The Pressure To Get The Christmas Must-Have Toy

It’s December, which means the most organised people are putting the final touches to their Christmas plans, while others are starting to panic. For parents, there’s that awful realisation that you haven’t secured this year’s must-have toy for your little one.

There are several ways how this might have happened. For instance, you might not have realised that the one thing your little poppet really wants is actually the one thing that all children up and down the country also really really want. Another scenario is that it’s crept onto the list for Santa as a late addition.

One of the major issues with the must-have gift is the association with Santa Claus and his infamous naughty or nice list. If you fail to get the toy they’ve asked so politely for, there’s the chance they’ll think they’ve done something wrong.

This year’s must-have is the Our Generation Awesome Academy School, which comes with a whopping 92 pieces to play with. Retailing at £145 it’s already a very generous present for any child, but the problem is that it is taking more than love and money for parents to track it down.

It’s sold out in the shops and restocks are being snapped up in minutes, with some parents looking to less traditional sources to get their hands on it. One set recently sold on eBay for £411 and other parents are calling on social media for help.

One request on Twitter read: “Twitter do your thing! My daughter wants one of these from Santa. Only available on eBay. Unless some superstar finds one.”

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Of course, the plastic school room is not the first must-have toy that has caused a mad scramble at Christmas. We all remember the desperate competition between parents to get hold of a Furby and the demand for Elsa dolls at the height of the ‘Let It Go’ obsession.

Back in the 90s when many of today’s mums and dads were demanding kids themselves, it was a Tamagotchi they hoped to find under the tree. And let’s not forget the great Po Teletubby shortage of 1997.

In fact, any parent who went above and beyond to secure a Tamagotchi back in the day might find it was a good investment. The original electronic pets are now worth a fair amount to collectors. It’s hard to think that the Awesome Academy School will exceed its already inflated black market price in 20 years’ time, but you never know.

Any family facing Christmas without the must-have gift could always tackle the situation 1992 style. Picture the scene… Thunderbirds has just returned to the television and everyone wants a Tracy Island set. Those who didn’t get one were shown how to fashion the best-selling toy out of papier mache by Blue Peter’s Anthea Turner instead.

Meanwhile, parents will have to look further down the letter to Santa to see what else they can get for their kids. Let’s hope that number two on the list isn’t the Fortnite edition of Monopoly, as the new version of the classic board game is also commanding large sums on eBay.