Hot toys at American International Toy Fair [video]

Navigating the American International Toy Fair is like plummeting headfirst at warp speed into a kaleidoscopic netherworld designed by a hyperactive 6-year-old Jackson Pollock.

There’s hardly a muted color in sight. Giant, voiceless plush mascots roam the halls, veering toward photo-seeking fans. The sounds of squealing robots, jingly children’s music, whirring motors and beeping buttons waft through the aisles.

Stacks upon shelves upon piles upon hangers of toys – spinning tops, dolls with artificial intelligence, computer puzzles turned board games, spa kits for 6-year-olds – crowd the hundreds of booths.

In the front hall of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, a massive Power Ranger statue looms over the proceedings like a Ramses II colossus at the Temple of Luxor in Egypt.

To call the annual event surreal is an understatement. But the circus of products, which kicks off the yearlong hunt for hot holiday toys, wraps up Wednesday.

Here’s a highlight reel. See anything to put on the Christmas list?

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