New Pals for iPods.

When little Madison and Tyler plop themselves down on Santa's lap this year, they probably won't be begging for new outfits for their dolls or battlegrounds for their action figures. They're itching for accessories for their iPods. As the $1.99 video downloads of kiddie faves That's So Raven and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody available at iTunes suggest, adults aren't the only ones carrying the trendy media players.

Now toy companies are getting a clue, too. "In today's world, 3- and 4-year-olds are playing on computers and 5- and 6-year-olds are using T iV o units," says Jim Silver, editor of the trade publication Toy Wishes. Two of the picks on this year's Toy Wishes"Hot Dozen" (predictions of the bestsellers based on reviews by parents, kids, and retailers) can be used as iPod add-ons.

One Hot Dozen pick is i-Dog ($30), an electronic pup: Its nose lights up, its ears bop around, and its mood changes as music plays either nearby or through its speaker. Our 11-year-old tester (who, like most of her friends, has an iPod) thought that figuring out i-Dog's emotions was confusing, especially because most of the time he was happy, unless he stopped hearing music. Oddly enough, with Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," which features the perky lyrics "I'll spread my wings, and I'll learn how to fly," i-Dog got blue. Maybe he hates American Idol.

Accessory hounds also may be won over by the i-Dog's accouterments, including a carrying case ($14) that can fit the pooch and your music player of choice. Clothes for the dog ($10) are coming early next year.

Another Hot Dozen pick is iZ($40, pronounced "is" ), an alienesque creature that ups i-Dog's tricks by also playing its own music. You tap its belly for a background beat, wiggle its ears for rhythms and lead lines, and hit the appendage hanging over its head that looks kind of like a uvula (that thing at the back of your throat) for sound effects. Its eyes bobble and its nose/horn lights up to show it's feeling the groove. Or you can plug in an iPod or another music player to use it as a speaker and get its unusual commentary on the tunes through the noises and lights it adds. "When it made the loud burping noises, I assumed it liked the song, but it ruined it for me," said our 11-year-old music purist.

Kids who shun these two flashy iPod options can still totally immerse themselves in their playlists with Wild Planet's new Wired for Sound line of outerwear at Target. Two of the (machine-washable!) products have speakers embedded in their hoods and a place to plug in a music player: the Speaker Hoodie ($34.50), a fleece, and the Speaker Jacket ($45), a pretty hefty winter coat.

For little ones bored with dressing up Barbie, there are also iPod outfits. They'll need one of the large iPods, a Mini or a Nano--in other words, not the $100 Shuffle--for iGuy ($35, speckproducts.com), a flexible cover with arms and legs that turns their music player into someone who could hang out with Gumby. Our adult tester was unimpressed by the product as a cover ("It's not practical," he complained, adding that the white color is guaranteed to smudge), but his teenage daughters assured him it is "very cool." A more couture kiddie might be impressed by the C. Ronson hoodie, a casual terry-cloth iPod cover ($24, cronson.com, fredflare.com).

The best part, of course, is that if your kids get tired of their presents, you can put the accessories to work with your own iPod.

PHOTO (COLOR): LISTEN UP. Accessories that help kids enjoy their iPods could be hits this season, including i-Dog, iZ, iGuy, and a Wired for Sound jacket.

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By Vicky Hallett