It's that wonderful toy of the year

"I sell them out in 15 minutes," said Lisa Gillespie, toy department manager at Wal-Mart. "If I make an announcement and say I have FurReal Friends, they're over here and they're gone."

FurReal Friends are battery-operated cats that move and purr in response to touch.

"It's like the Furby was a couple of years ago. You can't find it anywhere," said Julie Carey of Morris, who was shopping with niece Kendra Carey, 10, of Oneonta last week at Southside Mall.

Gillespie said she keeps a list of people to be notified when she gets new shipments of the mechanical furballs.

In addition to the FurReal Friends, Duane Spoor — electronics and toys manager at Kmart — said PlayStation 2 and related games were popular this year. The No. 1 rated game, he said, was "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City."

Kris Vandermark, manager at Kay-Bee Toys in Oneonta, said the Game Boy Advance has been a good sell. "Pretty much any system, we did really well," she said.

Oneonta resident Travis Carr, 10, said he wanted an Xbox "because we wanted to have some fun around the house. We only have a Nintendo."

Any of the LeapFrog educational toys are also big, Spoor said.

"They went on sale the first time and sold right out," he said.

Shoppers are also looking for fighting tops called Beyblades.

"They are just coming to be popular at the last minute," Gillespie said. "Everyone is coming in and asking for those."

Hot sellers in New York for the second week in December included FurReal Friends, Bratz Dolls, ZipZap's, Chicken Dance Elmo, Kasey the Kinderbot, Yu-i-Oh! trading cards, Beyblades, Barbie as Rapunzel and PlayStation-related items, according to the state Retail Council.

"Pretty much anything that's new," Vandermark said. "New releases sell well."

Some classics are in the mix, however, as stores reported Care Bears are back and selling well.

"I order a hundred at a time," Gillespie said. "They're buying the whole collection, so they're buying 10 at a time."

Barbie as Rapunzel — and accessories — is also a favorite, retailers said.

"She's very, very pretty. She has the long, long blond hair and her dress is decorated nicely," said Andrea Pignatelli, spokeswoman for Kay-Bee. "It's a very cool doll."

But the doll isn't on the list of Madison Wright, 5, of Worcester. "I don't like Barbies," she said. Wright said she is asking for a compact disc player, some music and a pocketbook.

Though the Retail Council reported shopping activity throughout the state for December got off to a slow start, area retailers said toy sales are strong.

"We're busy by 8 o'clock in the morning. I can't even work the aisles, there's so many customers," Gillespie said. "I think this Saturday will be a record, though."

Several area children had some practical items on their list, as many asked for clothing or footwear. Madison's 7-year-old sister, Michaela Wright, wanted a hair brush, in addition to CDs and a camera.

Besides CDs by artists such as Avril LaVigne, Andes resident Katie Darling, 11, said she wants "just clothes and stuff."

Her brother J.J., 10, wants a PlayStation 2.

"I don't know," he said, when asked why. "I just like them, there's nothing to do."

Amid all the electronics, Travis' brother Tanner Carr, 6, said he wanted a farm for Christmas.

A real farm?

"A toy farm," explained Tanner, who has two puppies named Spike and C.C., "because I like animals."