They don't eat or run around at night

The hottest Christmas toy in the US this year is a fake hamster. Known as Zhu Zhu Pets (pronounced zoo zoo), the artificial creatures have a two big advantages over the real thing. They don't eat, nor do they run around in their cages at night, making noise. They don't need cages, in fact.

Children love how they squeak. Parents love not having to clean up after them. And the hamsters are recession-friendly. They cost only $7.99 each. The only problem is, Zhu Zhu Pets are so popular that stores cannot keep them in stock. So the hamsters are being sold for $50 or more on the internet.

"It clearly is the hottest phenomenon of the year," Gerald L. Storch, chairman and chief executive of Toys "R" Us told The New York Times. He added that Toys "R" Us plans to offer an exclusive $100 Zhu Zhu Pets set that includes two hamsters, an exercise wheel, a house, a car and a garage. There's even a surfboard!

The five different battery-operated hamsters — Chunk, PipSqueak, Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums and Patches — are popular with girls. This is not surprising, as girls also own the majority of live hamsters. Zhu Zhu Pets were created by Cepia, a St. Louis company with 16 employees in the United States and 25 in China.