Mr. Squiggles Saves The Day

Retailers usually count on a big sales bump during the holiday season and this year they’ll need it more than ever. NPR ScratchPad’s Scott Jagow says there is someone riding to retailers’ rescue. And no, it’s not Santa.

His name? Mr. Squiggles. That’s right. Like year’s past, in which we saw stampedes for items like Tickle-Me Elmo, the Playstation, Beanie Babies and Cabbage Patch dolls, there’s one hot toy that Jagow says might save the holiday season. Mr. Squiggles is a plush toy hamster. But he isn’t just cuddly. He has 40 different sound effects like toilet-flushing, teeth-brushing and snoring. He can also navigate hamster tubes and of course, run on a wheel.

He costs just $8 at Walmart. On Amazon, he goes for $29. But even at higher prices, shoppers say they’re already having trouble finding him in stock. And Christmas is three months away.

The question now is: where can you get one? Once you’ve managed that, we have another for you: How long will it take before your kids get tired of it?

Photo courtesy Mike_fleming via Flickr.