Parents warned to be on the lookout for fake Fingerling Christmas toys
IT'S one of the most-wanted Christmas gifts of the year - but parents are being warned not to get their hands burnt by fake Fingerlings toys.
The cute finger monkeys are set to be one of the biggest-sellers this month.
But mums and dads who are tempted to buy one of the critters on unheard of websites or on markets stalls are being warned they might not be picking-up a genuine toy at all.
In a Facebook post, said that because of the high demand, copycat and counterfeit versions would be on sale - with dodgy packaging, altered names, and plastic hair sure-fire signs that the monkey isn't legit.
It said: "Common names appearing include 'Baby Monkey', 'Happy Monkey' and 'Finger Monkey'.
"These copy and counterfeit versions could have issues with the safety of the product and its use."
How to check your Fingerling is genuine
As well as checking the packaging, parents can make sure their monkey is the real deal by checking the toys' hair colour.
Each genuine toy has a different hair colour:
- Mia - Purple monkey with white hair
- Zoe - Teal monkey with pink hair
- Finn - Black monkey with blue hair
- Boris - Blue monkey with orange hair
- Bella - Pink monkey with yellow hair
- Sophie - White monkey with pink hair
- Liv - Light blue monkey with pink hair
All the genuine toys will have the compaNy's address on the packaging too:
WowWee Candana Inc
3700 Saint Patrick Street,
Suit 206
Montreal
QC, H4E 1A2
If you are concerned you've bought a fake toy, contact Citizens' Advice.
If your Fingerling is genuine, the packaging will say '40+ way to play' or '40+ sounds', while the toy's manufacturer WowWee's logo will be on both the back and front.
It also urged parents to check for poor spelling and grammar on the packaging.
The fake monkeys will also be of a lower quality than the genuine product.
A WowWee spokerson said they were "aggressively pursuing" counterfeiters, saying: "As we continue to take steps to protect our consumers, we also encourage them to be diligent when purchasing Fingerlings and look for telltale signs of counterfeits - such as spelling errors on the packaging, the improper use of the Fingerlings brand name (e.g. Happy Monkey, Fun Monkey, Finger Monkey, Baby Monkey, etc.), prices that are unusually low and other details that seem suspicious, such as products with plastic hair or low-quality packaging and products.
"In addition, WowWee and its legal team are offering their full support to local Trading Standards authorities. We urge consumers to report any counterfeit products that they may come across to their local Trading Standards authorities."
The toys, which have an RRP of £14.99, come with more than 50 animations and react to sounds, motion and touch and was named as one of the top toys for Christmas last month.
One horrified mum who bought what she thought was a genuine toy was left shocked after she found razorblades stuck to the inside of the box.
More on money
WowWee is also aware of the issue - last month it took action against 165 counterfeiters in order to crackdown on the problem.
New research from Barclays found that 65 per cent of parents would use a website they've not heard of before to make sure their kids got what they wanted on Christmas morning.
It found that more than a quarter (26 per cent) of online scam victims were tricked over the Christmas period, with 48 per cent caught-out buying gifts for someone else.
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