TOYS! MANUFACTURERS LINE UP THEIR PRODUCTS FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

Dancing monsters, huggable fish and giant green fists will all be fighting for the top spot on holiday gift lists this year, but none seems to have won the battle yet.

This has been a challenging year for the toy business, with price deflation and the sluggish retail sector keeping the overall industry flat. Trying to reignite the fire, toy makers have trotted out old favorites, hitched themselves to movie characters and self-labeled a variety of products as this year's craze.

But unlike in past years, no single hot property has emerged. Parents aren't fighting for the latest incarnation of Tickle Me Elmo, a sensation in 1996, but toy watchers say no one has completely claimed his crown.

``You guys always want to know, what's the Elmo this year? Well, we haven't had that for a few years,'' said John Reilly, a spokesman for KB Toys. ``We'd rather have a couple (of) big drivers. When everyone's frenzied looking for something, they might come to your store when they wouldn't have before, and they may buy something else while they're there.''

Not that there's not time for something else to become this year's hot buy, or that there are few competitors. Fisher-Price Brands has developed yet another variation on its curious monster, having him do the Hokey Pokey. The scarlet-furred dancer continues to be a force on must-have lists, with a suggested retail price of $29.99.

But at the same time it has another sort of monster to fight off. Hulk Hands, enormous, sound-enhanced fists ($19.99) that give wearers a chance to pound things with little damage, has been a hot item since the summer release of ``The Hulk.'' The movie was not the roaring success some had predicted, but for Woodland Hills' Funrise Toy Corp, the raging green hero is a winner. The company continues to see its $99 Hulk Electronic Pinball Machine racking up sales.

Trying to appeal to shoppers' educational tastes, LeapFrog has made another splash with its LeapPad Plus Writing Learning System, at $59.99. The electronic toy, which teaches basic skills, hit trade magazine Toy Wishes' hot list. Toy expert Stevanne Auerbach, editor of DrToy.com, says the gadgets shouldn't replace books but do stimulate mental development more than many toys.

Although her grip on the doll market has loosened in recent years, Barbie's still a force to be reckoned with. This year, she's danced onto hot lists, including the National Retail Federation's most popular list, as Odette from ``Swan Lake.''

Odette's unicorn-drawn carriage has had a bumpy ride, however, largely because of her edgy Bratz competitors. The diminutive fashion dolls, created by North Hills-based MGA Entertainment Inc., continue to be a sensation, from a phone shaped like a lipsticked mouth ($19.99) to its scaled down Lil' Bratz line. The Formal Funk Disco Runway, $100, has been the most-lauded of the line.

``As long as we don't get complacent, this brand will keep growing for many, many years to come,'' said MGA's chief executive officer, Isaac Larian. ``If we did the same thing every year, people would be tired of it.''

Although the multibillion-unit-selling Bratz have been MGA's main calling card, the company scored another hit with its Land-Air R/C. The $100 gadget drives and then converts to a plane, targeting an older demographic. Impressed with its capabilities, Auerbach added it to her gift guide.

For Malibu-based Jakks Pacific Inc., the nostalgia wave paid off in the form of its TV Games line. Featuring 10 games built into one joystick, they plug directly into a television. Jakks scored big this year with its Namco platform, featuring Pac-Man and Dig Dug; the $24.99 unit won the Family Fun Magazine Toy of the Year award.

Capitalizing on an Internet following launched in Glendale, Thinkway Toys' Neopets Interactive Talking Neopets Plushies have continued to gather steam. The mobile plush toys, starting at $29.99, have also been brisk sellers.

Now, in their time to shine, toy companies are starting to express new optimism. Bob Solomon, chairman of Woodland Hills gift maker Applause LLC, had a rocky eight months, even with hot licenses like ``Finding Nemo'' and ``Brother Bear,'' but now finds himself sitting more comfortably. His stuffed clown fish, priced at $10, and other movie-theme offerings have managed to catch on with retailers.

``Now our retailers are scurrying to get more product,'' he said. ``There really is going to be a Christmas. This is the best we've seen in two years.''

Brent Hopkins, [phone]

brent.hopkins(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

(1 -- 5 -- color) No single hot toy has emerged this holiday season. At center, Nemo, a plush clown fish from Applause. Clockwise from top, Chicken Dance Elmo from Fisher-Price, Bratz Mini-Coupe, Hulk Hands from Toy-Biz Worldwide, and Bratz Luscious Lip Phone.

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