Zhu Zhu Hamsters Rule Black Friday Madness at Toys 'R Us

Do you know what a Zhu Zhu hamster is? If you do not have a clue what a Zhu Zhu hamster might be (besides a wild guess at some cute little pet rodent akin to perhaps the Siberian hamster), then you haven't 1) got any children or 2) simply haven't been paying attention. By Black Friday, Christmas shopping day extraordinaire, it is doubtful that anyone has not at least heard of the Zhu Zhu hamster -- even if one does not particularly care what one is. Simply put: The Zhu Zhu Pet hamster is a robotic toy made by Zhu Zhu Toys in the shape of a hamster that has become the must-have toy of the 2009 Christmas shopping season. Like the Cabbage Patch Dolls and Tickle Me Elmos of yesteryear, the Zhu Zhu hamster is the fad toy that has swept the nation and, before Christmas is over with, will undoubtedly be found in short supply a couple weeks going into Christmas (the demand has already produced a marked shortage as demand outpaced the availability), cause exorbitant bids in auctions on Ebay, and be responsible for episodes of shopping violence as desperate buyers fight over the last Zhu Zhu hamster on the shelf.

According to CNN, Zhu Zhu Pet hamster demand has become so great that the flagship store of Toy 'r Us in New York's Times Square had people who were Black Friday shopping for Zhu Zhu hamsters to form a separate line outside the store. CNN reported hundreds of people in line just to buy the little robot. One pair of shoppers had arrived at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to be first in line. They weren't (a distinction that went to a gentleman who arrived at 5 p.m.), but they became first in line for the Zhu Zhu hamsters when a separate line was formed. Those same shoppers were led directly to the Zhu Zhu hamster section as soon as the doors opened at midnight.

Like the New York store, a Toys 'r Us in Roanoke, Virginia, reported larger crowds than in previous years. Like many of the early arrivers in New York, their Virginia counterparts were there braving cold weather to get the Zhu Zhu Pet hamster.

Analysts contend that the larger numbers are indicative of the sluggish economy and people simply trying to get the best deals possible. Analysts have been attempting to keep the reports positive, not mentioning that the increased numbers of shoppers may also have a lot to do with the fact that there are so many people unemployed and who can attend the Black Friday sales. Retail sales for this Christmas season's Black Friday are expected to outperform last year's by 5%.

Jill Rosen at the Baltimore Sun has dubbed the search this year for the elusive Zhu Zhu Pet hamster the "Zhu Zhu fever." As she describes it, it's that phenomenon caused by "that sort-of-cute plaything whose scarcity causes them [shoppers, but parents in particular] to throw common sense, dignity and lots of money out the family van window." Rosen reported that a Baltimore Toys 'r Us store saw a daily line of people waiting for the doors to open at 9 a.m. that simply evaporated as soon as they were told there were no Zhu Zhu Pet hamsters.

With the current Zhu Zhu Pet craze, there will likely be not one left on a shelf after Black Friday and the pre-Christmas bidding wars will begin. Consider that the robotic rodent retails for $8 on sale, not only are parents and relatives scouring stores for the fad gift for Christmas, but the opportunistic entrepreneur is there as well.

And if you had no idea what as Zhu Zhu Pet was before you read this article, consider yourself either oblivious or blessed. If you are a parent and you don't have children clamoring for the wee robotic beastie, consider yourself doubly blessed.

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Sources:

CNN.com
BaltimoreSun.com
WSLS.com