They were chipped when my grandchildren first took them out of the box to look at them, I have no idea how. These are A students who were taught to take care of more fragile things and to respect other people's property. Are they really *that* fragile? Phew, so disappointed. I wanted something to display but also older kids (ages 10 and 15) can take it off and use and enjoy with supervision. They loved them, but they were all microchipped. bad party? Not that they're a particularly cheap price!