Hatchimals are without a doubt the hottest toy of the 2016 Holiday season and have been for a couple of months before. So while they are not from the company Jay At Play I wanted to put up a quick page for people trying to find out where to buy them, especially during the Holidays. Check out the video to learn a little more about these popular little guys.
Hatchimals Video
Wondering where to Buy Hatchimals? (UPDATE – Hatchimals are now in stock and available at a great price )You can try here but, during the Holiday season it will be a rough go finding them unless you are willing to pay more then retail. There was a recent announcement that Toys R us would have them but in limited stock come December 4, 2016. They will probably sell out pretty quickly but if you are willing to brave the lines it is worth a look.
There are other rumors about them possibly shipping to other retailers as well but nothing is really confirmed so I would not count on that.
The demand is so high that many parents are having letters from Santa to explain the probably late arrival of them. Actually the letters are rather clever and a great way to keep the kids from being disappointed. Spin Master expects to have a large shipment ready for January 2017 so the wait will not be too long.
Here is an example of a Hatchimals letter from Santa
This is something anyone can do and is a much better option to hold you off until they are restocked and available at regular prices. For things like this I have also told my daughter that I ordered an item and it was on back order and Santa knows not to get a second one. The letter is definitely a nicer touch and you can make your own and personalize it.
What Can You EggSpect From Your Hatchimals
These little guys are very interactive even while they are in the egg. You have to spend time with the egg playing with it before it will even hatch. Even the hatching process takes some time and patience so be prepared to spend about 20 minutes with your egg during the hatching and can take up to 40 minutes in some cases.
You can tell how your Hatchimal is feeling by the eye color. Here is quick list of what each color means.
- Dark Blue – scared
- Green – sick
- Light Blue – cold
- Orange – Need to burp
- Pink – Need to cuddle
- Red – Upset
- Teal – Learn to talk
- White – Going to sleep
- Yellow – Exploring
So basically the eye color will tell you what type of mood your little friend is in and what you should be doing to interact with them. Here is a basic cheat sheet to help you out.
This sheet gives you pretty much everything you need to know about your Hatchimals both while they are still in the egg, and after they have hatched.
In my opinion the hatching stage is probably the best part. It’s a pretty cool concept to actually have something that breaks out of the egg by itself, although you may want to give it a hand to move things along.
But Really, What Makes Hatchimals So Popular?
It’s really just a combination of things. If you really think about it they are a combination of super popular toys from the past like the old Tamagotchi and Furby, which recently made a pretty good comeback.
The fact that your character can learn things and will react to the way you treat them also makes them a lot like having a real pet. For kids without a pet this is the next best thing. As for kids that do have pets these still give them the opportunity to be totally in charge of something that will learn and grow depending on how you take care of it. They are so interactive it makes for a play mate that is available 24/7.
The other thing that has made these so popular is simply the advertising. Every great toy has to have a great ad behind it. The commercial is pretty straight forward but, the more kids see it the more they want the toy.
The animal characters are also very cute. Bright colors and big eyes make Hatchimals extremely welcoming to kids. It is something they want to hold, pet and play with. While the characters are original they are also easily relate-able for kids.
Finally they are fun. Most kids that actually have gotten one of these toys are very happy with them. If you read the online reviews people are generally very happy with the toy itself. While there have been a couple of defects that did not hatch but, for the most part people are extremely happy with their purchase and kids are enjoying them . 
As mentioned earlier if you are looking to get one of these in time for the Holidays it probably will not happen, at least for the retail price they are listed for. You may be able to get lucky if you catch a small shipment to a local Toys R Us or Target but, it won’t be easy. The other option is to use the letter mentioned above or your own version of it. And of course option 3, pay more. UPDATE – They are now available at regular retail price and below find them here and save on all Hatchimal items!
No matter what Hatchimals will go down as the most popular, hard to find toy of the 2016 Holiday season!
You might also like our Hideaway Pets review here!