A toy that grabs you

About two years ago, Ms Sydney Wiseman (right) had a challenging assignment for an engineer at her family's toy company. Could he design a small robotic toy that resembled a pygmy marmoset, a tiny Amazonian monkey that Ms Wiseman had been obsessed wi
Ms Sydney Wiseman. PHOTO: NYTIMES

About two years ago, Ms Sydney Wiseman had a challenging assignment for an engineer at her family's toy company. Could he design a small robotic toy that resembled a pygmy marmoset, a tiny Amazonian monkey that Ms Wiseman had been obsessed with since she was a child growing up in Montreal? Sure, the engineer told her. Thus was born the Fingerling, a 12.7cm monkey that grips your finger with its legs and arms, as it babbles, blows kisses and blinks its eyes. Created by the Canadian company WowWee, the Fingerling has been picked as one of this year's hot toys for the holidays.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 12, 2017, with the headline A toy that grabs you. Subscribe