eBay commissioned a survey to determine favorite holiday toys, conducted by the Opinion Research Corporation. Monopoly is the all time favorite toy reported by survey respondents. One in four respondents said that Barbie is their favorite doll. And Monchhichis and Webkinz tied as least favorite toy by survey respondents.
The survey was conducted online October 9-10, 13-14 and 16-17, 2008 among a national sample of 3,272 adults 18 years of age and older. eBay's summary of the survey results follows:
Video Game Systems: Although the Wii is tiny, it packs a lot of punch. The console is tied with PlayStation. Other popular systems were Nintendo NES and Atari.
Action Figures: Even without super powers G.I. Joe tramples his competition. Superman’s super powers only launched him into second place.
Fictional Toy Character: Christopher Robin is not the only one who treasures Winnie the Pooh – Pooh Bear was the front runner in the fictional character category. Curious George, the mischievous monkey, was the next most popular protagonist.
Classic Games: Even though there’s a king on board in a game of chess, checkers reigned supreme beating out chess as the cherished classic game.
Board Games: Monopoly’s Park Place was a favorite place to play, but more female respondents preferred to take their chance on Scrabble. These popular games that always attract new generations of players are available on eBay.
Educational Toys: Love to learn? LeapFrog Tag Reading System is the top educational toy, followed by Speak & Spell.
Dolls: Note to self, steer clear of life-like dolls when purchasing gifts this year. Our survey respondents ranked Betsy Wetsy as one of their least favorite dolls only giving her two percent of their votes.
Classic Toys: Fifty years after the toy was invented, Etch A Sketch is still going strong. Do people love playing with Etch A Sketch? You betcha!
Building Blocks: Half the respondents chose Legos as their favorite building blocks; clearly, they are still a favorite of today’s kids.
Stuffed Animal: Everyone loves to cozy up with something soft - and with whom do we most like to snuggle? Beanie Babies and Care Bears are the favorite creatures to cuddle.
