From the kids version of a John Deere tractor to Penelope Peapod and the Wii gaming system, local stores are seeing certain toys rising to the top of the wish list this season.

One of the most popular Christmas gifts nationally, the Wii gaming system also is highly sought after locally.

But if you’re looking for one, Joe Furlow, owner of Play N Trade in Gainesville, has only a few of them.

“It has been difficult to find,” he said. “We actually got a hold of 12 of them not too long ago and sold most of them on Monday. But we were told we were some of the only people who had them in town.”

Furlow added that the Wii comes with “Wii Sports that has boxing, bowling, golf, tennis and baseball on it.”

But even harder to locate than the Wii is Wii Fit, a game that features physical activities like yoga.

“Most people end up looking for the Wii Fit, which is even harder to find than the Wii system, and Mario Cart,” Furlow said. “Those have been the biggest right now, but for other systems you’re looking at like Call of Duty 5 and Gears of War 2.”

Furlow added that “anything with Mario in the title” is perfect for smaller children.

While some stores are benefitting from the popularity of high-tech gaming systems, other stores see more traditional toys selling well, too.

“I’ve seen a good interest in our games that are not digital, especially the Gobblet,” said Kathy Haynes, owner of Stork & Kids World since 1974. “John Deere items, John Deere tractors, books, puzzles ... we are selling quite a few books, pop-up books. And we’ve had some pop-up books with sound that have been very good. ... Those are the things that would stand out in my mind.”

At Little Ladybug on Thompson Bridge Road in Gainesville, owner Carol Hudgins said more traditional toys are what she sells the most.

Hudgins mentioned that some of the most popular gifts have been Penelope Peapod and Rosalina baby dolls.

“(Penelope Peapod) is a baby in her own little purse that changes into a bassinet, and then Rosalina baby dolls are soft and have smocked dresses,” she said. “We have a lot of cute wind-up toys, just little under-$5 wind-up toys, that the kids all seem to love. One is a monkey with cymbals clapping

“Of course we always have a lot of little ladybug things. We have a wind-up ladybug, a seal that has a ball that spins around on its nose. And we sell a lot of Klutz, the name brand; they are educational books and they have magic books, paper airplanes, they range in age from 4 up to 104.”

For boys Hudgins said laser finger beams have been really popular — they’re simply a little light with an elastic band that attaches to your finger.

Then, of course, there’s the ever-popular Hello Kitty for little girls.

“It’s a great stocking stuffer because the price is so good. You can do a whole lot with $10,” she said.