NEW YORK — Hatchimals, perhaps the most sought after toy of the holiday shopping season, left some parents and kids frustrated on Christmas morning.
However, parents lucky enough to get their hands on the item, which was largely sold out in stores for weeks, are complaining the product doesn’t hatch, making the hyped-up gift kind of a dud.
The toy “hatches” from an egg when children knock, tap, or rub on the shell after about 30 minutes of playtime. The Hatchimal inside responds with lights and sounds and eventually hatches into a creature kids can talk and engage with.
Some of the eggs apparently didn’t hatch. Others seem to have powered down, and refused to start back up, halfway through hatching.
Unhappy customers took to Twitter to air their their frustrations with the toy.
Although parent company Spin Master did post to its Facebook page about the issue:
It also urged customers to contact them via direct message on Twitter, tweets show it’s been difficult to get a response from the brand.
“I have been calling [the company] for 2 days. It keeps telling me to call back later. #Hatchimals is a dud & store won’t take it back,” tweeted Jessica Brown.
It’s unclear how widespread the issue is as of now.
Hatchimals isn’t the only product in hot water after Christmas. Consumers have experienced connectivity errors related to the Barbie Hello Dreamhouse, an app-connected smart home for Barbie.
Mattel said on Twitter it is aware of the issue and is working to fix it.
Mattel and Spin Master did not respond to requests for comment.
