MAKING A LIST ... TOY INSIDERS SHARE THE SEASON'S MUST-HAVES.

Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer

Move over, T.M.X. Elmo -- you're not the only toy in town this holiday season.

Toy-industry insiders are sharing their must-haves, which range from old favorites such as Barbie and Legos with a new twist, to Speed Stacks, sets of plastic cups used for fast-paced stacking.

``We really wanted to tell the story of all age groups,'' said Jonathan Samet, publisher of The Toy Book, which released its list of top toys Tuesday. ``And we also wanted a diversity of not all electronic toys, but basic play patterns, skill development.''

Toys ``R'' Us also released both a fabulous-15 list and a hot-toy list with 36 items broken down by age.

One item appearing on both lists is the Legos' Mindstorms NXT, a robot that can be designed and programmed to perform various tasks. It retails for $249.99.

Two musically minded toys spun off the Broadway hit Blue Man Group are also highlighted. Percussion Tubes sell for $79, while Keyboard Experience goes for $89.

The Pink Nitro Notebook for $49 looks like a laptop but plays 80 different arcade games geared toward learning math and logic. Plus, it reads stories out loud.

Tap Dancing Mumble is a 10-inch penguin that flaps its wings and hops to music on your stereo or radio. The tuxedoed animal retails for $29 and talks back when someone speaks to it.

T.M.X. Elmo, perhaps the most hyped toy of the season, is on the Toys ``R'' Us list but is conspicuously missing from Toy Books' top 20. It retails for $40.

``We weren't allowed to see it,'' Samet said. ``Since we didn't have the opportunity to review it, we couldn't include it.''

Incarnations of rival dolls Barbie and Bratz also rank. Let's Dance Barbie shares her dance moves for $29.99, while Forever Diamondz Fashion Show on-the-Go Runway Playset will sell for about $80.

The lists help educate shoppers on which are the best toys of the year, said Genna Rosenberg, spokeswoman for Malibu-based JAKKS Pacific, which had a handful of toys between the two lists.

A pack of Speed Stacks goes for $39.99, and the Black and Decker Junior Power Tools Workshop lists for $49.99. A gizmo that flies and drives, the Fly Wheels XPV, sells for $59.99.

``They absolutely rely on experts who know the toys,'' Rosenberg said.

Other toy-makers had a different take on the lists.

Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment in Van Nuys, which makes the popular Bratz dolls, said he prefers ratings that are consumer-driven.

``Family Fun Magazine and The Great American Toy Test are the only national ones I know of that actually get the manufacturer's toys in kids' hands during an extended period of time and then has them vote,'' Larian said. ``They both have had a great track record over many years because of that.''

More lists are expected as the holidays near.

Toy-analyst Jim Silver publishes Toy Wishes, a magazine that releases a 200-page holiday guide with the top four toys in a number of categories. It will hit the stands Oct.4.

``We try to answer every question a consumer would have during the holidays,'' Silver said. ``Imagine you're a consumer. There's between 3,000 and 6,000 toys.

``How do you know what to buy for the holidays?''

julia.scott(at)dailynews.com

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CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Massively Mini Media portable media player (Tiger Electronics) $80

(2 -- color) Bratz Passion for Fashion Forever Diamondz Fashion Show on-the-Go Runway Playset (MGA Entertainment) $80

(3 -- color) T.M.X. Elmo (Fisher-Price) $40

Box:

The following is the Toy Insider's Hot 20 listing, which includes some of the most sought-after toys for this holiday season.

Source: The Toy Insider