Unless you've been living under a rock, then you are probably familiar with this year's toy craze: Fingerlings. Similar to the Furby obsession from when I was a kid, these little monkey-like creatures were at the top of every kid's wish list and in low (or no) supply at nearly every store that carried them. If you managed to snag one of these responsive, babbling toys, you likely thought the hard part was over — not so much. As you'll soon learn, half the fun is figuring out how they work, like how to make your fingerling kiss, for instance.
My son had barely gotten his purple monkey friend out of its packaging before he gleefully discovered that, with a few simple motions, he could get his Fingerling to burp and fart. That lasted for about 20 minutes. But, like with any new toy, your kid will quickly want to discover everything there is to know about their plaything, and to get them to kiss is not as complicated as you might think, or it will be the most difficult thing to master — you can never really tell with these newfangled gadgets these days.
According to the official website for Fingerlings, each of the Fingerlings can make more than 40 different sounds. It all has to do with the position they are in — upside down, horizontal, or upright — and what specific noises or movements you make to get a certain reaction from your baby monkey.
If your little one has mastered the bodily function noises — or you've simply grown tired of hearing the same belching and farting sounds over and over again — you might want to try and switch things up a little. You can easily expand you kiddo's skill set by showing them how to get their Fingerling to make a kiss sound. According to the official Fingerling site, it's relatively easy to do.
Basically, you hold your Fingerling in the upright position, with its head facing you, and then you blow it a kiss. In return, your Fingerling will blow a kiss right back. But, on the rare yet funny occasion, they might actually sneeze instead. Luckily, your child will probably be delighted by either outcome. If you're more of a visual learner, then you can check out this video from the official Fingerling video channel, WowWee, that shows you how to make your Fingerling kiss (it starts around the one and a half minute mark):
In my opinion, the fact that you don't get the same result each and every time you perform a certain action just makes the toy that much more fun — and lifelike. My son and I have even made a bit of a game out of it, where we take turns blowing kisses to the Fingerling, and the first one to get a sneeze instead of a kiss in return loses. Of course, you can come up with your own version and make up silly rules to go along with it.
That's probably why toys like these continue to exist in some form or another for each new generation of kids. Whether it's Teddy Ruxpin, Tickle Me Elmo, Tamagotchi, or last year's must-have Hatchimals, like moths to a flame, children just love the opportunity to interact with their furry new toy. It's the whole my-stuffed-animals-are-alive fantasy come to life.
If you're worried that your kid's new Fingerling will become old news collecting dust in the bottom of their toy bin, I can assure you that the seemingly endless noises and reactions your child can get out of their little monkey will keep them entertained for far longer than you might expect. Or, you can do what our family does: When a game or toy falls out of favor, keep it in a bin out of sight. Then, when some time has gone by, you can reintroduce the item and your child will get excited just like they were on Christmas morning.
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