How to tell if your Fingerling is REAL !

Fingerlings

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:

Listing for fake

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”

Jennifer Ranieri Fingerling Fake

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) WowWee
  • 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) Monkey Butt
  • It will say WowWee behind the neck (picture is hard to see) Syas Wowee on the back
  • It will have a CE mark between its tummy and tail (see image) CE On the back

 

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.

real fingerling back real fingerling blue real fingerling bottom real fingerling pink

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   !!

40 thoughts on “How to tell if your Fingerling is REAL !

  1. I have one that I purchased off ebay for about $28.00. After reading your review I’m just not sure what to think. I would hate to insult the seller and be wrong because the Fingerlings that you have illustrated here does not come with the bonus stand like the Mia that I have. I’m concerned because of the bar code only. The bar code on my Mia says 771171137047 and I’m finding them with the number “6” online in various auctions and adds, but not as a specific number altogether. Also, they put a barcode label over that barcode which reads 771171137146 which I find to be the one that I’m seeing here and there. Additionally, there appears to be an exclamation point on the back v. a ?, and below the neck it says 2016 Wowwee China. What are your thoughts? Thanks for any help that you can provide.

    • Hi Shiloh,
      The fingerlings that come with the “bonus stand” are Walmart exclusive. So it is very possible that it is indeed a “REAL” Fingerling that the original buyer got at Walmart. Walmart has been known to put their own UPC stickers over the original barcode if the original does not scan in their system. If you would like, feel free to shoot me over a picture of the questionable fingerling at Jenn@JerseyCouponMom.Com and I will check on it for you and let you know.
      Thanks
      Jenn

      • Hi Jen, I just emailed you pictures of the fingerling monkeys that I received from Walmart.com. I have having a very hard time figuring out if they are real or fake or not. Was hoping tha tyou could help me!!! Thank you. Barbara Wright

  2. The amazon link you gave has them posted for $69!!
    I’ve been told the original fingerlings retail for $14.99. I won’t be buying from th8s particular buyer that’s for sure.

    • Hi Caroline,
      The link posted is jusst to the item itself…it changes depending on the seller. As stated in the article Fingerlings are $14.99 each…and you should not be asked to pay more. If looking to get one online please make sure it is direct from the company you are buying from and not a 3rd party seller.

      • I paid $16.99 plus tax at a store recommended by the website, Gamestop. Are they not supposed to do this? Shall I go back and get my $2.00? Are they contracted to charge $14.99 only??? Thank you.

        • the stores CAN charge above asking price “within reason” sadly… I have not heard of gamestop over charging so I am actually a bit shocked by this…but odds are if you go back they will not do anything about it.

          • I bought all of my fingerlings from Amazon directly. I paid $16.99 each with Prime shipping. Above your mentioned $14.99, but they are the real deal and not sold from a third party

          • I have personally purchased about 20 of these little monkeys some from Wal-Mart but most from Amazon and I have not paid more then $14.99+tax … With how difficult these things are to find at the moment the $2 extra for a real one is not bad.

        • I bought 3 back in September from Game Stop and also paid 16.99. I’ve found that Game Stop does add a few extra dollars on to moat things so I expected that when I bought them.

      • Toys r us has increased their prices from 14.99 to 15.99 to 16.99 and now they are 17.99. They are legit….but they are cashing in a bit too. Like any hot Christmas toy…..if you wait you will end up paying more.

  3. Hi, I bought a Finn fingerling off eBay. No package, but on the butt it does say CE 3700, it does not say anything on the neck and there is no swirl on the leg, is this a fake Finn?

      • Is there a certain swirl different color on hind legs? Are they all yellow or different colors depending on the monkey. Thank u so much for Fingerling info!!!
        In the back my fingerlings have correct Canada address. But it says on back lower middle bottom made in China. The Wowwee email above it and underneath says fabricate in China. Ugh hopefully not a fake. Thank you

        • The swirl should match the color of monkey’s hair. Also, on monkey’s from playset it appears on the left side and on monkeys that are sold as stand alone they swirl is on the right side.

  4. I did buy a fingerling off ebay from a seller. It had all the signs of being real. I only paid 30 total for shipping and toy. I choose to auction not buy and from someone who only had a single one. I was wondering the differwnce bc I have seen some on ebay being advertised as finger monkeys. Hottest toy this season etc. And they had a lot of sales. Thank you for this clarification. I would also mention if you do buy from ebay etc make sure the seller accepts returns incase you get a fake.

  5. I feel horrible right now. I was looking on my fb yard sale site and came across a post for these Monkeys at regular price $14.99. Everyone else has them for over $25. Which im sure most are real I had to buy 3 (luckily my preteen son didn’t want one) and people trying to make extra $ of of a hot toy is well I get it. But the woman I messaged said a case was donated to the Thrift store and from 10-1 everything was discounted. So if I got there by 1 I would get them for $10. I rush 25 minutes away to grab 3 and they did have every color but black. But now reading this post I feel like I wasted over $30. They were not in a package but in a box . Now I only went to get 1 my 8 almost 9 yr old son loves monkeys and wanted one that’s really all he asked for, then I went ahead and got my almost 7 yr old son one and my daughter is standing at the glass yelling “mommy I want the pink one” so I got 3. Walked out with a smile knowing I helped the United Way and also knowing my kids would be happy. I rushed home wrapped them up and put them under my tree. But for the past week and a half I see them posted everywhere with the cardboard and molded plastic and wondered loudly “why are the ones I bought in a box” I now want to go home unwrap one and check it out head to toe, even though the cashier said when the woman donated the case full they opened one and you can blow kisses at them and they react it was the cutest. I have no idea what I can do, I don’t have much $ with all 4 of my kids having birthdays along with Christmas in the same month. I think I want to cry!

