Elmo now sings, plays the bongos and the tambourine. He'll sing with you. He's programmed to sing six songs (the words come with the instructions). He's cute--furry enough to feel friendly. His voice is Elmo's (no discernable difference from switching from the folks at Fisher Price to Hasbro) in that regard. He will go head to head this year with Mattel's Rock Star Mickey. In our comparison, we'd pick Elmo. The sound quality of Mickey is grating and he's less animated than last year's Dance Star Mickey whom we loved.

Age: Toddlers, Preschool. Award Year: 2011. Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.