Low-cost techie toys on 'Most Wanted' list

This year's hot holiday toys are high-tech - and low-price.

From tiny remote-control cars from Mattel to nearly paper-thin electronic guitars and drums from WowWee Toys called Paper Jamz, technology is infused in many of this year's projected hot toys.

But that doesn't mean the return of the $100 price tag, which seems to have been for the most part banished since the recession.

Many techie toys are wallet-friendly at under $30.

Jim Silver, an analyst at Time to Play Magazine, which offers an influential list of hot toys each year, says toy prices overall have come down, but technology has gotten better.

"This year's toys are about great play tied in with value," said Silver. "Not necessarily the price point."

A case in point: Paper Jamz, thin electronic instruments that offer three modes of play, including freestyle. Silver said the toy's $24.99 price point is impressive.

He said he and his team conduct research and analyze point-of-sale retail trends to develop their annual "Most Wanted" list, which was released yesterday.

The holiday season's hottest toy could be a cheap, small, squishy character packaged in a plastic bubble reminiscent of grocery store toy machines, said Silver and fellow toy expert Christopher Byrne.

"Never underestimate the power of cute," Byrne said, in explaining why he thinks "Squinkies," the $7 collectible capsule toys that double as pencil-toppers, can emulate the success of last year's runaway hit Zhu-Zhu Pets.

While the U.S. recession may be officially over, Silver and Byrne expect most toy shoppers to keep an eagle-eye focus on prices. That explains why 11 of their 16 top holiday picks cost less than $30.

Other tech-heavy toys that made the list:

Spin Master's Air Hogs Moto Frenzy, $24.99 4-inch remote-control motocross racing bikes.

Mattel Inc.'s Loopz game for $29.99 that uses motion detection technology as the basis for memory games.

VTech's V.Reader, a $59.99 electronic-book reader that works with VTech software.

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