Some of this season’s hottest toys are far from kid stuff — which means many parents will secretly want to play with these toys when the kids aren’t looking. That’s because technology has reached a new pinnacle. These toys let you do cool stuff you can’t  do even with your adult gadgets — portable gaming devices that double as MP3 players; new breeds of walkie-talkies that act more like cell phones, including having text messaging capabilities; and hand-held video cameras that allow kids to make their own movies, edit, create special effects and then send them out over the Internet to family and friends.

For the first time in the National Retail Federation’s listing of top 10 toys, iPods and other digital music players made the cut.

Technology has really erased the barrier between what is a kid product and what is an adult product, Christopher Byrne, an independent toy analyst who goes by “the Toy Guy,” said in an interview with the Washington Post.

Kids are getting older younger, analyst John Taylor of Arcadia Investment Corp, said in that same Washington Post article. Sociologists call it “age compression.”

Let us help you discover what’s out there — without having to get out of your slippers or off  your sofa.

We checked with those in the know for the hottest of the hot toy picks this season.

Here’s the Top 20 we compiled from such famous lists as Toy Wishes, Kidz Eyes and big-name mass retailers who have stocked their shelves for this season:

 * Alive,  WowWee. This highly detailed, realistic-looking, life-size bust of a chimpanzee duplicates the sounds and movements of his real-life relatives. With his realistic skin, hair and moving features, you might think he is “Alive.” Ages: 5 and up. $130

 * Barbie as Princess Annika, Mattel. Barbie can change her look just like “magic.” Just one quick twist, girls change Barbie’s dress from princess pretty to princess glam. Ages: 3 and up. $19.99

 * Black Belts Karate Home Studio, Spinmaster. Comes with training mat, inflatable heavy bag with a 3-minute DVD/VHS instructional tape. Ages: 3 and up. $24.99

 * Dora’s Talking Kitchen, Fisher-Price. The kitchen looks just like the one Dora has on her TV show and includes lights, sounds, encouraging phrases and more than 25 pieces to complement the kitchen. Ages: 2 and up. $79.99

 * Fly wheels, Jakks Pacific. Just pull the ripcord and watch the wheels jump ramps and soar through the air. Some have light-up handles, remote controls and amped up playset. Ages: 8 and up.  $4.99-$39.99

 * Fly Pentop Computer, LeapFrog. Pen interacts with special “Fly paper” to track pen strokes for everything from music and games to advanced calculations and language translations. Ages 8-13. $99.99

 * Furby, Hasbro. This new version of Furby combines realistic facial expressions and emotions along with voice recognition. He sings, dances, yawns, laughs, tells jokes and responds when talked to. Ages: 8 and up. $39.99

  * i-Dog, Hasbro. Palm-sized robotic dog grooves along to any music it hears, wiggles its ears, sways its head and expresses its likes and dislikes through light patterns. Plug it directly into hand-held music systems and broadcast tunes through its built-in speaker. Ages: 8 and up. $24.99

 *  iZ, Zizzle. No one is quite sure what this character is supposed to be. Create your own music by turning his ears and flicking his antennae. He’s posable, and with his own speaker, he can be hooked up to any music source. Ages: 5 and up. $29.99

 * Leapster L-Max Learning Game System, LeapFrog. Plug in a cartridge and have fun learning math, logic, language, writing spelling. Or, plug it into the TV for dual learning options. Ages: Pre-kindergarten through fourth grade. $99.99

 * Magnaworld Magnacity, Rose Art. Building set comes with more than 100 magnetic rods that snap together with steel balls. Customize your structures with 95 included stickers. Ages: 6 and up. $49.99

 * Nintendogs: Chihuahua and Friends, Nintendo. This popular virtual pet has 3-D graphic reality. Choose a dog, name it, train it and interact with it. Raise it well and you might get puppies. Available in three versions: Dachshund, Chihuahua or Labrador. Rated: All ages. $29.99

 * Pixel Chix, Mattel. This 2-D girl living in a 3-D world does all activities that mirror a girl’s life with technology. She talks, eats, sleeps, exercises, hangs out and plays games, all on her Pixel screen. Ages: 7 and up. $29.99

 * Rebellion Chopper, Razor. Travels up to 17 mph and holds riders up to 220 pounds. Ages: 14 and up. $300.

 * Shell Shocker R.C., Tyco. Unlike any other R/C toy, it starts as a ball wrapped in a protective rhino-like skin; switch from “shield” mode and the creature turns its shell inside out while in motion to gain traction and reveal its scorpionlike tail to attack. Works on grass, sand and mud. Ages: 8 and up. $79.99

 * VCam Now. Hasbro. Kids can film digital movies, take photographs and create their own VideoNow personal video discs with this digital video camera. Users can view their digital movies on TV and view, edit and send video and photos on their computer. They can connect to a computer and use it as a Web camera. Ages: 8 and up. $79.99

 * Video Now XP Color, Hasbro. This new version of the personal video player allows kids to play interactive games, watch their favorite TV shows and music videos. The VideoNow Media Wizards ($12.99) allows you to create DVDs of any movie files, playlists and photos you may have. Ages: 6 and up. $59.99

 * V-Smile Pocket, VTech. This is a hand-held and extremely portable version of the V.Smile. It also can be connected to a TV for on-screen play. It works with all the VTech “Smartridges.” Ages: 5 and up. $89.99

 * VUGO, Hasbro. Portable multimedia player gives kids access to their favorite TV shows, music and photos all in one hand-held media player. Each unit has enough memory, to hold up to 60 minutes of video, six hours of music and over 1,200 digital photos. Has a 3-inch color screen and speakers. Ages: 8 and up. $119.99

 * XBOX 360, Microsoft. The must-have gaming system of the 2005 holiday season, Xbox 360 has family settings, DVD playback, sharing of digital photos, streaming music, online gameplay and videogames. Ages: 8 and up. $300

Still hot

These toys are not “new” in 2005, but they are still sizzling and still hot this year, according to Toy Wishes magazine:

* Bratz Babyz, MGA Entertainment. Babyz comes with painted fingernails and toenails, glamour baby accessories and her own pet. Ages: 6 and up, $7.99

* Batman Begins Deluxe Batmobile, Mattel. Replica of the car in the movie, it comes with a rocket engine, lasers in the front and twin projectiles that pop out when the vehicle goes into attack mode. Ages: 4 and up. $31.99

* Darth Tater, Hasbro. Mr. Potato Head goes to the Dark Side. He comes with lightsaber, cape, helmet, shoes, eyes, nose, teeth and more. Ages: 2 and up, $7.99

* Doodle Bears, Play Along. These bears come with their own special markers for kids to draw on them. To clean, toss in the wash and start over again. Ages: 4 and up. $14.99

* Nintendo DS, Nintendo. Still popular because it gives kids gaming action, wireless communication and the touch screen adds more dimension whether it’s playing or communicating. Ages: 8 and up, $129.99

* Sony PSP, Sony. Portable hand-held device not only allows you to play games, but listen to music, watch movies, handle photos and do wireless networking. Ages: 8 and up. $249.99

* Star Wars: Episode III Electronic Lightsabers, Hasbro. Choose your light color. Obi-Wan Kenobi edition vibrates with the Force. Yoda has Jedi Training mode with words and phrases. Ages: 4 and up. $19.99

* Tamagotchi Connection Version 2, Bandai. More friends, new colors, new designs and new characters to play with. Version 2 offers infrared technology that allows owners to “connect” with others, play games, give gifts and become friends. Ages: 8 and up.  $24.99 (two pack); $14.99 (single pack)