "Max" is for maximum learning, and as it always does, LeapFrog makes it fun for kids to develop and reinforce skills in language, math, logic, writing, spelling -- virtually every category of learning. Plug in a cartridge and you're ready to go. But wait! Plug it into the television and you've got dual-screen capabilities that reinforce learning and keep it entertaining. Lots of different learning cartridges are available.

-- THE MAGNETIX WORLD
(Rose Art/Ages 6 years & up/Prices vary per item)
Building excitement goes urban with this complete city building set. The more than 100 pieces include magnetic rods that snap together with steel balls for sturdy, fast and rewarding building. Let your creativity construct the city of today -- or the future. Then customize your creation with more than 95 different stickers. This is the latest entry into the dynamic Magnetix line of building sets.

-- PIXEL CHIX
(Mattel/Ages 7 years & up/$29.99)
These V.F.F. (Virtual Friends Forever) have it going on. The Pixel Chix are 2-D girls in a 3-D world. As animated characters on the screen in their own houses, they can play different games, change fashions and much more. But watch out! You better give them plenty of attention or you're in for some attitude. The 5-level handheld games provide a whole world of fun. And you can even connect two or more units for additional fun with your real-life friends.

-- SHELL SHOCKER
(Tyco/Ages 8 years & up/$79.99)
R/C One of the year's most innovative R/C vehicles, the Shell Shocker goes beyond basic stunts to create an amazing play experience. The high-powered transforming vehicle can be a "cyberball" or "cyberbeast" that morphs on the fly. The large front wheel gives the Shell Shocker even more power and versatility to overpower any obstacle that gets in its way. It's an R/C powerhouse that definitely says, "Don't mess with me."

-- VCAM NOW
(Hasbro/Ages 8 years & up/$79.99)
Make amazing movies and take cool pics with this versatile, powerful and super-cool real video camera. Record up to seven minutes of video or take as many as 480 still pictures -- or more, since the memory is expandable. The 4X digital zoom and 1.3 megapixel resolution let you capture great images. Hook the camera up to your computer through a standard USB port and store, edit and share your creations. Or plug it into a TV to watch your videos. You'll be amazed at the quality and the versatility of this camera. It also comes with the software to copy photos and films onto VideoNow disks for use in the separately sold player.

-- V.SMILE POCKET
(VTech/Ages 5 years & up/system $89.99, games $19.99)
We won't tell if you won't, but this fun-filled kids' video game is really providing solid learning with a strong curriculum. The V.Smile Pocket is a handheld version of the V.Smile that kids can take anywhere they go -- or connect to the TV for on-screen play. An awesome screen, easy-to-use controls and exciting content make this an ideal choice for today's tech-smart kids. Plus, the unit works with the entire library of "Smartridges" for the complete V.Smile system.

Toy Wishes hits newsstands today. Gift givers who frequent Toys "R" Us stores nationwide will receive a complimentary issue of Toy Wishes Holiday 2005 with purchase, while supplies last.