Who wouldn't want their children to have a toy like this?

Forward Command Post is a regular two-story dollhouse that comes with smashed windows, bullet holes in the walls, and a U.S. flag flying proudly in the yard. There's no sign of Barbie on the verandah. Perhaps the fearsome soldier who's taken up position there with a miniature rocket launcher has scared her off.

Toy industry experts say that such war-themed playthings will be booming this Christmas. This year, it seems, the season of peace is succumbing to war fever over the clash with Iraq.

Advertised as a "fully outfitted battle zone," Forward Command Post is selling for $45 in major U.S. stores and on the Internet via sites like Amazon.com.

During a visit the other day to a Toys "R" Us store in central California, a reporter's questions sparked a heated debate about the propriety of immersing children in such graphically violent environments.

"I'm telling you, it's sick," said Eileen Hornet, a 34-year-old mother of two boys under 10. "No matter what the world situation, we shouldn't be glorifying war."

She was quickly denounced as a hypocrite.

"That's the way the world is honey, and you'd better get used to it," said Barbara Gonzalez. "This country is full of guns. Kids have always enjoyed playing soldier, and our army is fighting overseas every day. What's wrong with it?"

The most scathing comment, however, came from cyberspace where a surfer on Amazon.com had this to say about the bullet-strewn playhouse.

"This bombed-out version of Barbie's Dream House is sure to excite bloodthirsty passions in even the most passive of preschoolers," wrote one customer. "Unfortunately, the set does not come with charred infant or mangled toddler action figures."

Toy makers see the military-themed games as one of the major sellers this year, and one of the few sectors where they can expect to sell items that are not computer related. Among the other toys fighting it out for the cash of youngsters are Clay Ramsey, U.S. Counter-Terrorism Advisor; American Freedom Fighters Live From Afghanistan; Command Headquarters Tent and Tunnel Combo; and the inevitable Osama bin Laden head, offered by Protect and Serve Toys of Fort Wayne, Ind., "to allow enthusiasts to enact what it may be like when we finally catch him."

War fever even has infected the venerable Fisher-Price that’s headquartered in East Aurora, N.Y, which, in a nod to its educational tradition, has kept its Rescue Heroes Command Center weapons free. The $32 toy, which is marketed to 3-year-olds, does include emergency vehicles, warning sounds, and hospital helipads to let toddlers "map out rescue plans."

Controversy over the new trend has already spilled over into the national press. A recent article in the San Francisco Chronicle honed in on the debate.

"I don't think it's anything different from when I was a boy playing with my GI Joe," said Matt Golding, senior marketing manager for Bandai America Inc. in Cypress, Calif. "Kids are smart, and they realize we are living in times where there are good and evil. Toys are a good way to let that out in a safe manner."

"It's ghastly," retorted Stephen Cole, an American history professor at the University of San Francisco. "How would Americans feel if a young Afghan child or young Yemeni had a burning and collapsing twin towers toy? These games create a sort of unquestioning apprehension of the world. They're the kind of things I'd expect to find on the back pages of Soldier of Fortune."

The battle lust also is reflected in computer games, where gory, mature-rated games are the hottest growing market segment. The U.S. Army is taking advantage of this trend with a free game called America's Army, which already has been downloaded approximately 500,000 times since it was released in July 2002.

Some industry experts are convinced that the war theme is being overblown. Charlie Woo, chief executive officer of Los Angeles-based Megatoys, says that the main hits this year will be small interactive toys like Micropets from Tomy, a pack of 4-centimeter tall "smart" toys that respond to kids' commands. He also has high hopes for his own company's tiny radio-controlled cars.

"A lot of people are making a fuss about war-themed toys, but I don't get it," he says.