Fingerlings said to be this year's hottest toy. Should you buy?

"Mommy, I want that for Christmas!" Of course in mom mode, I looked up and said, "Want what?" My 5-year-old cheerfully said, "Fingerlings!" I'm like finger what? A quick Google search, and I quickly learned it's the hottest toy of 2017, and of course that means I'll have to scurry around from store to store looking for Fingerlings. The majority of Fingerlings are mini robotic baby monkeys, but there's also a unicorn and even a sloth (even harder to find than the monkeys). Created by WowWee, Fingerlings cling to your finger, make cute noises and react to sound, motion and touch. The biggest draw for my 5 year old...it toots! Yep, that excites young ones.

I went straight to Amazon and while it appears they have Fingerlings that qualify for 2-day shipping, nope, read the small print. Hopefully you'll get it in time for Christmas, but there is no guarantee. Not to mention, the jacked up price. Fingerlings retail for $14.99, but I found them online for as high as $75.00. Then I checked Walmart, Target, Toys R Us, the specialty toy stores and they all told me, "Sorry, we are out of stock." Urgh, what am I going to do? I basically stalked Walmart.com and signed up for alerts to let me know when a shipment of Fingerlings arrived at my local store. On Friday afternoon, I got the alert and I pounced and bought two. One for my 5-year-old and one for my 8-year-old.

As I held the Fingerlings in my hands, I thought my kids are going to love me I can't wait to surprise them on Christmas. But of course, my excitement clouded my judgment. As soon, as I got home I showed them my lucky finds and my 5-year-old shrieked with joy. She tore it open smiling ear to ear. She was so excited to try out her Fingerling, but that excitement honestly didn't last long. While she did play for it for a good 10 minutes, she wondered what else does it do? The head moves, and the monkey makes cute sounds, and yes it does toot every once in a while. The reality is my 5-year-old's Fingerling has been sleeping on my dresser since day two of getting it. After my 8-year-old saw what Fingerlings are all about she said, "Take it back, I'd rather have something cool."

For $15, Fingerlings are a cute little toy, but beyond that, it's not much more. I would never pay more than that, and let's remember the holidays are stressful enough, don't wear yourself out running from store to store trying to find one. If you do spot one, make sure it's a legit Fingerlings as there are many counterfeit ones out there.