I’d love to know how toys become popular. Not just popular, but must-haves. Actually, not even just must-haves. I want to know how they rise to the level of “I’ll stand outside for three hours before the store even opens just in case one came in on the delivery truck overnight.”This year’s must-have—in addition to the NES Classic Edition—is the Hatchimal.If you’re reading this, then you probably know what a Hatchimal is. But if not, let me clue you in. It’s a bird-like, furry toy that comes in an egg, from which it hatches after 15-40 minutes. Then it’s a baby animal, and if it’s nurtured by the child who received it, it progresses through babyhood and childhood.When my daughter’s great aunt scored a Hatchimal a few weeks back we suspected my daughter would be excited since she loves all things animals and all things baby. Combine the two and—behold!—Christmas present perfection.Until the damn thing doesn’t work!This is where impatient child, frustrated dad, uncooperative toy, and holiday hype all join together in an explosive mixture of impending doom that only becomes more ominous as the seconds tick by and the toy fails to respond.That’s what happened in our house.My daughter unwrapped the toy. Her mother opened it. My daughter played with the egg, nurtured it, rubbed it, was very gentle with it. Nothing. It’s supposed to make sounds. The eyes are supposed to glow through the shell. It’s supposed to start pecking.Nothing.Sure, it can take some time. As much as forty minutes. So we waited. And waited. And waited. Not only didn’t it break the shell, it didn’t make any noise. No eyes glowed.We had a dud.But every dad has encountered a similar situation and has reacted the same way: let me see if I can figure it out.If you’ve found yourself in the above situation, and you can’t figure it out, let me help.First, at the bottom of the egg there are two plastic keys. These need to be turned 90 degrees to electronically unlock the toy. To bring it to life. One of the keys in our egg had fallen out as soon as we opened it.If your Hatchimal isn’t responding, you might have the same problem.If you still have one of the keys to your Hatchimal, try re-inserting it. This probably won’t work because the animal inside the egg spins around after the key is released.If you can’t get the key back in, hold the egg in your hand and twist it back-and-forth, which moves around the animal inside. While twisting it, try pushing the key in. Eventually the animal inside will return to its original position and you’ll be able to insert the key.After you get the key inserted, try turning it both ways—the directions say turn it to the right, but I’m pretty sure we had to turn ours to left. Turning these keys are not as easy and straightforward as described in the directions. Move them back-and-forth and I suspect your Hatchimal will come to life.You’ll know it worked because the animal inside the egg will immediately make baby animal noises and the eyes will probably shine through the egg.When it works, be sure to strut around the house and remind your kids who fixed the toy. This is a prime time for gloating. Don’t shortchange yourself.If it doesn’t work…good luck.Click here to receive an e-mail each time I write a new post! Guaranteed spam-free, unsubscribe any time IF YOU LIKED THIS POST I BET YOU'LL ALSO LIKE: I Was Wrong, The National Toy Hall of Fame Doesn't SuckPREVIOUS POST: I Don't Worry About Being Kidnapped Anymore