Hatchimals are interactive surprise egg toys from Spin Master, and the line is a fraction of what it once was. The original electronic egg that defined Christmas 2016 is out of production. Two ranges are still made in 2026: Hatchimals Alive, which hatches in water, and Bloomables by Hatchimals, the flower-themed line introduced in 2024. Everything else, including the classic touch-activated shells, Mini Pets, and most CollEGGtibles series, now lives on clearance racks and resale listings. This guide sorts what you can still buy new from what you have to hunt down secondhand.
This page contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
What Are Hatchimals and Who Needs Them
Hatchimals are interactive toys that hatch out of a plastic shell, made for kids ages five and up who want a slow reveal rather than a finished figure in a box. You tap the shell, the eyes change color, and the creature inside pecks its way out. The hatching process is the appeal, and it happens exactly once.
The initial launch in October 2016 caused the worst toy shortage since Furby and Cabbage Patch Kids. Five species shipped in that first wave: Pengualas, Draggles, Burtles, Bearakeets, and Owlicorns, two of them retailer-exclusive. By December, resale listings were selling at three to four times retail.
That craze is over, which changes who the brand is for. Spin Master, the Toronto company behind Paw Patrol and Kinetic Sand, still lists the range on its official brand page, but shelf space has shrunk to one or two SKUs in most stores. The buyers who benefit now are parents shopping clearance and collectors filling holes in retired series.
What to Look For: Features and Buying Criteria
The first thing to check is which line you are buying, because one name covers five different toys at five price points.
Line and format. A large egg that hatches in water is nothing like a blind-bag mini. Match the format to the child, not the name.
Production status. Anything outside Alive and Bloomables is discontinued. That should change what you pay and where you look, not whether you buy.
Power source. Classic shells need two AA batteries, sealed in until the shell opens. Alive versions use warm water instead, so nothing sits corroding in decade-old stock.
Series number. Each range shipped in numbered seasons and collectors trade strictly by season. Series 12 CollEGGtibles will not complete a Series 2 set.
Box condition. For a child, shelf wear is worth a discount. For a collector, intact shrink wrap can double the value of the same item. Unboxing videos on YouTube show every character in a wave, the quickest way to confirm what a sealed set holds.
| Line | What it is | Status in 2026 | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hatchimals Alive | Soft creatures released in warm water | In production | $10 to $25 |
| Bloomables | Pods that bloom open to reveal a small toy | In production | $6 to $15 |
| CollEGGtibles | Minis sold blind or in a printed carton | Mostly retired, clearance | $5 to $20 |
| Pixies | Fairy dolls, including flying Crystal Flyers | Retired | $25 to $45 resale |
| Classic electronic egg | Battery powered, opens by touch and sound, 2016 to 2019 | Discontinued | $40 to $120 resale |
What to Avoid When Buying Hatchimals
The most expensive mistake is paying 2016 prices for 2016 stock. A decade-old item is not rare simply because it is old.
Treating every retired shell as collectible. Millions of that first wave shipped. Common Pengualas and Draggles in a scuffed box are not an investment.
Assuming old stock still works. A well-documented defect wave hit the 2016 release and plenty of parents ended up with units that never cracked. Spin Master handled replacements then, but that support is long gone.
Sealed listings with no real photos. Stock images hide dents, fading, and resealed wrap. Ask for a photo of the box corner and the series number.
Multi-packs that mix waves. Some marketplace bundles combine current minis with retired ones. Fine for play, useless for completing a season.
Low-feedback sellers anywhere. Counterfeit shells crack unevenly and the lights fail. Stick to first-party listings or sellers with long, toy-specific feedback.
Where to Buy Hatchimals In Store
Physical stores carry current lines only, usually a single shelf facing rather than a full section. Phone the toy department first, because stock varies by location and many have dropped the brand.
Walmart
Their toy department has the widest in-store selection of what is still produced, and the likeliest odds on a marked-down retired wave. Check the interactive fixture near L.O.L. Surprise and Squishmallows, then the clearance endcap.
Target
This chain stocks current Alive and Bloomables sets and has historically run retailer-exclusive variants. Small blind packs often sit in the collectibles aisle with trading cards rather than the boxed toys, so check both.
Kohl’s and Costco
Kohl’s treats toys as a seasonal assortment on the back wall, thin most of the year and wider in November. Costco rotates large holiday bundles in and out as they sell through; when a multi-pack appears the per-unit price beats everyone, but do not count on it in a given year.
Independent shops are worth one call, since they order in smaller quantities and hold stock longer than the chains.
Where to Buy Hatchimals Online
Online is where this range actually lives now. Current production sells through the big marketplaces, and everything retired sells through resale.
