This holiday season’s hot-ticket toy has been hatched, and every kid in town is itching to get their hands on one of these unique creatures from SpinMaster, the masterminds behind Paw Patrol.
They’re Hatchimals, and they’re ready to become a part of your family, but you’ll have to actually find one first. These elusive cuties are flying off the shelves at a mind-numbing rate! Is anyone else having traumatic flashbacks to Furby?
So what’s all the fuss about? Well, these cuddly hybrid animals come encased in a spotted egg and they slowly ‘hatch’ over a period of 30 minutes to an hour of being petted and moved around. When the little owlicorn, penguala, bearakeet, burtle or draggle is born, it acts just like a baby, and takes weeks of love and care to ‘grow’ into a toddler, then a child, teaching your little one empathy, patience and responsibility while having a lot of fun in the process.
These fuzzy playthings are available online, but you’re gonna pay a hefty price to get ‘em. You’ll find them going for $180 and up on Amazon and EBay. Walmart is now selling them for more than $200! Yikes!
So how can you find one without taking out a second mortgage? Persistence will get you everywhere! Don’t just check websites daily, pick up the phone and call your local Toys “R” Us, Target, Kohls or Kmart to see when the toys might be coming in. Barnes & Noble also allegedly offers a wait list, so you can ask to have your name put in for a new shipment and the store will try to honor it.
Take note—a quick visit to SpinMaster’s website confirms that production will increase dramatically after Christmas (cruel!), filling the shelves and bringing the prices back down to earth. If all else fails, a loveable little Hatchimal can be a very welcome special New Year’s treat. As of right now, Hatchimals are priced within reason ($99.95) at Montgomery Ward here but have a note indicating that they will not ship until after Christmas.
Looking for other toys too? Check out our favorite toy stores and holiday markets for all the best stuff.