A pooping flamingo?! And other top toys of 2020

Top toys for the holidays To many people it's the unofficial start of the Christmas season. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just days away.

VANCOUVER — The holidays are now less than a month away, and this Black Friday or Cyber Monday you may have to do some extra work to track down the top toys of 2020.

Barbie has been selling well already this year, perhaps partially because of the iconic doll’s foray into a new profession – as a frontline health-care worker. Sales of the doll are up 30 per cent, and a Barbie ambulance will set you back about $90.

“We cannot keep it in stock,” says Toys ”R” Us’ local regional manager, Charlie Atherton-Walby. “Barbie’s on its all time selling high right now.”

Present Pets are also high on the Toys ”R” Us annual list of top toys. They come in a big Dalmation-spotted box with a bow on it.

“Inside is a surprise - you don’t know which puppy that you’re going to get,” she says.

Lego is always popular, but this year there’s Super Mario sets.

“In the starter kit you get Mario himself, and then all of his friends are in the adjacent sets,” Atherton-Walby says, adding you can never go wrong with Lego.

“The most popular Lego right now is Harry Potter Lego,” she says. “Harry Potter and the signature owl.”

McLaughlin On Your Side talked to a woman named Carol who was visiting the toy store with her grandkids to scope out what Santa could be bringing this year.

“They get to pick, and then grandma takes a picture – that makes it really easy,” she said with a laugh.

Carol’s grandkids are hoping for a Barbie Dreamhouse, a new Pogo stick, Lego, and Nerf guns.

“To get kids outside, Nerf will always continue to be a hot toy,” Atherton-Walby says. “Nerf has a variety of guns and displays and things like that. You can build an entire action sequence in your backyard.”

But the most popular category of toys this year is animatronics, from a cute Baby Yoda to a pooping flamingo.

“It tells you when it needs to go,” Atherton-Walby says. And then – you can watch it go to the bathroom, and then re-use the poop. The Little Live Pets Gotta Go Flamingo costs $39.99.

You can see a full list of Toys ”R” Us’ top toys of the year on the company's website. If they aren't available in store, don't despair. You may still be able to find the toys online.

And if you're not buying for your own kids or kids you know, considering buying for some of the many charities around the Lower Mainland that collect toys for underprivileged kids.