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Parents prepare for Hatchimal-less holidays

Parents are already prepping for Christmas day tantrums with letters from St. Nick explaining why the hottest toy this season, Hatchimals, is not beneath their tinseled tree.

"Mrs. Claus and I understand you asked for a Hatchimal for Christmas," one parent wrote on a legal letter from the Desk of Santa Claus. "We are patiently awaiting the eggs arrival expected in January...please be patient with the egg laying process."

From Furbies and baby dolls that wet themselves, comes Hatchimals, the plush bird-dragon with eyes that work like a mood ring and lives inside a mechanical egg until it pecks its way out. Stores are sold out of the furry robot which can cost upwards of $200 at retail and $150 on resale sites like Ebay.

Some stores like Target offered $49.99 rush deals on Black Friday through Cyber Monday. But the price slash sent toy manufacturers into hyper drive and stores can't keep up with demand.

Parents took to Facebook to vent about the expensive toy taking over their kid's list.

"It's the Furby thing all over again," Teresa Kiser-Townsend commented. "I worked at Wal-Mart when Furby came out at Christmas time, we had people getting in fights over them, it was embarrassing to even watch."

Holding and tipping the egg is what gets it to hatch. Holding the bottom of the egg will make the Hatchimal's eyes turn red and a heartbeat will play. Like a real mother bird, users must keep the egg warm by rubbing it, otherwise the Hatchimal's eyes will turn blue and shivering noises will start to play. Rocking the egg is encouraged, but if the Hatchimal gets motion sick, it will make dizzying noises.

While unquestionably cute and nostalgic for 90s children now parents, the egg hatching process lasts 20 minutes to an hour and once hatched the Hatchimal can not be relaid.

"Just like a real egg, your Hatchimal will only hatch once," the Spin Master Ltd. website wrote. "After hatching, dispose of the egg. Do not put your Hatchimal back in the egg..remnants could cause damage to your Hatchimal."

Amid consumer hullabaloo and high profit yields from the toy company, one woman's unsolicited review went viral when she posted about her disappointment claiming it was "not worth the money."

Others praised the toy that kept their kids entertained; their pets on the other hand look snubbed.

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