December 28, 2016
Here come the waterworks.
Parents who bought their kids Hatchimals, this year's hottest holiday craze, have taken to social media to air their grievances about toys that wouldn't hatch from their shells, among other problems, leaving some children in tears.
The premise is simple. A child is supposed to rub or tap the Hatchimal's colorful egg and watch it break out of its shell, which can take anywhere between 10-40 minutes. Then, voila, the kid has a new talking toy.
But some parents, including some in the Philadelphia area, have reported problems with the toy in the last few days with what they called little response from the manufacturer, Spin Master.
.@SpinMaster #Hatchimals #Hatchifail our #hatchimal required surgical extraction to prevent a total meltdown. #imnotcomingout. pic.twitter.com/Ug8pwEzhja
— Chad Meyers (@Chadrph) December 18, 2016
2 days of trying to talk to a real person from @SpinMaster over a still born Hatchimal and still no luck. #Hatchimal #defective
— Brian Rager (@Rager_Brian) December 27, 2016
Hey @SpinMaster - have a hatchimal that died seconds after hatching. Replacing batteries/reset doesnt solve. What's the recourse? pic.twitter.com/JfQjQtU1j7
— Garry Stevens (@garrystevens) December 26, 2016
Daughter's Christmas joy turns into tears/Hatchimal won't hatch! @SpinMaster who is unreachable #hatchimalfail #hatchimaldud #wasteofmoney
— Ginger Christie (@gchristie3) December 26, 2016
@SpinMaster My daughter's Hatchimal is stuck in this state. Doesn't move or make any sound anymore. Any help would be appreciated. pic.twitter.com/wqSLbGjCNq
— Derek Ho (@RapturedDX) December 26, 2016
Patricia Crispell, of National Park, New Jersey, told NBC10 that her daughter's toy allegedly sounds like it's saying "f--- me."
The company issued a statement on its Twitter account and said it was working hard to get back to all its customers.
Hi fans! Thank you for reaching out. We have received your messages & are working hard to respond to all inquiries. Appreciate your patience
— Spin Master (@SpinMaster) December 27, 2016
"Unfortunately, with toys that incorporate a high level of technology, there are also some cases where the product may not perform as expected," they said in a statement to the news station. "We are committed to doing everything possible to resolve these issues."
Spin Master recognized the problem on its homepage, too. A pop-up appears on the login screen that apologizes "for the difficulties getting through." The company said it's added more people to its customer service center to ease wait times.
They've even attached a video to help parents who might be having trouble getting their child's toys to come to life.
The toy's popularity took off earlier this fall, sending parents on a near-scavenger hunt to find the nearly $60 item that flew off shelves.
Experiencing a Hatchimals horror of your own? Email us at tips@phillyvoice.com.
