Parents complain that the most-hyped toy of 2016 curses, doesn't really work

It was all fun and games until they refused to hatch and started swearing at children.

Hatchimals were the must-have toy this holiday season, with parents willing to pay top dollar for the sold out bird-like creature that lives in a plastic egg until it hatches and becomes interactive. They make strange sounds and are able to repeat words, with nothing preventing them from picking up R-rated language — which some parents say they came equipped to say. On YouTube, there are several videos featuring Hatchimals that appear to be saying "f--k me," but there is a debate raging about whether they are really uttering expletives, or if it's just a lecherous sounding "Hug me."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.