Chances are, if you have a child 6 – 11, you’ve heard of Webkinz — if you haven’t yet, you soon will…
Upon first glance Webkinz seem to be normal stuffed animals… But they are not.
Webkinz, made by Ganz, are stuffed animals which become alive in a magical world once the Webkinz Secret Code is put in at the Webkinz website. Once the secret code (found on each animal’s tag) is entered at Webkinz World kids are given an avatar which looks like the stuffed animal they own and then the owners can care for their virtual pet, play games, answer trivia, and earn KinzCash.
Think of them as Beanie Babies with lives on the Internet.
According to Ganz’s website, “Every Webkinz has a different secret code, and its own unique personality. Even if you buy two pets that look the same, you’ll see they are really very different!”
Word of mouth has taken over and kids are telling other kids to get the plush toys. Kids make videos and post them to YouTube, fill flicker accounts with photos, and email each other links and invitations to play games, etc. They sell out like crazy, driving parents and gift-givers insane looking for them.
Ganz began the line in 2005, but it wasn’t until holiday 2006 that adults really heard about the toys. Since Ganz didn’t run the usual ad campaign (bombardment) parents discovered the toys only from kids and other adults first heard of them in 2006 when the Webkinz were mentioned on daytime shows like Oprah and Regis and Kelly.
If your kids are on the Internet, they’ve heard of Webkinz. If not, they soon will and they will come to you with the soft whines and the squealing demands soon enough. At least now, you know what they are.
If your child receives a Webkinz, you’ll soon be sharing your computer with a child who wants his or her pet to live in the virtual world of the Internet. At least now you know what you’re in for.
Webkinz and accessories range from $10 – $15, and Lil Kinz (a smaller sized collection of ‘younger siblings’) runs from $7 – $9.
