There are only 42 days left until Christmas, and shoppers are already freaking out because Hatchimals, one of this year's top-selling toys, are selling out across the globe.
Hatchimals are eggs that hatch into furry creatures. There are five so-called "species" of Hatchimals: Pengualas, Draggles, Owlicorns, Burtles and Bearakeets.
When a consumer buys a Hatchimal, the toy comes in the form of an egg. It eventually starts to make cute noises, and the more a child plays with it, the faster it hatches from the egg. Once hatched, the Hatchimal goes through three life stages — baby, toddler and child — and sings "Hatchy Birthday" between each stage, drawing comparisons to the '90s Tamagotchi toys.
The retail value for a Hatchimal is $60, but consumers are now selling them for hundreds (even thousands!) of dollars on eBay, Amazon and other online retailers.
"The consumer response to Hatchimals has been extraordinary, exceeding all expectations," a statement posted on the Hatchimals website reads. "Some of our first shipments have already sold out. While additional product will hit retail shelves in November, 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. This is a special season and we don't want anyone to be disappointed, nor do we support inflated prices from nonauthorized resellers. We are working on creative solutions to help kids and their parents withstand the wait. In the interim, some retailers are developing presale and/or rain-check programs for redemption in January. We will continue to update with program details as they become available."
According to KDKA-TV, the furry toys are flying off shelves at stores including Toys R Us and Walmart. "As soon as people knew it was here, the moment we started putting it on the shelf, people started taking it off the shelf," David Raposa, comanager at Walmart in Robinson, Pennsylvania, told the news outlet.
Beth Askews, manager at Toys R Us at Ross Township, Pennsylvania's Ross Park Mall, echoed similar statements: "Everybody lines up when they come in, and they go right out the door."
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Even Jersey Shore alum Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi can't find Hatchimals for her two kids, son Lorenzo, 4, and daughter Giovanna, 2. "Anyone know where I can find a damn Hatchimal?!" she wrote on Twitter on Thursday, November 10. "They're sold out everywhere."
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