Hot 2007 Holiday Toys: Little Einstein's Pat Pat Rocket

As the holiday season quickly approaches, you may be wondering what the hot new toys of the season will be and where to find them.

This season, one hot toy appears to be the Little Einstein Pat Pat Rocket by Fisher Price which is retailing for $39.99 at Target stores.

The Little Einstein series by Disney is a favorite one among toddler and preschool-aged kids with plenty of merchandise available including DVD's, books, and toys. Playhouse Disney even features a Little Einstein cartoon series.

What is the Pat Pat Rocket toy? This toy comes in a boxed set with a giant red Rocket and all four characters: Leo, Quincy, Annie and June. Rocket starts planning classical music - just like in the television show and movies - when your child starts patting along to give Rocket more power. There are cool sound effects which most kids will love by pushing a button on Rocket.

Rocket also comes with the ability to recognize what characters are sitting in their seats. Smaller children may have troubles pushing the characters in their seats. In addition, because Rocket is a bit heavy, I noticed my younger toddler needed help to "fly" the toy in the sky. Kids aged three and over should be able to lift the toy without assistance.

If you move Rocket slowly the music will play slower and if you move the toy quicker, then the music picks up pace as well. These movements teach kids the musical terms of "adagio" and "allegro" - a common theme in the Little Einstein cartoon shows.

Of course, Rocket wouldn't be complete without co-ordinating toy sets which are sold separately. You can purchase add-ons such as the Egypt or Alaskan mission set so Rocket and the crew can fly to a recognizable location from either the DVD movies or television episodes. These sets retail for about $14.99 and are also available from Target.

This toy requires three "AA" batteries which are included. If you find that the music is too loud, just place a piece of clear plastic packaging tape over the speakers to reduce the volume.