Chocolate Bunnies Beware - Ears are the First to Go!

DENVER, March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Earless chocolate bunnies will abound in the days after Easter, according to a recent customer survey conducted by eToys.com, a leading online toy retailer. Eighty-six percent of adults polled say they eat the ears first!

It's no surprise that coloring eggs and egg hunts still rank as the top two family activities for Easter. According to the eToys survey, parents think their kids prefer toys over traditional candy in their Easter baskets this year, by a vote of 57% to 23%. Those same parents say they give a little of each, with 79% filling their child's basket with both candy and toys.

Additional findings from the 2007 eToys.com Easter survey:

Families favor faux eggs -- Most families 'fess up to hiding plastic eggs (64%), which is probably good for the 44% of families who admit they lose between one and five eggs each year.

The cutest celebrity kid wins -- When it comes to celebrity competition in the egg hunt, those polled by eToys pick child star, Dakota Fanning (45%) as the winner of a hypothetical egg hunt, beating out Jaden Smith and Abigail Breslin, who would tie for second place with 16% of the votes each.

Families love funny bunnies -- Among celebrity rabbits, wisecracking Bugs Bunny garners 31% of the votes for favorite bunny from a commercial, according to the eToys.com survey. The Cadbury bunny hops close behind with 28% of the votes and going and going in third position was the Energizer bunny with 21% of the votes.

Easter bonnets are out -- Easter outfits remain popular with those polled by online retailer eToys. Eighty-four percent of parents say they purchase a new Easter outfit for their child annually. But the traditional Easter bonnet is "out" for both mothers and daughters. Sixty-six percent of girls and 91% of their moms say the bonnet is a "don't".

Expect eggs for lunch -- Egg salad will likely be on the menu the week after Easter, as 74% of those surveyed say they eat the eggs the family decorates for Easter.

"As an online toy retailer, we're pleased to know that toys are gaining favor as an Easter basket item, since toys make a healthy alternative to sugary treats," said Sheliah Gilliland, spokesperson for eToys.com. "But the parents we polled chose chocolate bunnies, jelly beans and Peeps as their children's top three Easter goodies, so candy makers have nothing to fear from a little toy industry competition."

  The eToys.com survey was conducted online from March 2 - 6, 2007.

  About eToys Direct

eToys Direct offers thousands of toys, custom dolls, video games and baby products to online and catalog shoppers through its popular web sites and its strategic retail partnerships. The company owns eToys (http://www.etoys.com/) and the My Twinn doll company (http://www.mytwinn.com/) and operates KBtoys.com (http://www.kbtoys.com/) under a long-term licensing agreement. eToys Direct also provides a toy and video game solution to its online and catalog partners, supplying category management, full-featured content, inventory control, order fulfillment and customer support. The privately held company is based in Denver.