IT may look like a marble, but it's not.

Toss it into the air and it'll "explode" into an action-figure monster.

Called Bakugan, and costing just US$4.99 ($7.25), the toy (below) was among 16 others on the 2008 "Most Wanted List" sponsored by Time to Play, a new toy-review website.

And it's expected to be a big seller this Christmas as price-conscious parents spend less amid the economic slump, reported The New York Post.

Yes, hot but costlier buys like computer and electronics games may no longer fly off the shelves during the holiday season.

Mr Chris Byrne, the website's content director, said: "You look at it and it's US$4.99 - that's less than a latte at Starbucks. The price point is going to drive volume sales, it's a high perceived value."

Toys R Us said the Bakugan is already a hot seller.

Mr Anton Rabie, president of Spin Master, the toy's US manufacturer, said: "Kids think this is a marble on steroids."

He added that another factor that will drive sales is the toy's collectibility - it has 150 different versions of monsters and about 200 types of playing cards used in its related game.

In the game, players "battle" each other, with the loser's Bakugan going to the victor.

Other toy makers like Mattell and Hasbro are also expecting to sell more cheap toys during the festive season, reported Bloomberg.

They said most of their toys will cost under US$20.

Mattel, the world's largest toymaker, will offer High School Musical 3 dolls for US$14.99 each and its Color Me Gemz Jewelry Box for US$19.99.

Retailers face a slowdown in consumer spending as people pay more for gasoline and food, while seeing the value of their homes decline and job losses mount.

Sales may fall

A BMO Capital Markets analyst said sales may fall 3 per cent during the holiday season. Traditionally, toy makers get at least a third of their annual revenue in the fourth quarter of the year.

"The sales we're going to lose are those incremental sales, that impulse sale," Mr Byrne said.

It's just a sign of the times.

Mattel brands president Neil Friedman said: "Whenever there's a tough economic situation, obviously it is a concern for all industries."

He added that Mattel's toys are "priced well enough that the consumer can afford to buy their child enough things so that they don't feel the same stress in this economy that the parents do".

Wal-Mart has also slashed prices ahead of the holiday season, offering 10 items for US$10 each.

Analyst Gerrick Johnson said: "Christmas coming every year is no guarantee that people will spend the same amount of money every year. It's not recession-proof."

This story was first published in The New Paper on Oct 4, 2008.