The sought-after hottest-selling toy this season from Spin Master is receiving major criticism and backlash from parents and children who were lucky enough to get their hands on the toy. "Hatchimals" left parents and kids disappointed after Christmas morning when the toy won't "hatch."
The interactive toy from the Canadian global toy and entertainment company is supposed to "hatch" from a plastic egg. This is one of the hottest-selling toys of 2016 and parents all over the country line up in stores days before Christmas.
However, right after Christmas morning, some of the Hatchimals were dead on arrival, while others had difficulties with hatching. Parents took to social media to vent out their frustration, anger, and other feelings towards both the toy and the company.
@SpinMaster # hatchimal ruined my 6 yr olds Christmas. All the effort and it done nothing Christmas day #hatchimalmademydaughtercry
— James Gorringe (@85b255064f3e41d) December 26, 2016
According to CNN, the toy should hatch from an egg as children knock, rub, or tap the shell after around 30 minutes of playtime. The toy inside, called Hatchimal, should respond with lights sounds. And then, the Hatchimal should hatch into a toy that the kids can engage with, even talk to. A spokesperson from Spin Master said: "Unfortunately, with toys that incorporate a high level of technology, there are also some cases where the product may not perform as well as expected. We are committed to doing everything possible to resolve these issues."
Meanwhile, CNBC requested Spin Master to respond to a comment request. However, the Canadian company simply urged their customers to directly message their company for assistance or contact Spin Master's customer service hotline number. In fact, a number of parents did reach out to the company regarding their faulty Hatchimals. The parents complained that they had to wait for 2 hours for a customer rep to respond before hanging or up or disconnected.
Really, @SpinMaster? I call your customer service line and get disconnected because 'all agents are busy'. I have an issue to discuss!!! — Dustin Shammo (@dustinshammo) December 26, 2016
But Spin Master said they are going to increase their customer support staff to help parents troubleshoot their Hatchimal.
Spin Master's Hatchimal retails at around $50. However, just like the Nintendo NES Classic Edition, the toy animal was sold for a massive $250 on eBay days before Christmas.
