Mr. Squiggles and his friends are the perfect pet. These toy hamsters don't smell, die or wake you up in the middle of the night.

The fuzzy robotic toy hamsters known as Zhu Zhu Pets are the hot toy of the season, flying off store shelves and sending frantic parents scurrying around town. Think Furby, Cabbage Patch and Tickle Me Elmo.

Melinda Zisser has been to the Toys R Us and Target in Plantation multiple times, only to just miss the shipments and come up empty-handed. She has called the manufacturer and her mom has visited stores in Jacksonville.

The only thing she won't do is give in to the mark-up on Amazon.com or eBay, where the toy that retails for under $10 is selling for up to $50.

``I didn't realize I would be in the horde of masses, searching for the perfect holiday gift,'' said Zisser, a Davie mother who was hoping two Zhu Zhu Pets would replace a daughter's dead hamster and her son's desire for a live pet. ``If I knew I could get them in China, I would get on a plane and actually go.''

There's an easier solution for desperate parents: camp out at Toys R Us before Thursday's midnight opening. The first 100 shoppers in line will get the right to purchase one Zhu Zhu Pet. But only one per household.

Zhu Zhu Pets are the surprise hit of the holiday season.

Wal-Mart can't even get the toys out of the box before they're gone. Toys R Us stores sold out a shipment Saturday morning. Learning Express in Pembroke Pines received about 200 last week and they were gone in a little over a day. The store already has a waiting list of 300 people.

SURPRISE SHIPMENT

``We'll be getting in another shipment before Christmas,'' said Cassandra Llanusa, a store employee. ``They won't even tell us when they're coming. It's a surprise when we get them.''

The Zhu Zhu Pets shortage is a combination of conservative retail inventory management and a low price (between $8 and $10) that fits today's budget-conscious parent.

The hamsters are all interactive and each has its own personality like Mr. Squiggles, the one who loves to explore, and Chunk, the laid-back surfer. The hamsters drive around in little cars or run on hamster wheels.

They are so smart they make toilet-flushing or teeth-brushing sounds when they go in their bathroom, and sleeping noises when they go into their bedroom.

Even with efforts by the manufacturer to speed up production, there's no way the Zhu Zhu Pets supply will come anywhere close to meeting the demand.

But their popularity is expected to be good for the toy industry.

``We haven't had a hot toy like this since 2006,'' said Richard Gottlieb, a New York-based toy industry expert. ``It's good because it drives people into the toy department. When they're back in the toy department, they buy other things.''

Some of the other popular toys parents might turn to this year include: Barbie Fashionista, Mindflex game, Dora Links doll, Maxus Drago Bakugan, Liv Dolls, Crayon Town and Star Wars Clone Turbo Tank.

Board games also are enjoying a resurgence as families look for affordable entertainment. Sales of board games are up 6 percent for the year, according to the Toy Industry Association. There have been new versions of familiar classics like Candyland, Monopoly and Connect Four. And new favorites like the Twilight edition of Scene It? are hitting store shelves.

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