5 gifts for little ones

Playskool Poppin' Park Stack N' Drop Animals. Simple is best when it comes to gifts for babies, who are usually more interested in the wrapping paper than what's inside. Nevertheless, once the wrapping paper has been removed from their fists, little ones will delight in these brightly colored stacking cups. The game of "pile a thing on top of a thing" is tied with "put things in a container and take them out" when it comes to all-time baby favorites. This game offers a twist: Pile these things on one another, drop a ball in the top, and it will come out a different animal's mouth depending on the configuration. Baby smiles are almost guaranteed. ($9.99 at hasbrotoyshop.com)

Sesame Street Spoofs! This two-volume collection is for parents as much as kids: It's full of the best Sesame Street riffs on pop culture. In "30 Rocks," a long-suffering lemon named Liz Lemon coordinates delivery of 30 rocks to the set of her TV show. In "Mad, Mad Men," kids learn emotions as Mr. Draper and two sycophants look at different ad treatments for the Happy Honeybear account. In a bonus spoof, "Jon and Kate plus 8," the Count helps two very tired Muppets count exactly how many children they have. A can't-miss spoof: the elite squad of the Law & Order Special Letters Unit, with a Muppet who is a dead ringer for Richard Belzer. ($16.99 at Amazon.com)

Crawl 'n Go Snail. This creature gets crawlers and pre-crawlers up and, well, crawling. Slowly. The musical snail from Yookidoo rolls along and spins its shell as it goes. It also comes with two activity toys: One becomes a stacker, one has movable beads that spin and slide. ($35.99 at Lolli Lolli, 713 Walnut St., 215-625-2655)

Cozy Cookie. The Cozy Cookie is a soft, fleecy stuffed gingerbread doll. The twist: It actually smells like gingerbread. Made of fleece, the Cozy Cookie is stuffed with rice and cloves. It's a bit like a cross between a stuffed animal and a heating pad: You warm the doll in the microwave for a minute to heat up the rice and release the yummy cookie scent. Some little ones reportedly get attached to the warm cookie as a soothing part of their bedtime ritual (even in the summertime). ($16.99 at O'Doodle's, 8335 Germantown Ave., 215-247-7405)

Let's Rock Elmo. This year's Elmo doll has more edge than his predecessors: He wears a black T-shirt and plays bongo drums. Perhaps this new image has something to do with the lifting of the veil now that puppeteer Kevin Clash, the voice and spirit of Elmo, has a new documentary out about his work. Whatever the case, this hard-rocking Elmo will keep kids entertained while parents kick back with a copy of Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey. Elmo is smarter than ever, too: He "recognizes" his bongo drums and his tambourine (included) and can interact with a Let's Rock guitar, keyboard, or microphone (sold separately). ($49.99 at amazon.com)   - Meredith Broussard