Webkinz Vs. Beanie Babies 2.0 - Can They Catch the Online Wave that Webkinz Started?

Webkinz and Beanie Babies 2.0 are now in competition with each other for the online gaming and stuffed animal market. Can Beanie Babies catch the online wave that Webkinz started? Will they be able to appeal to the mass of Webkins collectors, or will they find an additional market of their own?

Webkinz brought out their line of website related stuffed animals in 2005. The clever addition to the massive world of stuffed animals, comes with one special added feature. Each Webkinz has a little sealed tag which includes a code to make their gaming site accessible. Without the special code, you don't have access to the site. Each Webkinz has its own code. When you get access to the site, you can play games, make a house and invite friends over to your online house and so forth. Children love it. The idea caught on with a boom. People talk about them. Talking creates more publicity. Publicity sells product.

The ingenious marketing idea behind Webkinz comes from the Canadian based Ganz corporation. They have been making products to sell since 1950. The Webkinz have become very popular. They have a huge following.

Many children loves the stuffed animals and the Webkinz site so much, that they now have a collection of different Webkinz characters, not just one. They have already retired some of the characters from production. That of course makes the frenzy increase. Beanie Babies were masters of that type of frenzy back in the 90's.

With limited production of each individual character, and everybody wanting them from small children to adults, the competition to get specific popular Beanie Babies pieces, became fanatical. People went to great lengths and paid exorbitant prices to get specific beanie babies for their collections. Even the McDonald's miniatures caused mass competition for limited supplies of each character. Stores were swamped and many took advantage of the situation by marking up the prices. Some held lottery draws to give people a chance to win or purchase the most rare ones, often at inflated prices. Everyone was riding the high wave. The secondary market went through the roof.

Webkinz followed the earlier ideas and successes of Ty's Beanie Babies, but added the online gaming site. With the success of their own venture, Webkinz have added other products available for the collectors. Those are selling well too.

Ty is still creating Beanie Babies. They sell all over the world, but not in a tizzy like they did in earlier years. Now Ty is trying to catch the Webkinz wave and ride along with them. They have created a similar virtual world website and line of code included, stuffed animals of their own.

Webkinz has a huge lead with a large and ever growing line of their Webkinz. Ty is just getting started with their Beanie Babies 2.0. Can they compete with the current popular Webkins? Can they capture part of the hot Webkinz market?

Beanie babies still have a big following. They come with an already established stuffed animal name. Their new Beanie Babies 2.0 come with a lower price tag than the Webkinz. They are also available in shops that do not carry the popular Webkinz. They might be able to reach new customers that way.

There is some irritation over the fact that many children can't get the Webkinz, whether from lack of funds or lack of available product. That increases the desire and the competition. The genius of the idea ensures that the website will flourish. The site itself, is a marketing ad which encourages the collectors to buy more of the products. This makes the cycle of purchase and play, start all over with each new character.

Whether or not Beanie Babies 2.0 can catch this Webkinz wave, and ride high on the top too, is yet to be seen. In asking a group of children, they all said that they like the Webkinz best, but their eyes did light up when they heard that Beanie Babies now had a line and website of their own tied into the new Beanie Babies 2.0. With the right advertising and marketing, Beanie Babies 2.0, may be able to at least have a share of the market. The race is on.