Ok, I may be a bit too old for these things.... but they look great!!!
This article is published, courtesy of the FT:
Five battery-operated robotic hamsters costing about $10 each have become the must-have toy of Christmas 2009, with parents in North America and the UK snapping them up as soon as they arrive on retailers’ shelves.
Zhu Zhu Pets, sold in the UK as Go Go Pets, are the hottest toy of the season, according to Jerry Storch, chief executive of Toys R Us, the retailer, a phenomenon on a par with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the smash hit of Christmas 1987.
The interactive hamsters, Mr Squiggles, Patches, Chunk, Pipsqueak and Num Nums, respond to touch with squeeks and noises, and can be set to run about randomly in “explore” mode, or to “coo and chirp” calmly when held.
They also react to separately sold accessories that include a toy house, a bed and a small car with sound effects such as teeth cleaning and toilet flushing noises, televison sounds, disco music and yawning.
Mr Storch said initial demand for the toys was so strong that Toys R Us had not listed them in its Christmas toy catalogue to avoid disappointing customers.
“Word of mouth alone stimulated demand to the point that if we advertised it would only be bad for business,” he said.
Walmart, the largest US retailer, kept the hamsters off its shelves until this weekend.
The range – which includes various separately sold accessories – was launched this summer by Cepia, a small company based in St Louis, Missouri. It was founded in 2004 by Russell Hornsby, an entrepreneur whose previous success was a battery-powered sprayer.
Mr Hornsby said the hamsters spent only between 30 seconds and three minutes on the shelf before being bought.
He had shipped about 6m units and expected to ship another 6m by the end of the Christmas period. He estimated sales of $300m to $400m in the coming 12 months as the product range expanded.
“It’s not just hamsters,” Mr Hornsby said. “We are bringing out the clans: chipmunks, squirrels, hedgehogs, rabbits ... We have all sorts of cute things coming.”
An active secondary market for the hamsters has developed on Ebay, with Mr Squiggles and Num Nums changing hands this week for more than $20.
Jon Diver, managing director of Character Group, which distributes the toys in the UK, said “sell-through has been quite incredible” and that extra supplies have been air-freighted in from China.
This article is published, courtesy of the FT:
Five battery-operated robotic hamsters costing about $10 each have become the must-have toy of Christmas 2009, with parents in North America and the UK snapping them up as soon as they arrive on retailers’ shelves.
Zhu Zhu Pets, sold in the UK as Go Go Pets, are the hottest toy of the season, according to Jerry Storch, chief executive of Toys R Us, the retailer, a phenomenon on a par with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the smash hit of Christmas 1987.
The interactive hamsters, Mr Squiggles, Patches, Chunk, Pipsqueak and Num Nums, respond to touch with squeeks and noises, and can be set to run about randomly in “explore” mode, or to “coo and chirp” calmly when held.
They also react to separately sold accessories that include a toy house, a bed and a small car with sound effects such as teeth cleaning and toilet flushing noises, televison sounds, disco music and yawning.
Mr Storch said initial demand for the toys was so strong that Toys R Us had not listed them in its Christmas toy catalogue to avoid disappointing customers.
“Word of mouth alone stimulated demand to the point that if we advertised it would only be bad for business,” he said.
Walmart, the largest US retailer, kept the hamsters off its shelves until this weekend.
The range – which includes various separately sold accessories – was launched this summer by Cepia, a small company based in St Louis, Missouri. It was founded in 2004 by Russell Hornsby, an entrepreneur whose previous success was a battery-powered sprayer.
Mr Hornsby said the hamsters spent only between 30 seconds and three minutes on the shelf before being bought.
He had shipped about 6m units and expected to ship another 6m by the end of the Christmas period. He estimated sales of $300m to $400m in the coming 12 months as the product range expanded.
“It’s not just hamsters,” Mr Hornsby said. “We are bringing out the clans: chipmunks, squirrels, hedgehogs, rabbits ... We have all sorts of cute things coming.”
An active secondary market for the hamsters has developed on Ebay, with Mr Squiggles and Num Nums changing hands this week for more than $20.
Jon Diver, managing director of Character Group, which distributes the toys in the UK, said “sell-through has been quite incredible” and that extra supplies have been air-freighted in from China.
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OMG! Ive just looked at these online. Mia will go mad for them, (I want one too!) Out of stock every where unless you want to pay silly money! Hx
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