Hot Under the Tree: Fancy Crock Pots, Monkeys, Velvet

Multi-use cookers, toy monkeys, and lots of velvet. The AP takes a look at some of the most popular items this holiday season:

• Toys: Fingerlings, the $15 colorful monkeys that wrap around a finger, have been hard to find. Other hot items were the LOL Surprise ball, which hides small dolls and other trinkets in layers inside. And Hachimals, animatronic bird-like creatures that hatch from eggs, were back this year with new twists. Board games are popular, too, particularly messy ones like Soggy Doggy, which shakes water onto players. And Star Wars toys related to the latest movie are faring well, though not matching last year's success.

• Clothing: Cold weather has driven shoppers to buy coats, boots, and gloves, but they're also picking up other fashion items, says one expert. Velvet is again taking center stage, with blazers, dresses, and wide-leg pants all being the most-wanted pieces.
• Housewares: Gadgets like the Instant Pot, which combines a pressure cooker, a slow cooker, rice cooker, and more, are still hot this year. In the year that ended in November, sales of multi-use cookers rose 79% to more than $300 million.
• Electronics: New Apple iPhones and watches as well as new video consoles topped the list, especially the hand-held Nintendo Switch; nostalgia has made the Super NES Classic, a mini of the coveted 1990s console, hard to find.

(More Instant Pot stories.)