PS2: KIDS LOVE YOU HARD-TO-FIND GAME SYSTEM HAS BECOME TOY SEASON'S BRIGHTEST STAR.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Woe to the unfortunate parents who promised their children a PlayStation 2 for the holidays. Unless they're willing to go to extreme measures, they'll be finding themselves scrambling for alternatives.

Hot doesn't even begin to describe the video game system, which has matched its popularity only with its scarcity. Since its Oct. 26 release, the console has had a shelf-life of hours.

``Every shipment we get is just blowing out of the stores,'' said Peter Roithmayr, vice president of merchandising for video game systems for Electronics Boutique, which has a store at the Northridge Fashion Center. ``Hopefully, we'll have enough for Christmas.''

Most retailers have exhausted factory shipments of PS2 in no time. Some enterprising entrepreneurs are purchasing them after-market and reselling the items as high as $2,500 dollars, a hefty step up from its $299 list price.

John Peck, co-owner of Super Kids in Encino, is one of the few retailers in town to stock the coveted items. His prices vary by day - $599 was the going rate on Wednesday. This is just to keep up with demand, he said.

``Most people think we're charging a premium, but we're not making tons of money,'' he said. ``We pay big bucks to get them, too.''

Peck estimated a profit of roughly $30 on each unit, barely enough to warrant carrying them.

``It's almost not worth it because of the price,'' he said. ``The phenomenon is amazing, though. People are nuts - they'll do anything to get these.''

Indeed they will, with wide-eyed customers coming through the door in a steady stream, inquiring about the game system. Another hot item for Peck is the motorized scooter, which also retails for an impressive $599.

``This is the future right here, no question about it,'' he said, pointing to a Phat Flyer electric scooter.

The motorized gadgets have sold at a steady rate of 15 per week, a healthy portion of Super Kids' business.

For toys, the venerable juggernaut Barbie is casting her pink-hued net across consumers once again.

``The Barbie Volkswagen Beetles, airplane and cash register seem to be must-have items,'' said John Reilly, corporate spokesman for Kay Bee Toys.

Aside from the PS2, there's no definitive trend in toy land.

``It's one of those years where no one toy has emerged to sell in record numbers, like a Furby or a Tickle Me Elmo,'' Reilly said. ``There's nothing really coming out of the box like that. We're just seeing a steady flow of goods across a broad spectrum of categories.''

Compact discs are also at the top of everyone's list. Tower Records' sales double for the month of December, said Louise Solomon, a spokeswoman for the CD and video retailer. Its top items are new discs from the Beatles, Sade and the Backstreet Boys, along with healthy DVD sales.

In Northridge Fashion Center, shoppers are filing into Kay Bee like pilgrims to the Promised Land. Lines stretched to the back of the store at midday Wednesday as customers scooped up what they could find in the waning days of the shopping season.

``It's tough,'' said Morgan Figueroa of Winnetka, rummaging through a pile of Fisher Price playsets. ``Everything's splattered everywhere.''

And for those who absolutely have to get that PlayStation 2, there may be hope from the land down under. The Electronics Boutiques in Australia are reporting a surplus, Roithmayr said, owing to a steep price tag.

``If you're willing to move to Australia,'' he chuckled. ``You can get them right off the shelf.''

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(color) John Peck, co-owner of the Super Kids toy store in Encino, has some PlayStation 2 sets in stock, available for $599 each.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer