Webkinz

Webkinz are stuffed animals that were originally released by the Ganz gift company in 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however they come with a special code on their labels that allows access to the "Webkinz World" which is a site website to "adopt" a virtual version of the pet for virtual interaction. There is are also smaller versions of the toys called "Lil' Kinz".

The toys have been marketed in similar fashion to Ty Beanie Babies with some being retired after some time, which encourages high secondary selling prices. Webkinz have been extremely popular,with Ganz claiming more than 2 million units sold to retailers and 1 million registered users of the Webkinz website. At the height of the toys' popularity, shortages of supply at some stores have been reported.

Webkinz Gameplay

When a user adopts a Webkinz pet, they give it a name, gender, and enter its secret code. The user is then given basic items such as a room, a welcome balloon, a food item, one or two pieces of furniture, and the Webkinz unique food and special item. Upon the adoption of the pet, certain items are considered unique to the pet - such as "special" food or other special items. After every fifth pet starting with the tenth adoption, the user will receive a special bed called a Super Bed. These beds are also called super exclusives and they come in many different varieties. 2,000 in Kinzcash is also given to buy food and to buy items for the pet's virtual house. After you add another pet onto your account you also get a "rare" item. You won't get a "super bed" till you get ten pets though.

Much of the gameplay involves the earning and spending of Kinzcash, the Webkinz World version of virtual currency. Earning Kinzcash involves playing multiple minigames, including quizzes and arcade games. This virtual currency can then be used to purchase items for the virtual pet. Each pet has levels of happiness, health, and hunger that decrease as time is spent with that Webkiz pet. They can be increased by feeding, playing with, exercising, bathing the pet and answering surveys. If these meters get too low, the virtual pet becomes sick and must take the special medicine prescribed at the virtual clinic.

The online game is free to use for one year after the purchase of the first toy, then a user must purchase another toy to continue playing. There is a grace period of 30 days during which users can still access their accounts after which their account will be deactivated. Their pets, Kinzcash, and other items will be kept intact for a minimum of 30 days after he account has been deactivated. If the user does not purchase another pet within that period, the account will be erased after the 30 days.

After 90 days, the account will be deleted unless renewed. Adopting a new pet will give the user another year of access.In the summer of 2007, Ganz introduced sets of trading cards, Mouse pads, and charms to further augment the toys' gameplay. Much like the toy line, the trading cards and charms include codes that allow access to parts of the Webkinz website. The codes that are supplied with the charms allow access to the site's "Charm Forest." Ganz is also planning to release other Webkinz-themed accessories in Fall 2007, such as Webkinz clothes with web site codes.