The shopping push has begun, and it seems like every toy is pitched as the one every child wants and needs this holiday season.

GREAT AMERICAN TOY TEST Sweet 16 Best Toys BEST OF THE REST Best Plush Toys, Puppets Best Sports, Outdoor Toys Best Toys That Inspire Imagination Best Arts And Crafts Toys Best Games And Puzzles Best Cars, Trucks, Trains, Planes Best Music Toys Best Construction Toys Best Educational Toys OFFICIAL SITE Great American Toy Test OTHER RESOURCES 'Dirty Dozen' Violent Toys CPSC Toy Safety Publications Toy Industry Association Public Interest Research Group

But which toys are actually considered to be the most fun by the people who matter -- the children? To find out, more than 15,000 children across the country took part in the Great American Toy Test, evaluating more than 350 toys from 90 manufacturers.

In all, $175,000 worth of toys were tested at 120 day-care, after-school and latchkey-child centers across the country. If the boxes of toys were stacked on top of each other, they would stand as tall as the Empire State Building.

While the thousands of toy testers played, they and their teachers rated every toy for 10 important consumer concerns, including overall quality, durability, ability to hold the child's interest, safety and plain old fun.

"I'm a parent as well, and I want value for my dollar when I'm buying Christmas toys," teacher Moon Baltry said. "I don't want it broken or set aside."

For participating, those child-care centers got to keep the thousands of dollars worth of toys for free.

"The state has cut a lot of funding for different groups, so for having new toys, we didn't think we were going to get any," teacher Diana Thomasson said. "It was like a blessing."

The scoring was close, but this year's winners came down to a sweet 16, including Fisher-Price's Pixter Color, which some kids thought of as the ultimate digital drawing toy. High -tech, easy to carry and tough as nails, Pixter Color gives children the choice of any or all of 128 brilliant colors on a touch-sensitive screen.

The device allows children to create still lifes or animations, or play games and music. Children can create their own games and play them with others.

For kids 4 and up, Fisher-Price's Pixter Color is $80.

Educational Toys

While any good toy should be fun, some of the best are also educational, and this year's top toys include many that can increase your children's knowledge while they still have fun.

Leap Frog's Leap Pad Plus Writing Learning System teaches fundamental reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, music and much more. Its dual-purpose interactive pen allows children to write in the included activity books -- which include Winnie the Pooh and Richard Scarry -- and basic skills.

For children ages 4 to 8, Leap Frog's Leap Pad Plus Writing Learning System is $60.

Also from Leap Frog, the Pretend and Learn Cash Register is a fun way for children to learn numbers, counting and math. As kids drop the play coins in, the high-tech machine reads them and announces the name of the coin and its value.

It also has a scanner to read price tags, making for a fun math, counting and coin experience. For children 3 and up, Leap Frog's Pretend and Learn Cash Register is $40.

The most advanced of the top 16 toys is the Fisher-Price Power Touch Learning System. Just as parents and teachers help children learn to read by putting their fingers on the words, the Power Touch Learning System does the same electronically.

"That they can do something on their own -- they don't need someone else -- it's self-gratification," teacher Jane Pasternak said.

With the slightest touch on any word or picture, children 3 to 8 can explore phonics, vocabulary, spelling, math, music and more. The Fisher-Price Power Touch Learning System costs $50.

Dolls, Playsets

Sometimes, the best toys can be variations on old classics, such as plush animals and dolls. The top doll chosen was the Unbelievably Soft Baby from Goldberger Dolls. And it really is unbelievably soft.

Toy testers cuddled and hugged the dolls for hours on end. Made from the company's Magic Softskin, the doll's internal air pillow allows children or parents to change the baby's feel from soft to firm.

"They liked the baby doll because it smells like a natural baby, and they liked the powdery scent to it," teacher Amani Hill said.

For children 2 and up, Goldberger's Unbelievably Soft Baby costs $20 and comes with a lifetime guarantee.

Toy testers also liked Learning Resources' Pretend and Play Doctor set as one of their favorites.

"The doctor set, they really like to dress up and pretend to play," teacher Lisa Franklin said.

The 19-piece kit contains enough medical supplies for a team of young doctors to play together. It even includes a battery-powered stethoscope, pager, play cell phone, forceps, bandages and thermometer, all designed to neatly fit into a kid-sized clear plastic case.

For children ages 3 to 12, Learning Resources' Pretend and Play Doctor set is $25.

Children also liked Fisher-Price's Loving Family Sweet Sounds Talking Dollhouse. With its family of four, the dollhouse has enough furniture and accessories for any kid to have a complete make-believe experience.

The playset includes a couch, table, lamp, two cribs, two spinning mobiles, a changing table, a swing, blankets and more. If a child needs more stuff for the house, there's a complete line of additional Loving Family accessories.

For ages 3 and up, Fisher-Price's Loving Family Sweet Sounds Talking Dollhouse is $80.

Cars, Trains, Planes

Some of the most popular toys each year are the new variations on cars and trains.

According to the toy testers, the radio-controlled Vertigo by Tyco R/C, a division of Mattel, is the ultimate stunt vehicle.

Vertigo's flashing lights and hinged scissor-action chassis allows for unlimited combinations of flips, spins and rolls -- a winning combination for older kids.

The rechargeable Vertigo is $65 and made for kids 8 and up.

Less technologically advanced but still popular toys are Hot Wheels Highway 35 Race Vehicles. There are 35 cars to the set, and each one costs just $3 for ages 3 and up.

"The toys that really seem to hold their attention and that they come to over and over again are the simple, classic ones," teacher Karen Costello said.

Timber Toots, from Maple Landmark, are incredibly simple, but also incredibly popular. They're the latest version of the company's wooden trains. The train cars connect together with simple but strong magnets.

No tracks are needed, but track sets are available. The A to Z Train, which includes an engine and caboose, is a good learning aid for kids ages 3 to 5. The trains cost $3 each, or the whole set can be purchased for $75.

Dream Toys

Some favorite toys are simple and inexpensive, while others are a bit more extravagant. Children in the Great American Toy Test found some "dream toys" that can provide a lot of fun while also straining some wallets.

From Rokenbok come the Rok Works Starter Set and R/C Dozer. The starter set has more than 150 snap-fit building pieces, plus a radio-controlled loader that scoops, hauls and dumps cargo balls onto a motorized electric-eye-controlled conveyor system.

The basic set includes a four-player radio controller that makes it very expandable. As large and sophisticated as the basic set is, parents can purchase many other accessories and vehicles, such as the dozer.

Rokenbok Toys are for children 6 and up. The starter set costs $80, and the dozer is $60, for a total of $140.

The Barbie Cook With Me Smart Kitchen, from Kid Design, is billed as the most advanced, fun kitchen ever made. The high-tech toy features a cookbook, a make-believe microwave oven, four glass-top burners, a grill, an oven and more. All the appliances recognize which of the 29 play food pieces is being cooked.

Scanable meal cards teach table manners, healthy eating and recipes. Every step of the way, children get fun messages and phrases from Chef Barbie herself.

For kids 3 and up, the Barbie Cook With Me Smart Kitchen is $130.

The ultimate dream toy may be the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Barbie Volkswagen Dune Beetle.

Its fat, plastic tires make it suitable for sidewalk or off-road lawns, and it travels at speeds up to 5 mph. The radio sound box plays hip tunes and realistic Volkswagen engine and horn sounds.

The rechargeable Beetle, like the real one, even has a dashboard bud vase complete with flower.

For kids 3 and up the Power Wheels Barbie Volkswagen Dune Beetle can seat two but has a maximum weight load of 130. It costs $290.