CHRISTMAS is a time for reflection, a time for looking back on years gone by, with a touch of sentimentality, writes Emily Bridgewater.

This season, however, shoppers will find themselves feeling more nostalgic than ever with a crop of retro-toys finding their way into children's Christmas stockings.

Many toys have come full-circle with My Little Pony, He-Man, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Care Bears becoming popular once again.

At Kids Cottage, in Chapel Street, Bromsgrove, manager Elaine McCarthy said so far Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had been flying off the shelves. They first featured on letters to Santa in the late 1980s.

"And the Playmobil range has been very popular, as have the Baby Annabell dolls. And the V-Tech range always sells well, " she said.

However, Elaine added that they had also seen a surge on the more traditional handmade toys, which are not available elsewhere in Bromsgrove.

The Advertiser/Messenger also spoke to the head office of Woolworths, of which there is a branch in Bromsgrove's High Street.

Spokeswoman Maureen Baker said this Christmas will be a battle between the old and the new with Ninja Turtles and the new Japanese card craze game Yu-Gi-Oh vying for the top spot.

The new Bratz dolls are also rivalling old favourite Barbie as favourable stocking fillers for girls, while badge making machine Badge It got the approval of both sexes.

At Roy's Toys in Rubery Bratz dolls were again proving very popular. "We have been selling out of them," said manager Steve Marston.

He said other popular lines at the New Road store include Hornby trains, Scalextric and Baby Annabell dolls.

"The turtles have been popular but we can't get hold of them now. I don't think we will get hold of anymore before Christmas," he added.