Hottest Kids Toy in 2011: Tablet Computers!

Forget flying radio-controlled fish and video game consoles -- the most in-demand kid's "toy" this year is the tablet computer! In fact, according to a new Nielsen research poll, the Apple iPad is the most-asked-for gift among children this holiday season. A whopping 44% of kids surveyed said they wanted an Ipad, up from just 30% last year.

The Consumer Electronics Association says that tablet devices are definitely the hottest gifts for the 2011 Christmas season. According to the CEA director of research Shawn DuBravac: 

 "Tablets, tablets, tablets and some more tablets on the side... Far and away, that will be the most popular item!" 

 He says that it's difficult to know for sure which of the many tablets on the market will end up being the true sales star in the US. The population is very diverse demographically. According to DuBravac:

"There’s going to be multiple tablets that will probably do well because there’s a large variation of consumers out there... They all want different things."

Many experts believe that younger children will be demanding the new LeapPad Explorer "learning tablet"... a device designed to help kids learn reading, writing, and math faster. Just don't tell them it's not really as cool as an iPad or Kindle Fire!

Learn some mo': Tablets are the new Cabbage Patch Kids