ORLANDO, Fla. — The hot holiday toy is back, and this year, it’s the LeapPad Explorer.

The kids’ version of the iPad has sold out just about everywhere, making it a blue Christmas for many parents who can’t find one.

The LeapPad’s popularity is due in part to tech-savvy American kids fascinated by their parents’ smartphones and computer tablets. But its price — $100 — also suggests that adults are more willing to spend more money on gifts this year, experts said.

“We’re definitely starting to see some of the price points back up,” said Adrienne Appell, a spokeswoman for the New York-based Toy Industry Association. “Manufacturers are getting comfortable enough to introduce products at higher price points that seem to be selling well this holiday season.”

LeapPads sold out quickly in November. At the Altamonte Springs, Fla., Toys R Us store, they disappeared in 10 minutes on Black Friday. Since then, parents have been unable to find them on store shelves or online — except on eBay, where last week a few were being sold for up to $190.

“You can’t get your hands on those things,” lamented Patricia Raslowsky of Longwood, Fla.,who wants one for her 4-year-old son, Gabriele. Raslowsky, 30, a police officer, had searched in vain at Toys R Us, Walmart, Target and Barnes and Noble.

LeapFrog, a California-based manufacturer, introduced the tablets this summer for kids 4 and older. They’re a little smaller than iPads but sturdier.

They have built-in cameras, video recorders and microphones. They can be programmed to display their young owners’ names and photographs on the screen. Children use downloaded LeapFrog apps such as Story Studio, which lets them create tales about themselves that their parents can then share on Facebook.

Other children’s tablets have emerged as well, including VTech’s $80 InnoTab and the $200 Nabi, which, while lesser-known, has sold out online since launching last month.

The devices appeal to moms and dads who consider them educational — or just want their own gadgets back.

“I figured it would be great, and he would leave my iPod alone,” said Jennifer Schlimmer of Casselberry, Fla., who has searched in vain for a LeapPad to give her 3 year-old son, Aiden. He got hooked on his mom’s iPod Touch after she downloaded some dinosaur games to it.

Indeed, more children have gravitated toward the adult tablets. A recent survey from research firm Nielsen says 44 percent of youths ages 6 to 12 want an iPad.

But kids who have gotten used to their parents’ gadgets haven’t found versions designed for them to have the same allure.

For example, LeapFrog doesn’t allow third-party developers to create apps for its LeapPad. That means no “Angry Birds,” a computer game that’s a worldwide sensation.

Six-year-old Katherine Senina of Orlando got the LeapPad last month for her birthday.

“I thought she would be crazy about it, playing it every day,” said her mom, Alessandra Senina, 32. “Actually, she’s not. She lost interest pretty fast.”

Instead, Senina said, “she keeps playing with my phone.”