Toy Stories Holiday shopping season’s theme about families being together

Holiday shoppers are perpetual children. They don’t want to grow up and they especially don’t want their children to grow up.

Having fun together, that parent-children interaction, is a dominant theme of this holiday season, which kicks off today. A new generation of parents is longing for their children to play with the toys that once were their favorites, and toy manufacturers are obliging.

Call it retro. Call it a throwback. Call it back to the future. The characters and games of the 1980s are on retail toy shelves waiting for reminiscent parents to take home so their youngsters can feel the way they did at that age.

“Cowabunga, Dude!” Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are a hit again, as are Transformers, G.I. Joe, The Hulk, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake and Care Bears.

“Manufacturers are going back to the archives,” said John Reny, vice president of Renys stores. “The parents had Care Bears and things like them, why not their kids?”

No single toy seems to dominate the “must have” wish list this year, and for parents, that’s OK. Holiday shoppers are emotionally drained from Sept. 11, 2001, a downturned economy, and the war in Iraq. According to retailers, consumers don’t want to be bombarded with hype. They just want to calm down and be surrounded with what’s comfortable for them, classic toys and traditional family activities such as playing games and watching videos – together.

Popular sellers so far this year have been classic board games such as “Candyland” and “Life,” according to Donny Elston, store director of Toys ‘R Us in Bangor. Newer games such a “Trivial Pursuit’s 20th Anniversary Edition,” which was released last year, and “Twister Moves,” a musical version of the all-time favorite, also are flying off the shelves, he said.

“People are sticking to home as much as possible,” Reny said. “People appreciate more what they took for granted before.”

Retailers seem to know what mood shoppers are in, and now they want consumers to get in the mood to shop.

For the last two months, holiday decorations, toys and baking goods have been moved to key traffic areas in stores to plant the seed that it was time to start thinking about Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

Now it is time to actually shop, according to the National Retail Federation.

More than 53 percent of people intending to purchase holiday gifts this year have not started shopping yet, according to a National Retail Federation study released Oct. 21. If they want the best selection, shoppers should get started, said NRF spokeswoman Ellen Tolley during a recent interview, because retailers aren’t piling up their inventories.

“For the most part, what you see is what you get,” she said. “It’s not just that manufacturers aren’t producing, it’s just that retailers don’t want to have a lot of merchandise left over after the holidays.”

At Toys ‘R Us, “inventories are more than OK,” Elston said.

“They [corporate headquarters] are trying to build us up early,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting people to realize it’s November.”

They soon will, according to the retail federation, which expects a bright shopping season. Consumer confidence is higher this year compared to last, Tolley said, and shoppers are predicted to spend 5.7 percent more on everything from decorations to gifts.

At Renys, sales this year are up about 7 percent compared to last year, Reny said, and “we think we’re going to have a strong fourth quarter.” He said consumers are not just wanting value for every dollar they spend, they’re demanding it.

“In the old days, at cocktail parties, it was how much you paid for something,” Reny said. “Now it’s, ‘oh, you should see the deal I got on this.'”

The bigger the discount, the better, according to shopper Jean Bragdon of East Corinth, who began her holiday shopping in early October.

“I only buy things that are on sale, as a rule,” she said, noting that “so far,” the sales have been good.

“I hope they get better,” she added.

But for consumers wondering how much their favorite 1980s toys cost when they were kids, compared to now, there isn’t much difference on certain items.

In 1986, Care Bears cost between $12.99 and $39, according to an article published in The Advertiser magazine. In 2003, the toys cost between $9.99 and $24.99, according to a review of Bangor area stores this week.

And back then, Trivial Pursuit sold for between $36 and $39. Now, almost 20 years later, the “20th Anniversary Edition” sells for between $24.99 and $29.99.