Parents, there is a new craze on the horizon and mark my words, there is going to be a whirlwind of popularity around these things. I am, of course, talking about the WebKinz plush toys made by Ganz. These “dolls” are an incredible marketing machine that may take over where the beanie babies left off. They are stuffed animals originally released by the Ganz gift company in 2005. The toys are similar to many other small soft toys, however they come with a special code on their labels that allows access to the “Webkinz World” website to “adopt” a virtual version of the pet for virtual interaction. The plush toys are also, like the beanie babies before them, allowed to “retire” which then raises the collectibility of these toys. I would not be surprised to see a bidding war on these things come Christmas. I am not waiting, i have gotten one of the bullfrogs for my small son. The neat thing about them outside of the collectibility is the online community that is part of the purchase. There are reportedly 1 million registered users on the community.

When a person “adopts” their first WebKinz pet, they are given basic items such as a room, a welcome balloon, a food item, a piece of furniture for their pet, and 2000 in Kinzcash. Kinzcash is the Webkinz World version of currency. Each pet has levels of happiness, health, and hunger that decrease as time is spent with that Webkinz. They can be increased by feeding, playing with, exercising, and bathing the pet.

Much of the gameplay involves the making and spending of Kinzcash. Earning Kinzcash involves playing multiple games, including quizzes and arcade games. This virtual currency can then be used to purchase items for the virtual pet.

While there are the normal fears of the online aspect of the community, with a normal set of guidelines for your childs time spent online, this may be one of the better ways of getting your child involved in the internet.