    • Sadly the stores are not forced to sell at the map “manufacture asking price” was the one you got an exclusive of some sort? For example I know the glitter fingerlings are 17.99.

    • you would look for some of the same things … the packaging is the same and the monkeys and not a box… it will have the correct info on the package…and a huge factor is that they are toys r us exclusive.

  6. Darn it! Just ordered 4, which just arrived…. packaging is good but not matched to the monkey inside (I got 4 colours, but they all show Finn)
    But no symbols or WooWee on the actual monkeys and they don’t seem to do what they are meant to… :(

    • Further to this comment – I asked for a letter of authorization to prove they are authoruzed to resell the product and they refused. (WowWee website any approved 3rd party reseller is given one of these)
      Offered to refund money once they received a returned product (I don’t wish to pay for postage and risk them NOT refunding me), or 33% refund to keep them.
      I paid 20% more than retail for fake products so didn’t think this was a good deal. Said I’d accept 50% only as a compromise.
      They’ve said no, that they only make $3AUD profit on the items (yeah, because I’ve paid $3 more than retail) and so they’d lose money.
      Have agreed to pay me 50% only if I give them a positive review!!!
      What would you do??

  7. I am so sad I just received mine in the mail today from China. I paid $18.99 and it is a knock-off . The package it came in was called Happy Monkey and it was in a box not package I had sent away for it back in October

    • Hi! I bought one through curious toy club and they said fingerlings and showed a picture of the correct merchandise. However, I received a happy monkey in the mail so I pulled up their policy. It said they don’t have to send exactly what they pictured and if you want it specifically then you have to tell them so in advance. If not too bad. I paid the same as you. I’m really disappointed.

  8. F.Y.E sells them for 19.99, and Toysrus recently upped their price by $3, and game stop had them online for 16.99….for all of them not just “exclusives” ^^^

  9. Hello there! so we purchased REAL fingerlings off of Amazon! i great website to use as a tracker is
    https://www.zoolert.com/zlp/setalerts/?p=fingerlings&pn=Fingerlings&cn=US
    They can send you alerts when they become available!

    So there is an instagram page which states they are selling Authentic wowwee fingerlings. I had already purchased the REAL ones so i wasnt going to be let down…but i sent them a message asking to prove they were real. they were some “company” out of canada. They went so far as to take a screen shot of the certificate of authenticity. i went ahead and ordered one just to see. well i ordered it on the 20th of november and it just arrived today. i have to say the Packaging is ALMOST similar to what you posted as examples. the difference really is the top right picture of the children has a boy and two girls. the WOWWEE logo IS at the top right next to the kiddos….the back of the very similar as well. it DOES have both wowwee addresses (canada and hong kong). only major noticable difference is there is a printed section on the bottom left with what looks liek arabic writing. THAT WAS THE MAJOR set off that these were indeed face.

    the number on the barcode is 771171137016

    shocked these people can get away with using wowwees addresses…the wowwee symbol with their name.

    the fake monkey, does not have the swirlie on the bottom, does not say wowwee on the back neck nor does it have the CE on it.
    also, it has way less hair on hits head….And when you turn the monkey on it DOES have the same voice. however, the only time the monkey is supposed to say hello is when you first turn it on. the FAKE says hello randomly, and almost seems like its spazzing out because it gets stuck repeating words, half finishes words then just freaks out.

    i am happy to send you pictures of the fake box along with pictures of the fake monkey if you want to add them to beware. if you WANT me to share the instagram/website name too i am happy to. I reported them to wowwee so they do know who the company is.

  10. I just purchased a”baby monkey” at Ace Hardware. I assumed since it was Ace Hardware that it would be authentic. I paid $26.86 because I had a $10.00 discount coupon. This was an impulse purchase because the cashier had one at the counter and it was quite entertaining. Planned to give it to my 7 yr old gr son for Christmas. Now I’m trying to decide if I should return it before it is opened. I do not like being ripped off! It is in a blister pack,says baby monkey on the front. Does not say fingerling or wowee anywhere on the package. Picture of Bananas that says 40 sounds. It is purple but says it’s name is Bella on the back of package. There is nothing under the tail. Does not appear to be any writing under the neck. There is a paragraph in English and then 4 other languages. Made in China and barcode is7117113705. Age is 5+. Does not appear to have any instructions. There is no stand. I find it unbelievable that a reputable chain store would be selling knock offs at a very inflated price…I would like your opinion on whether to return or not. The cashier said she loved the one she was using for display and it said “hello” to her when she talked to it. There was a sign on the counter that stated Walmart was sold out. I had not put much thought into this before my purchase…now I’m not sure! Have other consumers purchased one packaged like mine and what was the result.I’d appreciate your advice ASAP since it’s so very close to Christmas and if I need to return it I will need to go shopping again. I definitely want to talk to the store manager about this and would like all information so I can have an educated conversation. Thanks so much. Look forward to your response.

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