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Web-addict-ins: Pet avatars take owners to whole new world
  
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By ANNA SCHUMANN
They’ve been on the market for years and still are as popular as ever for all ages.
Jill Beckham, owner of Jilly Bean Accessories in Magnolia, said she has sold out of the soft stuffed animals known as Webkinz several times since she began selling them four years ago. This was a pleasant surprise, she said, since when the toy first came out they weren’t moving off the shelves.
The plush animals, manufactured by Ganz, come with secret codes so they can be registered online in Webkinz World. Online, the pet avatars need to be fed, cleaned and taken care of.
Beckham said she thought the stuffed pets would be a good investment, but mostly hoped they would teach children responsibility. After working for Magnolia Independent School District for nine years, she was thrilled to see an educational toy.
Players can do jobs, play games or take quizzes to earn Kinzcash, which is then used to buy things in Webkinz World. When players don’t take care of their Webkinz, they die. This also teaches children the importance of budgeting, Beckham said.
Beckham said an interesting trend she has seen is grandparents buying Webkinz to play in the World with their grandchildren.
Webkinz friends can play games like checkers with each other, but there is no way to exchange personal information and no way to input their own words. Players may simply select phrases from pop-up boxes to tell the other player their thoughts.
Karon Rhodes, manager of the volunteer gift shop at Tomball Regional Hospital, said the fun for children and assurance of online safety for parents is what makes Webkinz such a hot item.
“It’s a win-win situation for kids and parents,” she said.
From what she’s seen, Rhodes said, the most popular Webkinz are the more unusual animals.
“People are used to getting plush cats, dogs, horses and bears, so when you give them the chance to have a plush snake, they take it,” she said.
For a list of Webkinz retailers, check out www.Webkinz.com.
steps to enjoying your webkinz
Find a local retailer of Webkinz from the Webkinz web site, www.webkinz.com. Call first, though, they might be out!
Pick out your favorite Webkinz animal to buy and take home. You can choose from birds, dragons, dogs, cats, horses and many others.
When you buy a Webkinz, it comes with a secret code. Use this code to register your pet online and begin the fun.
When you register, you decide the gender of your pet and choose its name.
You are given $2,000 Kinzcash to decorate your pet’s room then buy furniture, clothes and food.
You can measure how your pet is doing with Happy, Health and Hunger meters.
You can do jobs, take quizzes and play in the arcade to earn Kinzcash to buy things for your Webkinz.
Webkinz has daily activities and weekly contests for you to participate in.
You can play games with your Webkinz friends.
Through Kinzchat, you can construct phrases to speak to your friends. There’s no way to give out personal information.
Check on your Webkinz World daily to take care of your pets and see what’s new.
Jill Beckham, owner of Jilly Bean Accessories in Magnolia, said she has sold out of the soft stuffed animals known as Webkinz several times since she began selling them four years ago. This was a pleasant surprise, she said, since when the toy first came out they weren’t moving off the shelves.
The plush animals, manufactured by Ganz, come with secret codes so they can be registered online in Webkinz World. Online, the pet avatars need to be fed, cleaned and taken care of.
Beckham said she thought the stuffed pets would be a good investment, but mostly hoped they would teach children responsibility. After working for Magnolia Independent School District for nine years, she was thrilled to see an educational toy.
Players can do jobs, play games or take quizzes to earn Kinzcash, which is then used to buy things in Webkinz World. When players don’t take care of their Webkinz, they die. This also teaches children the importance of budgeting, Beckham said.
Beckham said an interesting trend she has seen is grandparents buying Webkinz to play in the World with their grandchildren.
Webkinz friends can play games like checkers with each other, but there is no way to exchange personal information and no way to input their own words. Players may simply select phrases from pop-up boxes to tell the other player their thoughts.
Karon Rhodes, manager of the volunteer gift shop at Tomball Regional Hospital, said the fun for children and assurance of online safety for parents is what makes Webkinz such a hot item.
“It’s a win-win situation for kids and parents,” she said.
From what she’s seen, Rhodes said, the most popular Webkinz are the more unusual animals.
“People are used to getting plush cats, dogs, horses and bears, so when you give them the chance to have a plush snake, they take it,” she said.
For a list of Webkinz retailers, check out www.Webkinz.com.
steps to enjoying your webkinz
Find a local retailer of Webkinz from the Webkinz web site, www.webkinz.com. Call first, though, they might be out!
Pick out your favorite Webkinz animal to buy and take home. You can choose from birds, dragons, dogs, cats, horses and many others.
When you buy a Webkinz, it comes with a secret code. Use this code to register your pet online and begin the fun.
When you register, you decide the gender of your pet and choose its name.
You are given $2,000 Kinzcash to decorate your pet’s room then buy furniture, clothes and food.
You can measure how your pet is doing with Happy, Health and Hunger meters.
You can do jobs, take quizzes and play in the arcade to earn Kinzcash to buy things for your Webkinz.
Webkinz has daily activities and weekly contests for you to participate in.
You can play games with your Webkinz friends.
Through Kinzchat, you can construct phrases to speak to your friends. There’s no way to give out personal information.
Check on your Webkinz World daily to take care of your pets and see what’s new.
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