Do you remember Fingerlings? They were one of the must have toys last Christmas and they are still popular with pandas, dragons, unicorns and sloths joining the collection of interactive monkeys which hug your finger. Bella and Boris, two or the original Fingerlings designs, have now been super-sized and made from soft plush. They are called Fingerlings HUGS and we were sent one of the new WowWee products to review. The Fingerlings HUGS are super loveable like their little siblings and they even chatter just like them too, but they are much bigger. We were sent Bella the Hug and she has been an instant hit with the whole family.
What do the Fingerlings HUGS do?
At their most basic they are a really cute cuddly toy suitable for 2 years and up, but switch it on and the monkey gets chatty. It looks like the original Fingerlings but big and soft, it even has a cute tuft of hair on it’s head. There is velcro on it’s hands to help it cuddle you and it's eyes close if you lie it down.
The Fingerlings HUGS react to touch, motion and sound making over 40 sounds. My eldest spent a good 5 minutes kissing it (because it makes smoochy noises back which last until you move away), while my partner (yes it appeals to 40 something year old men too) likes to swing it around so inevitably there are some noises you will hear more than others.
Some of the noises we have discovered so far are: whistling if left alone, a kissing noise if you kiss it on the lips or hug it close, a few types of wheee or monkey noises if you swing it, sleeping noises if you lie it down, a few different types of sigh, laughter, ouch, burp and farting. If you talk while pressing and holding a sensor in it’s right ear you can also make it to repeat short phrases in a silly voice.
What did we think of the new Fingerlings HUGS?
Well my partner was so excited when I showed him what would be coming in the post he kept racing me to the door whenever the bell rang, my eldest squealed with excitement when I took it out of the packaging and even let me take nice photos while she hugged and kissed it and my youngest made a beeline for it as soon as she saw it, even though we had just come in with much demanded fish and chips.
Both girls have played for it for some time when they are on their own with it, but the biggest problem I have at the moment is one Bella and two children. It’s arms seem to be stitched on quite well though so if they try to have a tug of war with it I think she will survive! There is a lot to like about this cute monkey and I personally prefer it to the original Fingerlings because I think it will get played with and loved for longer. As a bonus I’m not worried about my toddler breaking it like I am with the plastic ones, Bella has already been thrown around, pulled, dropped and more and she isn't showing any signs of wear.
What else do you need to know about Fingerlings HUGS?
The short user manual can be found in the fold of cardboard at the back of the box, it talks you through the key bits of information and shows you how to make different sounds.
The HUGS have 2 AAA batteries included so you can start playing straight from the box. When you need to change the batteries you will find the battery compartment behind a velcro panel in it’s back and the compartment is secured with a screw. The on/ off/ try me switch is in the same location.
If the Fingerlings HUGS are left without interaction for a while they hibernate, but you can quickly wake them up again by pressing their ear. You can also make them turn off by holding their ear while holding them upside down until it says "bye bye"
The HUGS size is about 28cm from the top of it's head to it's bottom. If you include it's limbs it's about 40cm tall and 80cm hand to hand (I measured this with the help of a toddler so it might not be 100 % accurate).
You can find out more about the adorable Fingerlings HUGS on the Fingerling website.
***Disclosure: we were sent a Fingerlings HUGS Bella by WowWee for the purpose of honest review. All thoughts are our own***
I think I may need to add this to my daughters Christmas list! She wouldn't put the mini fingerings down so she'd love this!!
ReplyDeleteThey are lovely and so cuddly
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