Kids' 2006 gift list: Where's the love for Elmo?

If you want to find out what gifts to buy for kids this holiday season, why not go straight to the horse's — er, kid's mouth? A group of fifth graders at Longfellow Elementary School are making it easier to do just that: They've done a study to help guide we old farts to what the young'uns really want. As student Cody Neil explained: "We conducted a campus survey with the idea of helping adults avoid gift-giving mistakes." What, they don't like colorful sweaters?

The biggest news from the kids' toy survey, we suppose, is that despite the hype, more students said they'd rather have Care Bear Hide 'n Seek Surprise than a T.M.X. Tickle Me Elmo. If you're not familiar with the toys, T.M.X. Elmo is a supercharged version of 1996's supremely annoying Tickle Me Elmo (the X in "T.M.X." refers to the toy's 10th anniversary — get it?). In the latest incarnation, you tickle Elmo in one of three spots and he "slaps his belly, falls forward with his butt sticking out, stands back up again only to topple backwards, kicks his legs over his belly, and then stands right back up, all while laughing hysterically." You'll probably see a similar display at the Houstonist first birthday party next week, and you won't even have to tickle us! (Please, no tickling.) As for the hide and seek Care Bear, it's a plush purple bear that comes with a handheld tracking device. You hide the bear somewhere and give your kid the tracking device, which somehow communicates with the bear and causes it to shout out hints as to its whereabouts — kinda like if your child had an actual friend to play with, right? (A related toy, Care Bear Hide 'n Seek Secret, includes a voice recorder so your kid can confide his or her — we hope it's her — innermost secrets in the bear. Again, it's almost like your child has a real live playmate.)

Another finding: Last year, there was quite a bit of demand among kids for Astros gear, what with the team's trip to the World Series and all. This year, the 'Stros didn't do so well, and guess what? All those pint-sized fair-weather fans left the team high and dry. One thing that didn't change, though, was a lust for gift cards — which we guess means kids would rather pick out their own presents after all.

Wait a second ... Care Bears are still around?