Amazon
Amazon holds the deepest catalog of current sets, with first-party stock and marketplace sellers listing the full range of eggs, cartons, and accessory packs. Prices move daily on discontinued items, so open the other-sellers list before you purchase.
eBay
eBay is the real market for retired stock: sealed 2016 originals, complete CollEGGtibles seasons, and Pixies Crystal Flyers. Buyer protection covers anything that arrives not as described, which matters more here than anywhere else. Mercari and Etsy carry collector lots too, fewer but sometimes cheaper.
Spin Master
The manufacturer occasionally sells bundles through its own shop. The catalog reflects current production only, so use it to confirm what is genuinely still made, not to find old series.
Finding a specific retired set takes a method, not luck:
- Pin down the exact name and series number. Searching “CollEGGtibles Series 8” returns usable results. The brand name alone returns thousands.
- Save the search instead of browsing. A saved search emails you when a match posts, which is how sealed stock gets caught before a reseller takes it.
- Compare completed listings, not active ones. Asking prices on retired items are aspirational. Sold prices tell you the real value.
- Check clearance last. Walmart and Target markdown pages still surface old waves for a few dollars.
Hunting other hard-to-find kids’ toys? Our guides to Shopkins, Nerf guns, Pokemon cards, and the Elf on the Shelf doll use the same tactics.
How Much Should You Pay for Hatchimals
As of July 2026, current production runs $6 to $25, while retired sets range from clearance pennies to collector premiums.
Budget, about $5 to $12. Single blind minis and Bloomables pods. Good party favors, and the cheapest way to test whether a child likes the format.
Mid-range, about $15 to $30. Full Alive eggs and CollEGGtibles cartons. This tier buys the most characters per dollar and is where clearance cuts land hardest.
Premium, $40 and up. Deluxe multi-reveal sets, Pixies dolls, and sealed classic units from the 2016 and 2017 waves.
Premium is usually wasted on a child. A sealed 2016 original costs several times a current Alive set and delivers the same single opening, minus any warranty and with a real chance the electronics have died. Buy sealed only when the box itself is the point.
Top Picks
These five were chosen on current availability, price per character, and how well the play holds up after the reveal.
Best overall: Hatchimals Alive Hatch N Play Pets. Hatches in warm water, then works as a soft interactive pet with feeding and sleep modes. Around $15 to $25.
Check price on Amazon,
see the Target option, or
browse at Walmart.
Best for collectors: Hatchimals CollEGGtibles 12-Pack Egg Carton. Twelve minis in a printed carton, the best value per creature and the easiest format to trade. Clearance stock now. Around $15 to $25.
Find it on Amazon.
Best cheap gift: Bloomables by Hatchimals, Rainbow Splash and Flower Fest. A pod that blooms open to reveal a small figure, including the Pufficorn character. Around $6 to $15.
Shop on Amazon or
browse at Target.
Best big reveal: Hatchimals Alive Mystery Hatch. A larger shell with layered surprises and several creatures inside. Better for a shared unboxing than a solo one. Around $25 to $40.
Check price on Amazon or
look for a Costco bundle.
Best for a collector’s shelf: Pixies Crystal Flyers. A motorized fairy doll that hovers above an open hand. Retired, so pricing is resale-driven and drifting upward. Around $25 to $45.
Compare sold prices on eBay.
Decide first whether you are buying for play or for a shelf. For play, buy a current Alive set or a Bloomables pod new from Walmart and skip resale entirely. For a collection, name the exact series, save a search, and check sold prices before bidding. Hatchimals are inexpensive toys carrying an expensive resale myth, and knowing which side of that line you are on saves the most money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why were Hatchimals discontinued?
The classic electronic version was discontinued because demand collapsed after the 2016 and 2017 peak, not because of a recall. Fad toys follow that curve: a shortage year, a saturation year, then falling retailer reorders. Spin Master kept the trademark working by replacing the format, first with CollEGGtibles, then Alive in 2023 and Bloomables in 2024.
Do they sell Hatchimals anymore?
Yes, but only two lines. Alive and Bloomables are in production and stocked at Walmart, Target, and Amazon. CollEGGtibles, Pixies, and the original battery-powered version are out of production and available through clearance and resale only.
What is the current version called?
Hatchimals Alive is the current large-shell line, and it opens in warm water rather than through touch and sound. Bloomables by Hatchimals is the smaller companion range, where a flower pod blooms open instead of a shell cracking. Both use soft-bodied creatures rather than the hard plastic of the older toys.
Can you rehatch one?
No. The shell breaks inward and cannot be reassembled, which is why an opened box has almost no resale value. The item keeps working afterward as an interactive pet, but the hatch is a one-time event. Some Alive shells press back together enough to repeat the water routine, though never cleanly.
What was the controversy about?
A share of the 2016 launch stock failed to hatch, and complaints piled up over the holidays while replacements were unavailable. Spin Master set up a support line and swapped out faulty units. Anyone buying that first wave secondhand today has no such recourse, so test it before wrapping it.
Reviewed by the Where to Buy Guides editorial team. Prices and retailer availability verified July 2026.