Unless you have been living under a massive rock, you must have heard about this seasons HOTTEST Toy, The Fingerlings Monkey from WowWee.

These little interactive monkeys come in a variety of colors, and have 40 different animations and reactions to them. For example, if you blow in their face, hang it upside down, clap your hands or rock it like a baby you will get a different reaction from it.

Over all, this is a cool little robot toy for under $20 (Retail is $14.99) that will be sure to hold your little ones attention for about 25 minutes.

These little finger monkeys have been popping up on kids Christmas lists so quickly, however that they are now SOLD OUT Almost everywhere you look.

Opportunist are now coming out with TONS of FAKE little Fingerlings Monkeys. Some of which look SO close to the original that it is almost impossible to tell the difference.

HOW TO TELL IF YOUR FINGERLING MONKEY IS REAL: 

The first step to this is to buy it from a reputable source. According to the Fingerling website, you can get a REAL Authentic Fingerling from ToysRUs, Walmart, Target, Best Buy or GameStop.  This is not to say stores like Kmart or anywhere else will not have them.

If you are walking into a store (A CHAIN STORE… Not your local corner store) to buy one, it is a safe bet that you will be getting a REAL Fingerling. The problem lies when you try to order one online.

Walmart.Com, and Amazon.Com have 3rd Party Sellers that are BOTH selling FAKE Fingerlings.

Things to look out for BEFORE Buying: 

• Make sure the item is SOLD BY the store you are buying it from… (Amazon, Walmart whatever)
• Make sure the items CLEARLY say By WowWee
• Know your monkeys…  Each monkey has a different hair color
  • Mia: Purple Money with White Hair
  • Zoe: Teal Money with Pink Hair
  • Finn: Black Monkey with Blue Hair
  • Boris: Blue Monkey with Orange Hair
  • Bella: Pink Money With Yellow Hair
  • Sophie : White Money with Pink Hair
  • Liv: Light Blue Monkey With Pink Hair (ONLY AVAILABLE IN A PLAY SET)
• Make sure that the listing has the correct NAME Associated to the correct color monkey.
• Make sure the item you are looking at 100% SAYS FINGERLING BY WOWWEE, “Baby Monkey” “Happy Monkey” “Finger Monkey” are all key words used by FAKE distributors.  Also watch for grammar in the description, odds are, if things are spelled wrong… its fake.
• Make sure you know your pricing !! Fingerlings are $14.99… PERIOD. If you are asked to pay anything more then $14.99 (plus tax) you are NOT getting it from the store you think you are getting it from, and instead it is a 3rd party seller. (which does not have to abide by that stores customer service policy, which in term means it will be very hard for you to get a refund)
• Check the images – If the picture looks like it was taken in someones living room and edited in paint to remove the background…..  Dont buy it. This is once again an example of a 3rd party seller.

Here is an example of a Walmart.Com listing:

This listing has several “CORRECT” things .. and a handful of “Red Flags”

Correct: 

It does say WowWee, Fingerlings with the correct Monkey Name, Color and Hair Color

Red Flags: 

The price is gouged (remember they are $14.99), It is sold by “Phoenix B2C LLC” and the image looks like it was snapped on someones camera phone.

I could EASILY See where people would assume this is a correct legit listing….

However, this is what was “Delivered”

This is the reason it is best to NOT TRUST 3rd Party Sellers.  Yes, there is ALWAYS a chance that you would get lucky and get an honest seller who has a legit item…. But WHY RISK IT?

Please note: on the above photo, it does NOT say “FINGERLING” It is in a BOX and not the Blister packaging that the “real” ones come in. It also has the age restrictions WRONG. These items are for ages 5 & Up .. this says 3 & UP… which could cause a choking hazard. 

What to look for one you have your monkey IN HAND:

• REAL Fingerlings are sold in BLISTER Packaging. (This is usually thermoformed plastic on top of a cardboard backing)
• REAL Fingerlings are appropriate for ages 5+ (and will say so on the package)
• The package will say 40+ ways to play OR 40+ Sounds (there are 2 different package versions)
• The correct Monkey will be on the package. So if you get the pink monkey, the pink monkey will be on the package.
• The WowWee logo will be on both the front and the back of the package. (see below) 
• You will see the correct WowWee address on the package
  • WowWee Canada Inc. 3700 Saint Patrick Street, Suite 206, Montreal, QC, H4E 1A2, 
• There will be a barcode, and UPC on the packaging.

Once you open your money: 

• You will see a swirl on the Monkeys hind legs. (see image) 
• It will say WowWee behind the neck (picture is hard to see) 
• It will have a CE mark between its tummy and tail (see image) 

Here are a few images of LEGIT REAL FINGERLING MONKEYS 

Please Note: That there are (2) Different Packages for these items. One that is in ONLY English, and One that is in 3 different languages. Both are LEGIT.

Please use caution when attempting to buy one of these items this season. One of the things that I have seen people saying is “well would your kid know if it is fake” .. and honestly .. Maybe they wont tell the difference. HOWEVER, these knock off products are not tested the way the legit ones are. We do not know if they are made from toxic material, or if they will BLOW UP in your kids face.  As a parent I know what it is like to try to give your kid the world. But I would much rather her wait until after the holidays then get something that might potentially harm her.

Amazon has been stocking these off and on.. so if you are looking for one, you can keep checking HERE  (just make sure it is SOLD BY AMAZON)

JerseyCouponMom.Com Will also be doing a FEW giveaways for these coming up !!!  (And ours are 100% LEGIT!!) So make sure you follow us on Twitter (@Jerseycouponmom) and Facebook   !!