Hatch Day! Meet Joe, Our New #Hatchimal

It was a wonderful, sunny day in Cape Town when we found our egg.

The kids were actually playing nicely together on the trampoline for a change (instead of using it as a wrestling ring) and I was sitting in the sunshine reading a book.  All the sounds of Spring were in the air – bees buzzing, lawn mowers blazing and the occasional sinus induced sneezes.

Suddenly Seth shouted, “Hey guys, look what I found lying in your hideout!”

Of course we were all there in a flash.  The kids with curious grins and me with my camera…  I am a parenting blogger after all.  Obvs I filmed the whole thing.

Anyway, we found an egg lying in a little nest in the hedge of our garden.  Yes, Seth and I might have totally been behind this “accidental” encounter, but as yet, the kids didn’t know that!  We circled around the egg.  Cautious as to what to do.  Then it made a little giggle and lit up inside.  The girls egged (pun intended) each other on to see who would pick it up.  Eventually Riya cuddled it back into the house.

Once inside we encouraged them to be mommy birds – sing to the egg, cuddle it and pat it.  After a while it started pecking its way out of its shell.  I’m not even kidding.  It literally hatches itself guys!  So while it’s lighting up, singing, giggling and talking to you, it’s also using its strong little peak to break holes into the shell.  Every time it pecked or lit up, you could see the kids eyes widen in wonder – they were so excited to see what was inside!

Ours was sped up for the sake of capturing it on camera, so it only took about 20/30 minutes, but usually it takes a couple hours for this process.

Today is World Hatch Day.  Watch as people from all over the World hatch their eggs for the first time.

(Maybe you’ll even spot us – not in this video, one of the others on the channel as they’re loaded throughout the day)

And then it was time for our egg to hatch.  They all took turns to give the egg a cuddle, some pats and rubs at the bottom and then our Hatchimal finally broke through his shell… just look at Knox’s face!

A lot of these kinds of toys feel a bit gimmicky to me, but not this toy, this was legit!  The packaging is perfect, the Hatchimal is high quality and durable.  It doesn’t feel like you’re going to break him by holding him the wrong way (which is very handy when you have a good natured, but slightly clumsy little brother).

When the Hatchimal hatches he even sings a little baby version of “Happy birthday” to himself – it’s the cutest thing.

His eyes light up in a rainbow of different colours and each colour means a different thing.  I could be getting it wrong, but it’s something like, green is sick (then you have to burp him on your shoulder), orange is hungry (so you have to lean him forward to eat), blue is scared (which means you need to cuddle him and pat him on the head). You get the idea.

I know this toy is meant for kids from 5 up who have a nurturing spirit, but guys, Knox (4) is smitten.  He is totally as involved as a parent as any little boy with two older sisters can get.  When they play with Joe every afternoon (and sometimes in the morning when they should be getting ready for school and think I’m not around), they all take on the different colours.  So Knox gets to cuddle him if he’s blue, Riya gets to burp him if he’s green and Kyla gets to feed him if he’s orange.

It doesn’t just end with him hatching and being a little baby Hatchimal forever.  You get to guide him through three different phases of development.  It’s brilliant.

There are many moments that I sit and watch my kids and feel that tingly poppy feeling in my heart, you know the one?  Where it feels like if they do just one more adorable thing, your heart might actually explode?  That feeling.  I get that in waves when I watch my little people try and be parents to our little Hatchimal.  Who, by the way, we’ve named Joe.

Joe gets better treatment than the real live animals in our house.  Every little need he has is attended to – immediately!  Unlike me, he doesn’t even have to ask twice.

I know there are many people that wax lyrical about every little thing that comes their way, but I hope you know I’m not one of them.  I regularly turn things away that I don’t like.  This though?  Well my friends, I’m not waxing lyrical when I tell you that this toy is freaking awesome.  OK, maybe I am a little, but it totally deserves it.  If your kid is into nurturing, then a Hatchimal is THE perfect gift for them this Christmas.  Or birthday.  Or because you love them.

It’s all very well and good for me to give you my opinions, but guys, just look at these pictures.  My kids adore Joe and I’m sure yours will too.  In fact, keep an eye on the blog in the next couple of weeks because you may just be able to get your hands on one too 😉