Webkinz: The Next Beanie Baby Craze?

Webkinz crept up on our family in the most normal of ways. One day our eight year old's friend had a Webkinz. Oour son asked what it was. His friend explained that a Webkinz is a small stuffed animal. Not only is it a stuffed animal, but each Webkinz comes with a computer code on a tag on its neck. The code can be entered at the Webkinz website. The person who owns the stuffed animal creates an online account using the code, and creates an entire world for their stuffed animal to live in. But in virtual time and in a virtual world.

Webkinz is very much like a role-playing game for very small children. Once our eight year old had a Webkinz bunny (named Peanut), our four year old begged for a Webkinz. He received a polar bear named Chilli. Your child gets the stuffed animal itself, which retails for $8.50 to $20, depending on size. Your child names the stuffed animal in real life and in their online account. And then it gets weird and cute, all at once.

Our sons started checking on their pets obsessively. They log in to their account every day, and they earn Webkiniz dollars, which are spent buying furniture, bikes, toys, and food for their little virtual pets. I was given a little elephant for Christmas. His name is Elmer. I log into my account and find that Elmer is hungry, so I spend 5 Webkinz dollars and feed him some salad. Then Elmer needs to exercise, so I have Elmer run for a few minutes on a tredmill that I spend Webkinz dollars on. Elmer, of course, needs a bed in his bedroom, so I go Webkinz's store and buy a bed.

Kids can earn Webkinz dollars by "working" in jobs that include spelling words correctly, matching colors and shapes, and doing math. We love the fact that our kids enjoy doing academic work in this little virtual world, and they love earning more money to spend on their online pets.

When we first learned about Webkinz the craze was new; now it's spreading nationwide, and Webkinz are becoming the next Beanie Babies. Our house now hold fifteen (yes, fifteen) Webkinz and most likely the stuffed animal zoo will only expand. Webkinz is a gentle way for kids to play online and have fun, and it appeals to boys and girls alike; we couldn't live without our Webkinz menagerie.