Top 10 most popular searches for holiday toys in Ann Arbor
Rather than receiving an unattractive sweater or an electric toothbrush as a holiday present this year, cold hard cash appears to be the most desired gift, according to a poll by SodaHead.
According to the poll, 39 percent of respondents are hoping for cash or a gift card, followed by vacations at 30 percent, electronics at 21 percent, and clothes/jewelry at 10 percent.
Aside from cash, tech gadgets are reigning as some of the top present choices, with people asking for the Apple iPad2, iPhone 4S, Amazon Kindle Fire and Xbox Kinect.
During this holiday season, consumers are expected to spend $465.6 billion on gifts and other items, a 2.8 percent increase over 2010, according to the National Retail Federation.
Aggregated web search activity complied by Google, which can be compiled to profile a general region, is also providing new insight into local consumer’s holiday trends.
In Michigan, people are searching for tablets, video games and digital cameras.
In Ann Arbor, the Lalaloopsy Silly Hair Doll is one of the most searched toys on the web.
Photo courtesy of Loopsy Dolls
Michigan web users also complete 280 percent more searches for “gifts for men” than “gifts for women.” And the “toys for boys” search is 20 percent higher than “toys for girls.”
According to Google, these are among the top toy searches in Ann Arbor this holiday season:
1. Lalaloopsy Silly Hair Doll 2. Ninjago Lego 3. Rainbow Dash My Little Pony 4. Pokemon 5. Barbie 6. Harry Potter Lego 7. Fluttershy My Little Pony 8. Moshi monsters 9. Nerf Vortex 10. Fijit friends
Lizzy Alfs is a business reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at 734-623-2584 or email her at lizzyalfs@annarbor.com. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lizzyalfs.
Comments
napoleon
Mon, Dec 12, 2011 : 5:26 p.m.
Its Christmas toys or gifts not holiday toys or gifts. If Jesus wasnt born 2011 years ago, there would be no holiday on Dec 24th and 25th. By the way, "holiday" does mean "holy" day. I hope you have Merry Christmas!
Hans Masing
Mon, Dec 12, 2011 : 6:48 p.m.
Many popular customs associated with Christmas developed independently of the commemoration of Jesus' birth, with certain elements having origins in pre-Christian festivals that were celebrated around the winter solstice by pagan populations who were later converted to Christianity. These elements, including the Yule log from Yule and gift giving from Saturnalia, became syncretized into Christmas over the centuries. The prevailing atmosphere of Christmas has also continually evolved since the holiday's inception, ranging from a sometimes raucous, drunken, carnival-like state in the Middle Ages, to a tamer family-oriented and children-centered theme introduced in a 19th-century reformation. Additionally, the celebration of Christmas was banned on more than one occasion within Protestant Christendom due to concerns that it was too pagan or unbiblical. - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas#History" rel='nofollow'>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas#History</a> You are correct about the word 'holiday' - it comes from the old English 'h?ligdæg', which meant religious day. In modern usage, however, there is no connotation of a religious meaning. In European English, it is common to say someone is 'on holiday' when they are away from work.
Carole
Mon, Dec 12, 2011 : 2:42 p.m.
I think it is really sad that all folks seem to what are items with no imagination. Just poke and play.