Life

Literally Everything You Need To Know About Fingerlings & How They Play

by Mishal Ali Zafar

Every holiday season, parents come across an elusive holy grail of presents. For my kids, last year's Hatchimals and the Nintendo NES classic were all the rage, but this year it looks like Fingerlings are in the running as the holidays' most coveted toy. They are adorable interactive animals (mainly monkeys), that can do a range of cool things, from making responsive gestures to giggling. But considering they are robotic monkeys, there’s one thing many parents may wonder — do Fingerlings climb?

Fingerlings are interactive and can move some of their parts, like their eyes and head, but according to the WowWee website, they do not climb and have immobile limbs. They can cling very well, however, and can respond to play with many different reactions. They can cling to your finger, a stalk of bamboo, or even a fat pen or pencil, along with any other thing your child can think of to hang them on.

The buzz is deserved because they really are super neat. With a low price point of $15 and up, it makes Fingerlings an affordable tech toy. Most interactive toys, especially robotic toys, are made to look cold and definitely not cuddly, but Fingerlings manage to provide some pretty cool technology while still being huggable. Some robotic toys can also get complicated for young children to play with, as they require a learning curve for gestures. But Fingerlings seem to be simple and straightforward, which should give your kids less work and more reward.

At 5 inches tall, these adorable toy monkeys can cling onto your finger while they blink their eyes and turn their heads from side to side. They come with two touch sensors on their head that respond when you pet them or touch their wisps of hair. Fingerlings are able to display up to 40 different reactions and animations, including laughing and cooing, too. If they are tired, they can be cradled to sleep, snore, and even burp and fart when their sensors are activated. When you blow them a kiss, they may even blow a kiss right back at you. I’m sold.

The manufacturer, WowWee, offers Fingerlings in six different characters and colors. They have Bella (pink), Boris (blue), Finn (black), Mia (purple), Sophie (white), and Zoe (teal). They all pretty much do the same things when interacting with your child, but as of now, it doesn’t look like they can interact with each other. At the low price point, your child may want all six of them, but it may be hard to find them in stores.

If you are planning on getting your child one for the holidays, you should know where to buy Fingerlings, because they are sold out in most stores and online. As of now, you can pick one up through third party sellers online for almost double their retail price. Ebay definitely has them through resellers, but they are charging up to $50 a piece.

To keep an eye on restock, you can check websites like Now In Stock and Zoolert, which provide up to the minute stock information. If you catch a restock in time, you may be able to pick up a few of them for $15 a piece, which may make you feel better about the purchase. There’s no word on when or where, but there are rumors that WowWee will be releasing more characters, like Gigi the unicorn Fingerling, so keep an eye out for that as well.

So, while you may have to play Indiana Jones, hunting and tracking Fingerlings stock, it may be well worth it. These adorable monkeys can actually do a lot (even if they can’t climb), and will sure to delight any kid this holiday season.

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