One of the hot-selling toys in the United States this year is Fingerling Baby Monkeys, an animatronic toy that wraps around a child's finger and responds to the child's sounds, motion and touch.
Children can pet the Fingerling's head to put it to sleep. A loud noise or blowing a kiss makes the Fingerling excited. The toy is aimed at children aged 5 years and up.
Wowwee Toys Ltd. of Montreal and Hong Kong developed Finglerling. The body is injection molded of ABS resin, and the various sensors and electromechanical parts are inserted into the toy through proprietary processes. The toy debuted in August.
"They are an interactive experience that opens a child's imagination and develops nurturing and motor skills," explained Wowwee spokeswoman Tiffany Kayar by phone.
Fingerling is a gender-neutral toy appealing to boys as well as girls. It retails for about $14.99 in the United States, an "accessible price point," according to Kayar. Shortages of the toy have led to price gouging by resellers, but Wowwee "stands by the suggested retail price."