NEW YORK -- Looking for which toys are going to be the hot, hard-to-find superstars of the holiday season? Trying checking out the “Toy Wishes” holiday preview in New York.

Each fall “Toy Wishes” magazine hosts a holiday preview, running down and pumping up the top dozen toys the staff has picked for the coming season.

Preview Event Showcases Hottest Toys For 2008

“These are the toys that are going to be the hottest toys to find during the holidays,” said Gareb Shamus, publisher of “Toy Wishes.” “Not that there are a lot of other toys that are going to be hard to find.”

The show-and-tell is staged mainly for the media, he said. It includes some old favorites and new faces, he said.

“This year, Bakugan is going to be an unbelievable breakout,” Shamus said. “It's following the same pattern as Pokémon ... from a worldwide basis."

Some of the other toys making the top dozen list this year include the Bratz Girls Really Rock, in which the Bratz dolls are done up as a rock band; the Girl Gourmet Cupcake Maker; and Kota the Triceratops, which behaves like a triceratops when a child sits on its back.

Kota costs $300, event officials said, but not all the hot toys carry hefty price tags. Another pick -- Animal Scramble -- is a simple game for a youngster at a cost of only $20.

Connecticut's own Lego made the list this year with its Mobile Command Center.

Another toy, U-Dance, gets kids up and dancing, matching their steps with the steps on the screen.

During the event, Charlianne Meli, of Staten Island, got to play with a doll.

“I love this doll,” she said. “I think she's really pretty and fun to play with.”

When asked what it does, she said, “Well, mostly you just use your imagination.”

What kids will love is anyone's guess, but those in the toy industry said the best guess this year is that the toy business is going to take a hit just like the rest of the economy. They said they’re expecting a growth of around 2 percent, which is half the average of previous years.

“If retailers do cut inventories, that means toys will be harder to find,” said Shamus. “We definitely suggest that people go out and shop early, make their lists early, figure out what they want.”

Bakugan is expected to be high on the list this year, Shamus said. The toys, he said, are spring-loaded transformers that jump to life and reveal clues on cards that can make or break a game.

They’re priced $5 and up, he said.

For more top toys visit the Toys'R'Us Web site or the Toy Wishes Web site.