Disney's Doc McStuffins Toys Challenge Dora the Explorer

With established toys such as Barbie and Legos prospering year after year, it’s often tough for new ones to command kids’ attention—and retailers’ shelf space. But when Jennifer Chandler-Saunders shopped for a holiday gift for her 3-year-old daughter, she bypassed such staples in favor of Doc McStuffins, a Walt Disney character that in two years has gained stardom on cable TV and in the toy aisle. “My daughter fell in love with Doc right away,” says Chandler-Saunders, who nabbed a $35 Doc McStuffins medical kit from Toys “R” Us.

Dottie “Doc” McStuffins, a 6-year-old aspiring doctor who treats her toys with help from her dragon and snowman friends and a magic stethoscope, is a fixture of the industry’s rankings of the most popular this holiday season, including hot toy lists at Wal-Mart Stores, Sears Holdings’ Kmart, and Toys “R” Us. Having a coveted product isn’t child’s play for retailers, which will sell $10 billion in toys in the fourth quarter, about half the annual total, according to researcher NPD.