T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA Santa Claus is almost ready to spread Christmas magic around the world but first stopped at the Ohio Valley Mall to listen to children express what they want him to put under their tree.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — When making a list of what Belmont County children are asking for this Christmas, who better to ask than the jolly ol’ guy himself.

Despite getting ready to deliver holiday cheer across the world, Santa has spent a lot of the holiday season at the Ohio Valley Mall listening to what gifts children want under their tree this year.

Santa said that popular toys for kids include video games, diggers, monster trucks and robotic toys for younger boys and Barbies for girls. He added that Barbies are always at the top of the list for girls because there are countless accessories such as houses and vehicles.

“The girls love Barbie, you can’t pass Barbie up,” Santa said. “She’s a clear winner.”

He added that Bluey is another huge favorite for both younger girls and boys.

According to Disney+, Bluey was the most streamed show on the streaming platform in 2025.

Bluey has countless items for children to choose from such as Pillowpets, Squishmallows, LEGO sets, action figures, a toddler art set and a supermarket playset — which toyinsider.com named the hottest Christmas toy for ages 3+ this year.

Santa also revealed what older children put on their lists.

“Older girls are interested in makeup, vanity sets, clothes and phones. Older boys are into clothes and games,” Santa said. “There’s a gap between younger boys’ preferences for monster trucks and older boys’ interests in motorcycles and then there are some farm boys who still favor tractors.”

He added that everything Marvel is still a big hit with the kids. Marvel is one the biggest entities when it comes to merchandise. Anything from LEGO sets, action figures, comic books, video games, movies, clothing and virtually anything else you could think of.

According to toyinsider.com, Lego Technic Ferrari Fxx K is the most popular request for ages 10+.

If you are looking for an out-of-the-box gift, Bestproducts.com suggests an Hawaiian shaved ice/snow cone machine which retails around $50 that can be given to any family member at any age.

At $476, a Sony Playstation 5 is another smash hit but pricier option for boys and girls — both young and old.

If you are on a budget this holiday season, Target has a section on its website that showcases gifts for various price points. It has six clickable icons for children gifts under $5, under $10, under $15, under $25, under $50 and under $100.

The under $5 gift ideas include Hot Wheel cars, LEGO Bluey tea part, “Llama Llama Red Pajama” book by Anna Dewdney as well as various smaller items.

The under $10 gifts are headphones, Connect 4, Uno and Mini Brands Disney figures — often referred to as “Mini Figs” by children.

The under $15 section shows various plushies from children television shows and movies. It also has classic board games such as Clue and Guess Who.

The under $25 gift ideas are table top air-hockey, medium-sized LEGO sets, Bluey Squishmallows, and Exploding Kittens card game.

The under $50 section features a Fisher Price two-sided walker and the Bluey supermarket playset — the same one that was touted as a “hot holiday item” by the Toyinsider website.

Lastly, the under $100 items at Target are a Ms. Rachel Tonibox 2 starter kit, Furby DJ Rainbow, and a Little Tikes folding trampoline.