Toys "R" Us Black Friday Ad: Killer Deals on the LeapPad and Kindle Fire HD

With the leaking of the 2013 Toys "R" Us Black Friday ad, parents will find a treasure trove of excellent Black Friday deals — although they might want to buy some of the best offers for themselves. Even still, we found some very popular holiday 2013 toy offerings in the massive, 28-page ad. And even though we maintain that the best time to buy toys, some of the offers are quite enticing. But before we dig in, let's talk about Thanksgiving and Black Friday store hours.

Toys "R" Us Is Moving Black Friday to Thanksgiving Day

According to the ad, Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores will open their doors at 5 pm on Thanksgiving, but sale prices will go live online at 12:01 am Thursday. However, the best deals (including the doorbusters) will be store-only offerings. It's worth noting that a selection of doorbusters are being offered on Thanksgiving only, from 5 pm to 9 pm. A different set of items will be offered as "bonus doorbusters" on Friday, starting at 5 am, but they'll be sold at this price through closing time on Saturday. OK kids, now let's check out the toy deals!

Toys "R" Us Black Friday Ad Analysis

• Xbox 360 4GB Kinect Holiday Value Bundle with Halo 3 for $199.99
  Score one for us! Not only was our Black Friday prediction for this system dead on, but it also includes a copy of Halo 3! Considering the fact that purchasing these items separately elsewhere would cost you about $60 more than Toys "R" Us' leaked Black Friday price, this could be a decent deal on the previous-generation system.
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• Kindle Fire HD 8.9" Tablet with $20 Gift Card for $179.99
  We predicted that Amazon's Kindle Fire HD tablets would see little to no discounts. While we don't like being incorrect, we're really excited to see this prediction shattered. Assuming you'll use the $20 gift card, this leaked Black Friday price is $19 under our August mention of a refurb, making it the lowest price we've ever seen for this tablet. (Amazon currently charges $229.)
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• Power Wheels Lil' Kawasaki Sport Quad or Barbie Lil' Trail Rider for $49.99
  Motorized ride-on toys being a perennial favorite for pre-schoolers everywhere, these quads from Power Wheels are a sure hit. At $50 each, they're at least $28 below what any other merchant currently charges. However, keep in mind that retailers like Amazon and Meijer (which both carry at least one of these ride-ons) are expected to price-match their competitors on Black Friday.
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• Select Pillow Pets Dream Lites for $14.99
  These popular nightlight/stuffed animal hybrids are a great example of a toy we can expect to get cheap around Black Friday and cheaper around Christmas. Not only is the $15 leaked price a mere $3 less than what Amazon currently charges, but we actually saw one of these cuddly pets for $13 in April. Our verdict? Leave this "bonus doorbuster" at the store for the time being.
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• Hot Wheels Carcade for $49.99
  At 50% off, this is another toy discount that may have you whipping out your wallet too early. Fifty bucks may be a $25 current price low for this Hot Wheels set, but we still think such play sets will see better discounts as we get closer to the holiday season.
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• 35% off Select LEGO Sets
  The brightly colored LEGO bricks have fascinated kids for generations, even as their less-than-stellar prices have been the bane of parents. For that reason, you may be tempted to jump on any LEGO discount. Our research shows that December is the very, very best time to buy LEGOs: instead of 35%, you could instead score an average discount of 37%. Whether that difference matters enough to wait is up to you.
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• $10 Toys "R" Us Gift Card with Purchases of $75 or More
  Unlike other gift card offers in the ad, this one comes with a catch: You can only use the $10 from December 1 to December 7. If you're already planning to head back to the store for toy shopping in December, then this offer could tip the Black Friday scales in Toys "R" Us' favor on deals that are likely to be price-matched elsewhere. In that way, it's a smart move on the toy merchant's part and a great bonus for consumers.

Thanksgiving-Only Toys "R" Us Deals

• Skylanders SWAP Force Starter Pack (Select Systems) for $37.49
  Parents looking to be holiday heroes may want to forgo that second helping of turkey to snatch up this Skylanders SWAP Force starter pack for just $37 on Thanksgiving. Not only is this deal a full $33 under what any merchant is currently charging for this game on any platform, it also handily beats GameStop's leaked Black Friday price of $50.
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• Buy 1 Skylanders SWAP Force Single Character Pack, Get 70% off the 2nd
  While we haven't listed individual SWAP Force characters before, Toys "R" Us and other merchants currently charge at least $10 each for these figures. That's a savings of $7 or more on every other figure, and the ad doesn't mention a limit on the number of figures you can buy.
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• Disney Infinity Starter Pack (Select Systems) for $37.49
  Disney's answer to the overwhelmingly popular Skylanders series, the Infinity Starter Set is bound to be one of the most requested video game bundles of the holiday season. This Thanksgiving-only deal is far and away the best price we've seen, beating our October mention by $18. It's the current price low for any platform by $22.
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• LeapFrog LeapPad 2 Explorer for $39.99
  LeapFrog's line of tablets are always a popular choice with parents, as they boast a big library of games that promise to make learning fun. Considering that we last listed this 4GB tablet for $80 in July, this Thursday-only doorbuster is a serious steal at $40. (It's currently selling for at least $30 more at other sites.)
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• $10 off iTunes Gift Card Purchases of $50 or More
  Sadly, not all of the Toys "R" Us Thanksgiving doorbusters are worth a trip to the store. Don't be tempted by this Thursday exclusive, which drops the price of a $50 iTunes gift card to $40, a $60 iTunes gift card to $50, and so on. We saw this price for a $50 iTunes gift card just a couple weeks ago, and that's not even the best we've seen this year: it was $35 in August. Besides, if last Black Friday is any indication, we expect $20 discounts on these sought-after stocking-stuffers.

Overall, Toys "R" Us bowled us over with its non-toy deals, and thus far has presented one of the most exciting leaked ads we've seen. Its discount on the Kindle Fire HD 8.9" tablet alone is worth making a trip to the store, and its Thanksgiving-only prices on the Skylanders SWAP Force and Disney Infinity starter sets are the best we've seen. While the toy giant's leaked Black Friday toy deals are certainly competitive when compared to current prices, we think Toys "R" Us can and will do better come mid-December.

So readers, will you abandon your turkey dinner to catch the Thanksgiving doorbusters at Toys "R" Us? Or are you still waiting for a Black Friday ad to knock your socks off? Let us know in the comments below! And be sure to check out our Black Friday deals page for all the latest news, ads, and predictions.