Yu-gi-oh, Barbie and Harry Potter Yahoo! News Tue, Oct 08, 2002 Tue Oct 8,11:05 AM ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Parents: start your engines. Whether the economy is gloomy or booming, fickle kids still want the most popular toys, according to Toy Wishes magazine, which on Tuesday unveiled its list of toys it predicts will be the top sellers this holiday season.

It could be even harder for parents to get their hands on this year's Cabbage Patch Kid or Tickle Me Elmo, as the West Coast port lockout drags on, delaying the shipment of toys into the U.S.

Despite the fact that the faltering economy has left wallets lighter, retailers struggling, and consumer confidence shaky, the holidays are a time when parents indulge their children, regardless of other factors.

"Birthdays and the holidays are the two key points in the year when you're not going to disappoint your child even if you've just had a pink slip or afraid one is coming," said Brean Murray toy analyst Margaret Whitfield.

The "Hot Dozen" toys:

-- Yu-Gi-Oh! Trading game Booster Pack Collectors Tin: Yugioh Fans of this card game can pack their decks with booster packs made to increase the complexity and power during monster dueling matches.

-- FurReal Friends: A line of electronic plush cats, made by the Tiger Division of Hasbro Inc., that when stimulated by touch, duplicate and mimic mannerisms unique to a real cat.

-- Barbie As Rapunzel: Mattel Inc.'s Barbie with long, "growing" hair and a gown.

-- Barbie Wireless Video Camera

-- Bratz Salon 'N' Spa: The Bratz are a group of nine-inch fashion dolls made by MGA Entertainment. This item is a full-service beauty salon that includes "everything needed for a day of beauty," Toy Wishes said.

-- Chicken Dance Elmo -- Mattel unit Fisher-Price puts out another Elmo doll. In this one the Sesame Street character, dressed as a chicken, sings and dances.

-- KidClips Disney Tunes: Allows kids to listen to Disney music on compact player, made by Tiger.

-- Musini: Made by Neurosmith, allows children to make music by sensing vibrations to make a musical composition.

-- Lego Harry Potte Chamber of Secrets: A Lego set to depict scenes from the J.K. Rowling book and upcoming movie.

-- Harry Potter Slime Chamber Play Set: Kids load and dump slime out of a snake's jaw, made by Mattel.

-- Quantum Pad Learning System: LeapFrog's learning system for third to fifth graders uses games and activities to help kids learn school subjects like math and spelling.

-- Tony Hawk Pro Skater 4: The newest installment in the popular video game series based on professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, published by Activision Inc.