Although G.I. Joe's, fire trucks and games are always hot selling toys around the holidays, local stores said patriotic toy sales have been on the rise since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

At K-B Toys in the Nittany Mall, 2999 E. College Ave., bare metal shelves await replenishing of toy firefighters and rescue workers. Several aisles over, only a few collectable G.I. Joe's remain patiently standing in formation.

Employees at the store explained that a large shipment of the toys came in over the weekend, but sold out within days. The rise in patriotic toy sales began after the terrorist attacks and continued through the start of the holiday shopping season, said K-B Toys Director of Public Relations John Reilly.

"In the weeks following Sept. 11, the sales of rescue vehicles and G.I. Joe toys more than doubled," Reilly said.

Following the tragic events, Reilly said parents were looking for a way to explain what happened to their children. Toys are one method of accomplishing that.

"I think children are more aware," Reilly said. "I think parents were looking for a positive image to put in their children's hands."

One toy that sold very quickly after the terrorist attacks was a collectible G.I. Joe fireman. Although the figure was planned 18 months prior to Sept. 11, the figure eerily resembles a New York fireman, wearing a similar uniform and black fire hat, Reilly said.

"The rescue heroes continue to be a big hit," Reilly said.

Patriotic toys have also been quick to sell. A game created exclusively for K-B Toys, called "Interactive U.S. Presidents," is an electronic quiz game that comes packaged in a red, white and blue box with pictures of all the presidents on it.

"It sold out, to the piece, over this weekend," Reilly said.

The events of Sept. 11 have created a renewed interest specifically in the military, Reilly said. Collectors have been quick to buy up the larger 12-inch collectable figures, he said.

"The demand for the rescue figures has been quite strong," said Scott Wilder, vice president of product development and marketing at K-B Toys.

Wilder listed several of the more popular selling figures at the store: fireman, rescue helicopter pilots, policemen, search and rescue personnel and construction worker action figures.

There is no way to be certain whether the majority of the purchasing is being done for children or adults, Wilder said.

"I'm sure it's a combination," he said.

Target, 315 Lowes Blvd., unlike other stores in the area, has not experienced as much of dramatic toy sales.

"We are carrying those items, but they're not selling any more than usual," said Brad Swanson, sales floor executive.

He explained the toys that were selling at the moment mostly centered around recent movie releases such as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Monsters, Inc.