Hatchimals were the sell-out toy of last year. They are mechanical creatures that come packed in a textured egg. Open the box and the toy creature inside starts to peck its way out of the shell until it hatches. Once out it becomes a virtual pet that sings, plays and laughs with youngsters. At this year’s New York Toy Fair manufacturer Spin Master revealed the next step for Hatchimals with two new products. Hatchimals Colleggtibles are miniature incarnations of the egg shaped toy. These are pocket money price and come in foil bags so you don’t know which of the 70 tiny plastic creatures you’ll find inside. Like the big Hatchimals, the Colleggtibles need to be freed from their egg before you can play with them. Each outer shell has a heat sensitive heart that can be rubbed to change colour and indicates when the egg is ready to hatch. These have been confirmed to launch in the US in the Spring and cost $2.99 for a single pack with the option of a $4.99 double and $9.99 four pack. If the popularity of the main Hatchimals toys is anything to go by, these collectibles look set to do well. Parents should just be sure that they have other collectors to swap with as doubles are likely. Alongside this new product, the original Hatchimals will as be getting a refresh with new Glitter iterations of the toy. Happily this isn’t just a new skin but the songs, games, interactions are also different as well. With these two products out in Spring and Summer, this clears the way for potential further innovation on this year’s ‘Hatchimals Day’ which will fall on October 6th. No firm news has been released on this except to say that this is when “the newest members of the Hatchimals family will be unveiled. Who’s inside? It’s a surprise!” The combination of collectibles, the interactive tech toy and some upcoming animated shorts for the franchise should see Hatchimals continue to grow in popularity in 2017.