隨著感恩節(jié)腳步的臨近，北美玩具市場又大大火了一把。而今年，一種玩具珍珠熊取代了經(jīng)典兒童劇《芝麻街》中的Elmo，成為感恩節(jié)最熱門的禮物之選！

這只珍珠熊名叫“豬豬”（音），只要7.99美元，對于經(jīng)濟蕭條大環(huán)境下的美國父母來說，真是很實惠的禮物選擇。而它也不會像真的珍珠熊那樣咬東西、毀壞家具，難怪那么受歡迎啦！

A Hamster Is the Season’s Hottest Toy

Who’s laughing now, Elmo?

The hottest toy this holiday season is not a ticklish red monster. It’s a fake hamster.

Known as Zhu Zhu Pets, the artificial rodents have some advantages over the real thing. They do not stink, chew electric wires, or run around their cages making noise at night. In fact, they do not need cages.

????? Elmo曾是最受歡迎的感恩節(jié)禮物

Children are delighted at how they coo and scoot about unpredictably. Parents are delighted not to have to clean up after them. And at $7.99 each, the hamsters are recession-friendly.

The trouble is, Zhu Zhu Pets are so popular that stores cannot keep them in stock. The critters are routinely sold out at the likes of Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Target, though more will hit the shelves the day after Thanksgiving, when deal-seekers wake up early to shop for bargains. In the meantime, the hamsters are being sold at a premium on the Internet.