London - It may not be the obvious choice for a child’s Christmas wish-list, but a cuddly monster that ‘eats’ your worries is likely to be in high demand.
Amazon predicts the Sorgenfresser Worry Eater will be among the 20 most popular Christmas toys for 2014.
The idea behind the £20 (about R400) toy is that children write down or draw something that has upset them and put it into the monster’s mouth, which is zipped shut, banishing their worries.
The award-winning toy was created in 2008 by German children’s TV animator Gerd Hahn and is a hit all over Europe.
The first monster was called Saggo, but there are now several others including Frula, Betti and Biff. Flamm, a striped orange and white monster with spiky hair, will be released in time for Christmas.
Rachel Wyatt, who works for the distributors, said: “There is a symbolic element to zipping away a worry and it disappearing. But if mom or dad finds a worry in a Sorgenfresser’s mouth it will help them to talk it through with the child.”
Amazon said the toys are proving popular on children’s online Christmas “wishlists”.
The lists are created by parents so that family members, such as grandparents, can log on to buy presents in the same way as a wedding gift registry.
Other popular items include nostalgic toys such as a marble racing game, a Barbie Malibu Dream House and a Chill Factor Slushy Maker.
If parents want to splash out, there’s the Hornby Digital Train Set or the WowWee MiP Robot, which can dance on two wheels in response to hand gestures.
There is also an interactive doll, My Friend Cayla, which can be synched to a tablet or smartphone, allowing it to search the internet to answer simple questions. - Daily Mail