Webkinz World of Online Games and Fun

Webkinz are plush toys that can be purchased at many card and specialty shops. They are approximately 8 inches long (some a bit bigger, some a bit smaller). They cost about $11-$12 each. But beyond being a plush toy, these stuffed animals come with a secret code. Enter the code on the Webkinz website and you enter a new world of fun to play with your new friend!

But is it safe for my child to play online games?

Many parents will first want to know the safety of allowing their children to play online. Afterall, there are so many scary stories we've all heard about child predators and such. But, Webkinz is designed for kids and it is designed to be safe. First of all, even though children are playing online, they can mostly play games against the computer if they want to. And, though there is the option to have a "cell phone" to "connect" with a "friend," a child cannot actually "chat" with this friend. The only communication with friends are pre-written statements that the player can click on. Things like, "how are you today?" and "do you like playing in Webkinz World?" and the answers are also pre-written so that a child cannot possibly type in his real name by accident or any other identifying information for that matter.

Webkinz claims to be opening up a "Clubhouse" area where players CAN go to chat with other "friends" in Webkinz World. This is not open yet but when it does, children can supposedly type in their own conversations. The first thing parents can do to keep their children safe in this area is to opt out. A parent simply has to log in and choose the option that their children do not have access to this. If you do want to allow your child access, certain words like proper nouns and numbers to name a few simply won't be allowed to be used. If you type these un-allowed words, they simply will not show up when you "chat." Is this foolproof? Of course not and this is why I, personally, have opted my child out of the Clubhouse when it does start up.

So, how do I or my child actually play Webkinz?

The first thing you must do is go to http://www.webkinz.com and you will see a box to click to for "new member." Once you click there Ms. Birdy will assist you with the adoption of your new pet. The adoption will include entering your secret code on the tag of your plush Webkinz as well as deciding on a name for the pet and whether the pet is a boy or girl. Very simple stuff and you are walked through the entire process easily.

Once your pet is adopted, you enter Webkinz World and there are so many things that you can do! First go to "My Room." Each pet gets their own room and a few pieces of furniture for it when they adopt a pet. You also get $1000 in Kinzcash (virtual money) so you can buy more things for your pet or his room at the W Shop. The W shop has everything from food to furniture to toys and everything in between. You use your kinzcash to purchase items.

And, when your kinzcash runs out? Then you have to earn more, of course, You can earn kinzcash in many different ways:

The Arcade has games you can play. You don't have to put up any kinzcash to play the game, you only win the virtual money for high scores. The higher your score in any given game, the more kinzcash you can earn. Some games are easy and some games are hard. There are so many games to choose from and some are familiar games like Mini Golf and Solitaire but most are games unique to Webkinz and have names like "Cash Cow" and "Candy Bash" to name just a few.

The Tournament Arena is a place that you can play your favorite games against an opponent. You can ask the computer to find you an opponent and play against another real person. The games are similar and/or the same as in the Arcade but are made for 2 players in the Tournament Arena. If you already have "friends" you can ask them specifically to play against you in the tournament arena.

In the Employment area of the site you can choose a job and earn virtual money for doing it and completing it well. The jobs range from painting fences in the right patterns to matching shoes that alike to piano playing!

And, don't forget to visit the Quizzy's area where you can answer trivia questions for your age group and on certain subjects. The Quizzy's questions can earn you 5 kinzcash per question if you get them correct and even if you get them wrong on the first (or second or third) try, you still earn something. The questions are not terribly hard and each one gives a new fact with the answer as well so this is actually somewhat educational! The kinacash can add up pretty quickly with Quizzy's so don't forget to check them out!

In Today's Activities, you will find a host of activities waiting for you to play and earn some Kinzcash. There is a Wishing Well game which is like a slot machine except that you don't have to put out any money to play. There is the Wheel of Wow that allows you to spin a wheel of fortune-like wheel and win prizes And, there are activities that change hourly and if you are there at the right time you may be allowed to click a button to win kinzcash or you may be able to claim a coupon for the W Shop. And, there's even more but you'll have to explore and check it out for yourself.

So, once you've played your share of games and earned all the Webkinz you can earn, you will want to spend it. You can buy furniture at the W Shop for your room or, better yet, you can buy more rooms for your pet. You can purchase a small, medium, or large sized room or an outdoor space. You can put pools or lawn chairs outside and even plant bushes or shrubs or a garden! You can have a kitchen with a stove (that really works!) and more or a living room with a television for your pet to watch. There are games to purchase and play and so much more. The fun is not simply in earning kinzcash, it's enjoying the rewards of your earnings as well!

So, you can see, there is a lot to do in the Webkinz World. There is probably even more stuff to do that I have not remembered to mention but I didn't want to overwhelm anyone with an explanation of every single game. This is more than enough to get you started and now that you know what to do, get playing!