Five toys it's too late to buy for your children this Christmas

Frozen Snow Glow singing Elsa 

She lights up. She sings. She’s out of stock everywhere on the planet, except for the cold-hearted Scrooges selling her for £200 on eBay. If you haven’t got your hands on one of these yet, brace yourself for disappointment, and a morning of “there’s one in Doncaster Argos! No, it’s gone. Disney in Leamington Spa has one. ....can I skip work to pick it up?”

Alternatives: There are several other Elsa dolls (and Anna, don’t forget poor non-ice maker Anna) on the market, but none of them sing or have magic light-up dresses. But maybe you could sticky tape an iPod under her dress instead.

Trading director for department store Beales, Tony Richards says this year is “absolutely a Christmas of the latest must-haves”. With Frozen mania growing more this year, stock levels of many lines of the film’s merchandise are sold out. Other film-related merchandise flying off the shelves are toys related to the LEGO movie and the up-coming Paddington film about the much-loved bear.

My Friend Cayla

This doll, which is basically Siri for kids disguised as a blond haired child, is out of stock at most local Argos stores and there are only four left on Amazon. She’s another one whose price has been jacked up £20 now it’s Christmas, but you can still get them at Tesco and Toys R Us online (although the nearest TRU with stock is Bristol so we’re pretty sure they’re not going to be around long). Richards says the doll is “guaranteed to be everyone’s new best friend from the age of three.”

Monty (and Mabel)

If you child has watched the John Lewis advert a gazillion times and has their heart set on their very own Monty, they might be disappointed. The small and medium sizes of both, along with cufflinks, water bottles, purses and outdoor lit versions, are all out of stock.

A spokesperson from John Lewis said: "Although we ordered more products than last year, Monty and Mabel have proved very popular with customers. Although the cuddly toys have sold quickly, there is still stock of other products available on johnlewis.com, and in John Lewis branches around the country. We are expecting to have more Monty and Mabel products in stock before Christmas."

However, if you’re still unable to get hold of the elusive Monty or Mable before Christmas, there is another option. Winchester-based toy shop, The Toy Cupboard is selling an equally adorable penguin pair: Peanut and Poppy the Penguins are available to purchase in-store.

Zoomer Dino Boomer

Toys R Us has pretty much sold out of this dinosaur that roars and chases. You can still get it if you don’t mind paying upwards of £75 but given that three months ago you could buy it for more like £60, you might not think it’s worth the price tag.

VTech Kidizoom smartwatch

Want your child to be ahead of the smart watch game? This watch has a touch screen, phone, apps and even an actual watch. The blue and white ones are selling very fast, so unless you want to pay twice the price from an Amazon retailer, you need to get yours now.