London: There are no prizes for guessing which toys are rapidly disappearing from shop shelves in the run up to Christmas.

Harry Potter mania has hit the High Street in a big way and many stores are selling out of merchandise before it even arrives.

Not even the most organised shoppers are guaranteed to lay their hands on Potter toys. Many worried parents are being left to see if their names are drawn from a hat in order to get hold of the most wanted toys.

As Marie Burbridge, toy department manager at Elys in Wimbledon knows only too well, Harry Potter is definitely the big toy.

2The Lego castle is the number one top toy and the train set is also in demand. We had two different deliveries which sold out very quickly. I don't think they realised how popular it would be,2 she says.

"We've been confirmed five more castles to come and people are leaving their names and numbers hoping to get hold of them. We are going to draw them out of a hat. We could say first come first served but customers might be a bit cheeky and send in their husbands or brothers to buy more.

Hogwarts Castle retails for around £80 but Marie has heard it is being sold on the internet for as much as £300.

Other Harry-inspired toys include an electronic book of spells, a super ball which lights up when it is bounced the Golden Snitch magic card sets and wands.

Non-Potter big sellers include a doll called Miracle Baby, the ever-popular Micro Scooters and Bob the Builder. Who Wants to be a Millionaire and the Weakest Link games are also selling steadily.

Having been shocked by the huge response to Harry Potter merchandise, and considering yet another massive blockbuster has just been released, stores are bracing themselves for a surge in demand for Lord of the Rings toys.

Mary-Anne Kleyn, assistant at Cheeky Monkeys in Wandsworth, has also seen Potter-mania as a welcome boost to the stores takings.

"Harry Potter sleeping bags are selling well, as are the outfits. We often have to order more because they go very quickly," she says.

However, one person not jumping on the Potter bandwagon is Steve Yap, manager of QT Toys and Games in Battersea.

Steves Christian beliefs are contrary to the witchcraft in the film but don't worry, the shop is full of other great toys including Pokemon, Captain Scarlet and Bob the Builder.

"The latest toy weve got is the talking radio, he explains. It has the face of a frog and its lips move when you switch it on."

According to Steve, although television and film-related merchandise is often popular, it is not always the case.

"The toys from Chicken Run have not been popular at all. Everyone was expecting it to be big, but it wasn't. The people who buy these licences take a tremendous gamble. There are so many television series but only some seem to catch on with children. A show like Thunderbirds is always popular because parents used to watch it. That seems to have a knock-on effect on the children."

Steve adds that traditional board games including backgammon, chess and Monopoly never fail to sell steadily and are still very much in demand.

Back at Elys, Marie explains that after the tragic September 11 terrorist attacks in America, toy companies made changes to their ranges. For example, Lego has withdrawn its set featuring an aeroplane and a tower.

The Wimbledon department store has sold out of a special range of Beanie Babies, from which all the profits will go to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. Marie said customers have also been buying toys in response to a GMTV appeal to fill a shoebox with goods to send to Afghan children.

December 24, 2001 13:00