2008 Toy Preview: Hot Trends

The American International Toy Fair is an annual trade show in New York City, where around 5,000 new toys make their debut. The playtime contenders your child will be clamoring for in the next few months are first introduced to industry insiders here.

Parenting magazine and Parenting.com's editors were on hand to get a first look, and to start the months-long hunt for the Toys of the Year, which will be featured in the November issue of Parenting. Here is a sneak peek at some of the hot trends and cool toys:

Dino Invasion
From dig kits to Jurassic robots, dinosaurs were everywhere at the Toy Fair-- and you can bet the'll be everywhere in stores. We thought the Wild Planet Skeleflex was especially cool -- a ball and socket building system lets you make aliens and dinosaurs out of bone shaped pieces. You can even mix and match-- (Aliensaurus, anyone?) You can also hook Skeleflex up to a motorized platform and control the way your creature moves.