A video of a children’s toy called ‘my first ankle monitor’ has taken over TikTok and had everyone in shock – but is it real or fake? Read on to find out.
The viral clip sees someone taking the wild toy, which replicates the electronic tags used in criminal situations, off a Walmart shelf and putting it on their toddler.
Wild ‘my first ankle monitor’ toy
“If you’re the parent of a young child and you’re not getting enough sleep at night, I’m betting it’s because your children will not stay in their room,” a guy says while grabbing the ankle monitor toy off the shelf.
“That was my problem too until recently when I found this ankle monitor in Walmart. This brand is a godsend. Taking a page out of the criminal rehabilitation playbook,” he continues.
The simple plastic children’s toy is shaped exactly like a real ankle monitor, with a red square, yellow strap that wraps around the foot and a blue buckle.
He puts the monitor on his own child, screws it shut with an allen key and says it “puts in the work 24/7 to make sure they’re staying where they belong”.
The TikTok user also shows off an app that links to the monitor and allows him to set up zones where his toddler can and can’t go.
You’ve GOT to be kidding me!! An ankle monitor for kids?? 😳 I’ve got a few questions & concerns about this one…
— Wise One (@WthSaidThat) August 2, 2023
Is it real or fake?
The crazy toy is not real and the whole video is designed to be a parody. It was originally posted by a TikTok account called @legbootlegit who pranks people with spoof products.
While the toy does look pretty legit with its realistic packaging, a closer look at the logo shows it actually says “Little Yikes” not the popular kids’ brand Little Tikes.
If you didn’t catch on to that, it became obvious the toy was fake when you reached the end of the video as he said it had an inbuilt “electrical impulse training tool”.
A toy that electrically shocks your child certainly wouldn’t be on the shelves at Walmart, and he ends with a hilarious piece of sarcasm.
“It’s actually pretty therapeutic,” the TikTok user says about the electrical element. “For me.”
TikTok was in disbelief
The video had already been shared on TikTok hundreds of times in 24 hours and everyone was in complete shock – until they realised it was fake.
One person wrote: “Wait is this real?”
“Not me going to Google to buy it,” said another.
A third person added: “Omg you had me for a moment.”
“I thought this was real until you zapped the kid,” someone else said.
Another added: “I really thought this was real until the end.”
However, others knew it was a prank straight away, with one person writing “This made me laugh so much” and another joking: “Does it come with a parole officer?”
