Features Archives

The A.V. Club's weekly list.

We round up the deeply discounted toys that are one step up from lumps of coal.

Because sometimes kids don't deserve the very best, The A.V. Club offers our annual look at bargain-bin playthings.

Much has been made of the juggernaut economy and its theoretical ability to make everyone rich. But even with all the disposable income floating around, some products still can't be sold. For proof, look no further than your nearest toy store:...

With the economy flagging, consumer confidence low, the nation at war, and the weather unseasonably warm throughout much of the U.S., holiday sales are suffering. But if movies and television have taught the world one thing, it's that American...

In a scene about halfway through 2002's The Santa Clause 2, Santa (as played by Tim Allen) needs to remind a roomful of cynical...

In TV commercials that run every year around the holidays, a clean-cut go-getter surprises his or her loved one with the gift of a new Lexus, which is lovingly decked out in a magnificent bow. Providing Exhibit A in the case for why many...

It's been a whirlwind year for toys, thanks to the combination of a booming economy and an abundance of successful children's TV programs. Who would have guessed that Furby would remain a hot seller, or that Pokémon would explode into a toy...

Every holiday season brings a new wave of must-have toys. Last year's digital Tamagotchis and imitative Tickle Me Elmos are making way for 1998's digital Pokémons and imitative Furbys. Every year also brings a wave of please-buy toys,...

Each year, the human population increases. This invariably means an increase in the number of children who need toys to distract them from the crushing inevitability of a sad adulthood. But money only stretches so far, particularly in today's...