What Do You Think About Webkinz?
July 28, 2008
I have to admit, a year ago I didn’t know what Webkinz were. I had heard of them, my kids mentioned them from school, but they really weren’t something that our family is into. Them my oldest daughter had a birthday party and guess what did nearly every friend give her?
You guessed it… Webkinz.
She received 14 Webkinz, which opened up a whole new world for our family… a world of commercialism, trends, collecting, and marketing messages aimed at my kids. In case you’re not aware of “Webkinz World,” here’s an article that will give you the lowdown.
Welcome the Webkinz
The times truly have changed. Remember the days when toys were so basic, and that much is left to the imagination of the child? Today, technology has evolved with the idea of fun, so the ordinary stuffed animal you may be familiar with is now as interactive as it can get. We’re talking about the Webkinz, and innovation from Ganz, a well-known maker of collectibles and plush toys.
What are Webkinz? They are plush toys that come in many styles, with an animal to match the personality and preference of every child. Though these toys look just like regular stuffed animals, don’t let the Webkinz fool you. With each purchase, you get a special code, which you can use online at Webkinz World. The code is your ticket to the world of these virtual pets, which offer interaction with other Webkinz owners, fun, games, and tons more.
Since their inception in 2005, the Webkinz have taken the world by storm, and have revolutionized the way virtual pets are played. As of 2007, more than two million Webkinz toys have been reported to be sold. Children from ages 13 and below simply adore the Webkinz, which have become collectible items with more fun and cool products to boot. Here are some other goodies from the Webkinz that you and your kids can enjoy.
Webkinz figures - Aside from the cuddly plush Webkinz, you can get them mini-sized in the form of figurines. These are made of hard plastic and come in more than 20 varieties, like elephant, cat, frog, monkey, dog, horse, and more. See your favorite Webkinz as adorable figurines in colorful costumes, too. These are great gifts for both kids and adults alike, and are fun to add to any Webkinz collection.
Webkinz charms - Here is another irresistible product from the Webkinz, charms you can add to jewelry like necklaces and bracelets. Each charm carries a unique Webkinz design, examples of which are white terrier, Chihuahua, gorilla, and more. You can also purchase the Webkinz bracelet so you have a place to collect your Webkinz charms. What an excellent gift for young girls, teens, and adults.
Webkinz trading cards - What’s even better than having a Webkinz of your own? How about trading them with your friends? That’s right, Webkinz has come up with trading cards of their cute characters, so owners can play the challenge game for a chance to win more cards. Each card comes with special codes for goodies and other items you can use on the Webkinz site.
Webkinz clothes - Your Webkinz need to be fashionable, too! Choose from a wide selection of Webkinz clothes and fashion accessories to suit your taste and fashion flair. You can dress up your Webkinz for work, for sports, or simply to keep them in style. You can also add accessories like hats and jewelry for your Webkinz. Let your creativity flourish with the awesome fashion collections for your Webkinz.
Who doesn’t love the Webkinz? Surely it would be even better to share the Webkinz experience with your family and friends. How about throwing a Webkinz party? This is a great venue for kids to interact with fellow Webkinz fans, tell stories and share about their virtual pets and their virtual homes at Webkinz World. You can actually find tons of ideas for birthday parties with a Webkinz theme. You and your guests will surely have a ball. The possibilities are endless.
With all this hype on Webkinz, surely you are curious to know where you can purchase these amazing toys. Don’t worry, as tons of sites online offer the plush toys, figurines, clothes, and other Webkinz products for sale. Examples are Amazon and eBay, where dozens of listings for Webkinz items are found. Search online today and find a Webkinz that suits your fancy, whether you love birds, dogs, cats, reptiles, and even jungle animals.
There are also items you can buy for your pet in Webkinz World. Because taking care of a pet is like a full time job, you have the option of getting products to help in maintaining and caring for your Webkinz. Make your virtual pet’s home more attractive, buy stuff to keep your virtual pet happy and healthy, and tons more. To make things more convenient for parents, the Webkinz World site provides a link to the Webkinz eStore, where they can purchase upgrades like clothes, appliances, and others for your virtual pet.
So what are you waiting for? Open up a new world for you and your child to explore together. Have fun while learning with the experience only these cool virtual pets can give. Webkinz are a great gift to give for just about anybody, for the young kids and even the young at heart. Get yours today.
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This was a brief introduction to the world of Webkinz. To find more information about these wonderful toys, visit WebkinzExpert. |
So What Do They Hurt?
I guess Webkinz really don’t hurt anything, I just hate the commercialism of the whole thing. I think the idea of collecting a bunch of stuffed animals so that they can collect dust is dumb… and most of the kids we know have more Webkinz than they can every possibly play with.
I don’t like conspicuous consumption.
My oldest thinks they’re dumb and won’t spend any money on them… although she loves playing at “Webkinz World” whenever I let her (which isn’t all that often). She hasn’t even registered all the Webkinz that she’s received as gifts.
My son hasn’t bought any new ones, although he got one from a friend for his birthday. Everytime we’re out somewhere that sells the little buggers he considers buying another one but decides to save his money for something else (Whoohoo!). He also loves to visit his pet frog at “Webkinz World” whenever I let him… but he has a hard time with many of the games.
My youngest is absolutely crazy about Webkinz and I can’t figure out why. It didn’t bother me too much until the other day when she purchased a new pink poodle.
