There will be no bruises in the toy aisles this holiday season. No obscenely high auctions on eBay. For better or worse, no one toy has emerged as the "must-have," coveted plaything for kids. But that doesn't mean parents can't find the kind of presents that will make their children glad they expended all that energy ripping off the gift wrap.
"There's no one big mainstream hit for the season," said Chris Byrne, a toy expert known as the Toy Guy. "You're seeing a lot of good quality toys — toys that go beyond the bells and whistles."
According to Byrne, "Kids are technologically agnostic — they want a good play experience."
So here they are. What kids want, what parents are buying, and what toy experts recommend:
Go on, bug me: B.I.O.-Bugs ($40) are the newest incarnation of the robotic pet phenomenon. They're available in four species of various colors and abilities. The yellow B.I.O.-Acceleraider is the speediest bug, while the red B.I.O.-Predator is so aggressive, it may attack its own species.
Kids can manipulate the bugs with a remote control, or let the critters roam around freely. The bugs learn from exploration and interaction with other bugs, including fights.
"The child is integral to the whole play," Byrne said. "The bug will develop according to how the child trains it."
What better way to annoy a little sister than planting one of these in her room?
Eat, sleep and breathe Potter: Muggles who can't enroll in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry can pretend to be young wizards with a slew of Harry Potter toys available this year.
Lego sells sets of Hogwarts Castle, Snape's classroom, the shops of Diagon Alley and Hagrid's Hut, among other magical locations in the wizard world. Mattel makes a Harry action figure; best pals Ron and Hermione are also available. ($9.99 and up)
It's not quidditch, but the Harry Potter Levitating Challenge Game from Mattel takes some wizarding skills. To play, kids guide a "levitating" ball through a variety of obstacles ($34.99).
For dress up, kids will love the Harry Potter glasses and sorting hat ($27.99), the chapeau that chooses the house where each young wizard will live. Will it be Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Slytherin or, Harry's own house, Gryffindor?
For wizards who can transfigure into animals, Elope makes a Hedwig head wig, as well as two puppet hats of Norbert the Dragon and Scabbers the Rat ($24.99 each).
To enter Harry's world virtually, Electronic Arts sells the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone video game ($29.99 and up).
Music, in the pod of your hand: Apple's version of a portable MP3 player, the iPod, can store up to 1,000 songs and copy a CD in 10 seconds.
The iPod syncs with Apple's iTunes software, so users can download music from their computer onto the compact device. Songs can be divided by playlist, artist, or genre for easy accessibility ($399).
Cinder's hella: My Interactive Princess Cinderella Doll ($69.99) tells the story of her dismal life waiting on her stepsisters to the magical evening when she meets the prince.
She can also identify which dress she's wearing and which shoes she has on. The doll can recognize and chat with her only friends, the animals.
But it's not a spell. Cinderella does this with the help of her wand … and three AAA batteries.
Lava surfing on Mata Nui: The Lego Bionicle products feature a cast of heroic action figures with names like Pohatu, Tahu and Lewa ($7.99 and up). Each of the characters has special powers — like night vision, the ability to surf on lava, and, oh yeah, controlling the sky, clouds and wind.
These heroes, a group of six called the Toa, are trying to free the island of Mata Nui, which has been overtaken by evil Makuta.
Want to delve deeper into this story? Kids can log onto the Bionicle website to explore Mata Nui themselves.
Lions, tigers and Yano, oh my! A cross between Yoda and Furby, Yano is an interactive fuzzy creature that tells stories.
The story works a bit like a "choose your own adventure" book. As Yano tells the tale, children direct the action with a separate touchpad ($54.99).
LeapFrog your IQ: LeapFrog sells a number of toys designed to boost kids' brain power. The interactive Turbo Twist comes in four different models: spelling, math, fact blaster and vocabulator.
The brightly colored devices, about the size and shape of a flashlight, incorporate music and educational games to build skills in each area. Turbo Twist Spelling, for example, includes helpful hints like "i before e." Each device tailors to the child's abilities ($39.99).
They are easy to tote around, and, as one user noted, "You can take this on long car drive. Excellent."
The LeapPad Learning System ($54.99) helps beginning readers. Kids place a flip book into the LeapPad and listen to the audio story. Using a "magic pen," they can navigate the pages to hear how a particular word is pronounced, among other functions. Over 30 books are available in this format (sold separately).
The newest toy is iQuest, a handheld for older kids. Middle school students can download study questions and outlines to help prepare for quizes and tests.
Mind Station beefs up all these toys with more activities from the Internet. Pop a cartridge in the Mind Station, download new content, then place the cartridge in the device. Parents can download a progress report, too.
Console quandary: Last year, Playstation 2 was the console-du-jour; his year, Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube have entered the picture.
According to a Wired News review, the two consoles offer basically the same fantastic graphics and sound, but at $300, XBox costs 100 bucks more than the Cube.
Yet Playstation 2 has the largest library of games available, and "Sony Playstation" has emerged as one of the top three search terms for the holidays on AOL's shopping search.
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AUDIO: 
Hear what happens when you tickle Elmo. ———————
Tickle Elmo, again: For those who missed the furry red Muppet the first time around, Tickle Me Elmo is back. The toy still giggles when tickled but he has a special "surprise" after the new year. On Jan. 9, Elmo will reveal to five people that they have won a prize.
The grand prize winner will receive $200,000 toward the purchase of a new house, $60,000 in savings bonds for their child's education, a Volkswagen Beetle, a new PC, and a ride-on battery-operated VW car for the child.
For those who don't win big money, the giddy monster will introduce new "play patterns."
Elmo retails for about $20, but tickling him is free at the Sesame Street website.
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