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What s hot in Lincoln for holiday gift giving
Joeth Z,ucco
Staff Reporter
In previous years, TV games were the
“hot” Christmas present. Then Cabbage
patch dolls, followed by teddy bears, were
the items that stores couldn’t keep in stock.
Last year the talking toys, with computer
chips for brains, were the popular present
underneath the Christmas tree.
This year, store workers in Lincoln don’t
see one item that everybody wants to give as
a present. However, various items — from
sweaters to rubber Christmas balls — are
selling well.
The year’s “hot” gifts arc leaning toward
traditional toys and basic home items.
However, there are still some popular gifts
that will provide diversions from the normal
present.
Cindy Burger from the Nebraska Book
store listed off a number of popular gifts that
require a certain type of giver and receiver.
The best seller, she said, is the Christinas
boxer shorts.
Nebraska Bookstore has also found their
wide assortment of Santa Clauses to be
popular: farting Santas, wind-up Santas,
jumping-jack Santas, skateboard Santas
(battery operated), push pin Santas, and
Santa pencils.
Other Christmas-themed items the store
expects to sell well arc sponge Christmas
trees and ornaments, Christmas rubber balls
and snowmen water puzzles.
Burger also listed some of the non-sea
sonal items that are popular sellers: In
flatables like the new Porsches or the more
traditional Corona and Budwciser items,
“funky” T-shirts, oversized Fossil watches,
colored-water toys, lightbulb-shapcd cray
ons and a wide assortment of pencils.
Cindy Wiblc, manager of the Toy Room,
said that this is an unusual year because there
isn’t “really any one item” that everyone’s
buying. She said that this year a little of
everything seems to be selling.
The big-selling game is Pictionary,
Wiblc said. A new item that should be
popular, she said, is the VCR football game.
It comes in Superbowl and college-bowl
editions. Among the traditional children’s
gifts that people are buying are Barbie dolls
and accessories, G.I. Joe dolls and accesso
ries and Legos, she said.
Lori Kathe, a Toy Room employee, said
that people arc buying traditional toys like
rifles, shot guns, cap guns and model rockets
for boys. For girls, she said, the ever-popular
dolls arc selling big again. She also said that
pogo balls are popular.
Christine Maier, toy buyer for Younkcrs,
said that the Fischer Price toys are big
sellers. She also cited T.V. toys, which the
store doesn’t sell, as big sellers.
At Miller and Paine, John Costello in
advertising, said that parents are tending
more toward specially toys and away from
Masters of the Universe paraphernalia. He
V V /
also said that carved-wood toys are popular.
For adults, Costello said that men are
purchasing intimate apparel for women.
Besides that, beaded and applicadc sweaters
for women are big sellers and plain cotton
sweaters are popular for men.
Among household items, he said, mini
food processors arc selling well, as are
Southwest-patterned dinnerware. And al
though the neon clothing fad has come and
gone, he said, neon clocks are rising in
popularity.
Shirley Young, salesperson at
Thingsville, said that hot pots are selling
well since they’re so practical for college
students and adults. Also “hot” for the sea
son are lamps: touch lamps, which turn on
and oil at a touch; fiber optic lamps, which
arc wind-up music boxes with a dim light,
and brass panel lamps.
Items popular at Thingsville last year that
seem to be popular again arc potpourri pots
with candles to freshen the aii and desktop
fish aquariums.
Hours. [Aii pack
Vlon.-Sat 10-9
Sunday 12-6 north entrance
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