Barbie versus the Bratz

She looks like an A-list Hollywood star. Bee-stung lips, a curtain of eyelashes and a surgically enhanced physique.

But, instead of seeing her in the latest movie release, Yasmin and her friends are likely to be sitting in your living room this Christmas.

The seven-inch dolls from Japan have been voted one of the most popular toys for children come 25 December. The Bratz, as they are called, hold their appeal in their daring clothes, which include off-the-shoulder tops, platform shoes and micro-skirts.

And they are on target to grab a large slice of the £1.7billion British toy market.

At £15 each, Britain's leading toy shops have voted the Bratz - Yasmin, Chloe, Jade and Sasha - as one of the big hits this Christmas.

But, for parents - many of whom are perturbed by the silicone images being thrust at their children - there is some respite. Among the top 10 toys for Christmas is the children's classic Barbie. This year she has finished with Rollerblades and spangly tops and appears as the fairy tale character Rapunzel in a flouncy pink dress and blonde tresses falling at her feet.

There is also Baby Annabel, a doll that looks like a three-month-old baby, cries and needs her nappy changing.

Even the traditional spinning top is making a comeback. Beyblades are spinning tops that vary in colour and design and can be spun against one another in the form of a sparring contest. At £6 each, they were an immediate sell-out when they first appeared in Britain at Easter.

Val Stedman, chairman of the British Association of Toy Retailers, said: "Not all the toys in the top 10 are crazes. There are enduring products, such as dolls that hold their appeal.

"Take Barbie, which is continually reinvented - this year as Barbie Rapunzel - or Baby Annabel. It's also great to see newer ranges like the Bratz, with their passion for fashion, which help to make dolls relevant to girls of today."

For parents who thought they had had enough of Harry Potter for one year, the boy wizard's producers have made a Lego game called the Chamber Of Secrets. At £60, it is the most expensive toy in the list.

The list is produced each autumn by the British Association of Toy Retailers. Britain's top toy stores - such as Woolworths, Toys R Us, Toymaster, Hamley's and Argos - vote on which toy they believe will prove most popular with children this Christmas.

Previous years saw Pokèmon and Tamagotchi top the league. This year, it appears that traditional dolls, Lego and spinning tops will dominate the living room floor.

Dr Jeffrey Goldstein, a social psychologist from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, believes that playing - rather than watching TV - is coming back into fashion.

He said: "Given the multimedia world we live in, it is not surprising to find that toys increasingly make reference to, or are adapted from, other media.

"The toys in this year's 'industry toybox' represent the broad range of play experiences from playing alone to sharing with others.

"Play value is still what sells a toy. If a toy is no fun to play with, no amount of technology will increase its desirability as a play object."