Kristi and Gary Loberg hit the holiday jackpot Friday. Stashed in their cart was Fisher-Price's Star Station Karaoke, one of the fastest-selling toys of the season.
"We heard it was going to be hard to find, but there were three on the shelf," said Kristi Loberg.
The karaoke system will be an appropriate gift for their sons, ages 5 and 2½, who enjoy singing and dancing around the living room, she said.
With Christmas a week away, other shoppers might not be as lucky.
Everybody expected Microsoft's Xbox 360 console would be difficult to put under the tree. But toy sellers are running short on other items, including Amazing Amanda, an interactive doll, and i-Dog, an electronic dog that hooks up to a digital music player.
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Fargo's Target had several Amazing Amandas on the shelf Friday afternoon. Parents looking for an I-Dog were out of luck.
"People asked for him right away. He's gone," said Barb Johnson, manager at the store. "As each day goes by, the chances get slimmer we'll see another shipment."
Toy makers Hasbro, which produced I-Dog, and Playmates Toys Inc., the maker of Amazing Amanda, say they boosted production in October based on early demand, but they can't guarantee that everyone who wants the toys will get them in time for the holidays.
Certain Bratz dolls, Star Wars-themed items, high-end radio-controlled vehicles and VTech products are among the other toys local retailers struggle to keep on the shelves.
On Friday, Faith Stoppleworth and Justin Schempp of Jamestown, N.D., planned to purchase V.Smile, an educational game system by VTech. They had a harder time finding a kid's laptop computer made by the same company.
"This is the second store we've checked," Stoppleworth said. "I don't know if anybody has them."
Don't dismay if you haven't gotten your hands on some of the season's hottest products. There isn't one must-have holiday hit this year.
Cabbage Patch dolls and Furbies are making a comeback at Wal-Mart this year, said Karen Burk, a spokeswoman.
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"These are popular gifts from parents who are nostalgic," she said.
Anything featuring Dora the Explorer, the cartoon character who speaks Spanish and English, is a big seller at the Moorhead Kmart, said store manager Nick Bosh.
Traditional toys like Hot Wheels, Etch A Sketch and Monopoly are also selling well, he said.
Toy retailers are having a "pretty good holiday season," said Sean McGowan, analyst at Harris Nesbitt, who estimated that holiday toy sales growth will be anywhere from unchanged to up 2 percent from a year ago, reversing a downward trend.
That's a big relief for the industry, which has struggled with sluggish traditional sales as children are growing out of toys at a younger age and are more interested in trendy clothing and gadgets like digital music players.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. Readers can reach Forum reporter Erin Hemme Froslie at (701) 241-5534
