Parents Target Hatchimals: Firstly Hatchimals Won’t Hatch – Now They ‘Curse Like Sailors’

This year’s hottest Christmas toys were supposed to be Hatchimals. The cute Hatchimals come packaged as an egg, and by tapping, flipping, and stroking the egg it should hatch to reveal one of a range of Hatchimals. As is often the case, at this time of year, one toy becomes the “must have” toy, and this year the target was Hatchimals. The toys became so scarce that makers Spin Master released a statement on their website begging parents not to pay inflated prices to resellers.

“The consumer response to Hatchimals has been extraordinary, exceeding all expectations. This is a special season and we don’t want anyone to be disappointed, nor do we support inflated prices from non-authorized resellers. While additional product will hit retail shelves in December, we anticipate this inventory will also sell out quickly. We have increased production and a whole new batch of Hatchimals will be ready to hatch in early 2017.”

As always seems to be the case, many parents were unable to source a Hatchimal for their child’s Christmas stocking. It may be disappointing to be unable to find your target Hatchimal, but how much bigger is the disappointment when you get your Hatchimal, only to find that your Hatchimal won’t hatch.

Some #Hatchimals hatching into duds…or not hatching at all https://t.co/VVOAZhSgbp pic.twitter.com/nlpqs7Ds76

— CBS 17 (@WNCN) December 28, 2016

Sadly, that was exactly the experience that many parents faced when they found that the coveted Hatchimals wouldn’t hatch. NBC called Hatchimals a “lame duck” gift after many parents reported that Hatchimals left their kids heartbroken because they simply didn’t do what they should. Dozens of parents contacted NBC to complain about the Hatchimals they had bought.

“One woman, named Megan, said two of the five Hatchimals her family purchased didn’t work.”

“Beth Royals said her family spent seven hours on Christmas Day trying to get the bird to hatch out of its shell. Eventually they just broke the shell themselves.”

There were so many complaints about Hatchimals not hatching that the makers had to release a statement apologizing for the defective Hatchimals.

“Unfortunately, with toys that incorporate a high level of technology, there are also some cases where the product may not perform as expected. We are committed to doing everything possible to resolve these issues.”

Customers with defective Hatchimals are asked to contact Spin Maker’s customer care line.

So, What’s All This About Hatchimals Cursing And Swearing?

Many people will remember that back in the late 1990’s the “Furby” was the hot Christmas toy. Like Hatchimals, children hatched their Furby and then had to spend time looking after it. If your Furby was to survive it had to be given food, drink, and attention. The Furby also learned to speak by repeating phrases that were spoken to it. Many Furby’s were confiscated after they were taught to repeat swear words.

It seems that Hatchimals, when they do work, have taken the learning of language a stage further. According to Mashable, the Hatchimals have learned to curse all by themselves. Specifically, parents claim, the toy says “F..k me,” when it goes into sleep mode.

According to CTV News in Canada parents claim their child’s new Hatchimal toy is spouting swear words, amid an otherwise unintelligible stream of gibberish. Father, Nick Galego, managed to grab a coveted Hatchimal as a Christmas present for his son, but just a few days later he claims that “I’m pretty sure it says ‘f— me.'”

The claims that Hatchimals are cursing seems to have put the makers on the back foot again. Spin Master released a statement assuring parents that Hatchimals are not programmed to curse.

“Hatchimals speak their own language made up of random sounds.”

“We can assure you that the Hatchimal is not saying anything inappropriate. The one in the video appears to be sleeping.”

With claims that Hatchimals don’t work and that they are “swearing like sailors,” it seems that some children found more than they expected under this year’s Christmas tree.

[Featured Image by Gunnar Rathbun/AP Images for Walmart]