Little Live Pets Make Gremlins a Distant Memory with Season’s Hottest Toy

Two years ago it was Hatchimals. Last year it was Fingerlings monkeys. This year the hottest holiday toy is Scruf-A-Luvs—and it was sold out before Black Friday! Falling into the category of “mystery toys”, they’re the newest product from Little Live Pets (parent company: Moose Toys). Starting out as disheveled balls of fur, these interactive playthings come to life (becoming puppies, kitties or bunnies) once you give them a bath, dry them out, and comb their fur.

Working off the success of past “mystery toys” (see Hatchimals), Little Live Pets is hitting on one of the big toy trends of 2018 with Scruf-A-Luvs. Not knowing what kind of critter you’re going to get is a craze that keeps kids wanting to buy more (this not only applies to what pet you’re going to get, but what color it’ll be too). Furthermore, they’re also diving into the pet rescue theme by advertising these as “rescues” or “strays”. All these elements add up to one of the most coveted toys of the season. 

By early November these gizmos were sold out at Walmart, but were available via third-party sellers and at Target and Amazon (though they may not ship until after Christmas). So toy companies take note: Adding a little mystery to this holiday season may be a good thing… just as long as your toys don’t do this if you get them wet or feed them after midnight.