Editorial: At what price happiness?

Saturday, Nov. 25, 2006 | 7:03 a.m.

Broke yet? It is a reasonable question, given the prices of some of the year's more sought-after toys.

Despite the fact that holiday decorations and music have been assaulting the senses for at least a couple of weeks now, the Christmas shopping season for many Americans officially began Friday. And what expensive shopping it is destined to be.

A recent story by the Associated Press predicts that this year could be one of the priciest ever as toys are more high-tech and, as a result, more expensive. Even if the $600 Sony Playstation 3 doesn't end up under the tree Christmas morning, there is still the Nintendo Wii game console that with all its accessories sells in the neighborhood of $600 and Microsoft's Xbox 360, which starts around $400.

Battery-powered cars that kids can ride start at $250, arcade-style pinball machines sell for $300 and the 3-foot-tall "Butterscotch My Furreal Friends Pony," with moving eyes, ears, head and tail, costs about $300. These sound like the high-end, untouchable toys that once were available only in specialty catalogs. But thanks to cheaper computer chips and robotics technologies, people now can buy them at Wal-Mart.

Certainly there are numerous, and popular, toys that sell for much less. But parents seeking the "big present" seem willing to fork over as much as a car payment or two just to elicit that Christmas morning squeal of delight and surprise from their little ones. It's their choice.

Still, it's hard to fathom. After all, remember when all Santa needed to leave was a sled or a new bike?