Toy craze sits unloved second-hand
They were the hottest toys in the world at Christmas, but has the Hatchimals craze fizzled?
Prior to Christmas, parents were racing to get their hands on the furry interactive creatures, while retailers battled a worldwide shortage.
Only a handful of Hatchimals were left in the country in December, after increased demand sent them flying off the shelves.
However, it seems the shortage is now over, and some might say they are even struggling to sell.
Trade Me spokesman Jeff Hunkin said it was a ‘‘classic case of supply and demand’’.
‘‘There is a lot less interest in this toy now on Trade Me when compared to Christmas time last year, where activity on the site went absolutely bonkers for Hatchimals – it was the most-searched term for Christmas in terms of kids’ toys,’’ he said.
However, since December searches for Hatchimals have dropped by 95 per cent, Hunkin said.
‘‘Bear in mind that Christmas is the peak buying period for toys, so naturally there’d be a decline for toys across the board. But naturally, as interest dwin- dled, the number of sales across the last three months followed suit.’’
Since then, the ‘‘old faithful’’ had returned to the top of the toy search lists on Trade Me, with Lego, Star Wars, Nerf and trampoline all sitting in top position so far this year, he said.
‘‘We anticipate this will remain steady as she goes, until the next toy craze hatches.’’
However, Planet Fun head of marketing Philippa Bannerman disagreed.
‘‘It is the number one toy we have in the market right now,’’ Bannerman said.
‘‘We are literally selling thousands each week off the shelves, and even we are surprised considering that is a higher-priced toy.’’
The reason for the amount of stock on the shelves was because retailers were ordering so many, she said.
The Warehouse lead toys manager Lonnica Van Engelen said Hatchimals were still ‘‘very hot property’’.
Sales of the toys, which are priced at $88 each, were ‘‘certainly exceeding’’ expectations, she said.