We have a rule that the kids have to buy them with their own money. So if they want to buy something and they don’t have their money with them, I make the purchase and they pay me back when we get home.
Well, my youngest promised me that she had more than enough money to buy the poodle, so I made the purchase for her. When we got home, she got out her bank and started counting out the money… down to the last dregs of change she had to meet the purchase price. She cried and cried to have to spend all her money, but she loves the poodle and is now saving for another Webkinz.
Maybe I’m crazy, but it really disturbed me that she got so upset to use up all her money but was perfectly willing to give up just about everything she had for this silly poodle. After all, she’s really too young to play the games online… although she tries. In my opinion, the games aren’t all that great anyway, the site is slow, and the idea of a virtual pet just isn’t all that appealing… but she is absolutely hooked.
But apparently I’m in the minority.
What do you think? I’m really curious about other parents’ experiences.
As you can tell by my username, I love Webkinz. I have over 20 and also run a Webkinz blog.
However, I wouldn’t empty out my bank account like your daughter did for just one.
My daughter has 2 webkinz and like any other computer related games, we limit her time on the webkinz website. There is value in children learning keyboarding skills and there is creativity involved with the virtual pets. But again, everything in moderation. My children are more likely to engage in dramatic play or arts/crafts.
My daughter and I think they are dumb. Her oldest daughter (turned 7) got 5 at her birthday party last year. This made the youngest daughter (age 5) upset. The worst part was the oldest won’t share. We tried to reason with her but she was upset about letting loose of even one of the webkins. Fortunately the youngest birthday is 4 months later and she rec’d 6. The battle was on. The oldest had to have one more. We adults held a unified front and didn’t let the battle last long. They were on the website at both houses but after a few months of us telling them we refuse to buy the products mentioned they lost interest and now they are collecting dust in their closets. Fortunately for us the girls are more into physical activities and personal interaction with friends and relatives (with out help). This is just another form of beanie babies. Parents and grandparents would serve their offsprings better by not letting them engage in this “virtual” play. It limits their ability to use their own imagination. We noticed a lot of “what should I draw , what should I play , there is nothing to do” and a decrease in their independ thinking during this time of website mesmerizing. My advice: Limit this to one.
I am with you on this one! I would prefer for my daughter to use her imagination and play outside. Also, we have a computer and games in the house and she is rarely on it so why would I waste my money on a toy that she would not play with. there are far more educational sites and games for them to play than Webkinz. I also have a teenage daughter who plays SIMS and what is Webkinz but teh same game just for a younger audience? And with Sims I see how addicted my daughter gets to having a bigger house and more clothes. I would prefer my five yeat old plays the old fashioned way!
My 5 year old got a webkinz for her birthday from my mother. I have yet to tell her about the activation code. As it is, the cat sits on a chair in the playroom ignored. I hope she never realizes about the code but I guess its a matter of time before her school mates or older cousins enlighten her. Oh well…
In terms of their “educational” value, I think there’s lots of free websites out there to play on. We limit computer access to maybe one hour or so a week and both of my children don’t seem too hard done by. I’d rather my two daughters play “the old fashioned way”.
Since every toy out there has commercialization etc involved I am not as concerned about that. Esepcially since I can use it to teach my kids a lesson about it and they can relate to it. I know they get it too because they tell me they think this part of what Ganz does is wrong or stupid because … I use online and offline playing time with Webkinz as a a learning experience. Of course my kids actively play with all their stuffed animals and do it creatively. At elast Webkinz has learning games.. Math and English skills etc. I have found they have picked up a lot of good habits, skills and knowledge through online play. We homeschool and use part of the online game time as school too. I think it is like anything else. You need to actively play with your kids in order to get the best out of everything. I have Webkinz and an account too so I “play” with my kids because I feel that is a very important part of their childhood. I even have some of their friends playing online games with me. I think it makes them feel good about themselves when they feel even adults are comfortable just playing and having fun. It shows them that being older does not mean that you have to give up a part of your childhood. There are other online virtual games out there that seem pretty worthless to me because they lack any potential for learning so I am happy that at least Webkinz has that factor in it.
My daughter 7yrs. loves webkinz. She’s saving her own money to buy webkinz acc. working hard at her chores and homework to be able to earn play time on the computer. I decided I wanted to know more so I bought one for myself. It’s not that bad. my daughter and i send gifts back and forth and invite each other over to see our new stuff. on the webkinz site. I think as long as I know how long and what she’s doing on the computer it’s ok.
My kids love webkinz and play all kind of imaginary games with them. We made webkinz houses out of large boxes, painted them, made curtains,etc. They play pet store, house, school,etc with their webkinz. My second child does enjoy the computer time on Webkinz, however we too do limit their time on the computer. I think some kids like to collect things and there is nothing wrong with it. I believe it is a fad just like cabbage patch kids, barbies, star wars, etc. were when we were kids. There are worse things out there!
I think that webkinz are GREAT. Kids can learn so much from playing with them there are games that teach them how to type, and the fastest way to earn money on the game is to answer trivia questions. You get money alot faster answering the questions than you do for just playing games. Which will encourage children to answer the questions instead of just playing the games.
I LOVE WEBKINZ!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE ALMOST 40 WEBKINZ I LOVE WEBKINZ SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!