Visions of a chicken-dancing Elmo in your kid's head? Good luck finding it

Some items may not be available until after Christmas.
By JOHN W. GOODWIN JR.
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Little ones who close their eyes Christmas Eve with hopes of waking up to wrapped boxes holding some of the most popular toys of the season may be a little disappointed.
Retailers are saying there are some items not even Santa could get his hands on this year.
Greg Yanni, assistant manager of the Boardman Radio Shack, has watched since Thanksgiving as shipments of Zip Zap Remote Racers come in the store's back doors -- and leave almost as quickly through the front doors in the arms of customers. The racers are small remote-controlled cars with interchangeable parts.
"I probably personally answer eight to 10 calls a day about the cars. We sell those things like you wouldn't believe. I thought we were going to have a riot in our store the day after Thanksgiving," said Yanni.
There and gone
The store last received a shipment of the minicars Tuesday morning. According to Yanni, that entire order was gone in 45 minutes. Stores are now putting people on a waiting list for the cars, but those people will not likely get to unwrap their miniracers until after Christmas.
Yanni said another item flying off store shelves is the Bratz FM Cruiser -- a small car with a built-in FM radio that can accommodate a small doll.
Aaron Liutik, of Toys "R" Us customer service, said shoppers will not likely find the cars at Toys "R" Us stores, either. He said finding anything from the Bratz collection on store shelves is going to be difficult.
Liutik said the FM Cruiser and other Bratz items are so high in demand that retailers are having a difficult time keeping the items on shelves. For that reason they are not available everywhere, but customers are advised to call individual stores for availability.
Cat-crazy
According to Liutik, realism is also apparently in style this holiday season with the fast selling FurReal Friends toy -- a mechanical pet that looks and feels like a real cat, and when petted purrs or meows. The company's Web site has all five varieties of the toy listed as not stocked.
"These are just like a real cat. It is amazing how people are going crazy over this item," he said.
Other items that Liutik said are selling well this season including the G.I. Joe Parachute, Yu-Gi-Oh Trading Cards, Care Bears Plush, a remote control land-and-sea vehicle and the Chicken Dance Elmo.
For the more mature gift recipient, Yanni said a laser light leveler, good for use in construction, is also highly popular. Shoppers hoping to take home one of those must also sign a waiting list.