Webkinz - Plush Toys and Virtual Worlds
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Children and collectors around the world have fallen in love with Webkinz. Webkinz are soft plush toys that are in the shape of different animals. While they are similar to Beanie Babies, many things sets Webkinz apart.
The most unique aspect about Webkinz is how you can connect to the Internet and enter a virtual world. When you purchase a Webkinz animal, your Webkinz animal comes with an eight digit code that allows you to logon to the Webkinz website and join in on a virtual world.
In the virtual world, you can adopt an online version of your Webkinz animal. Once you have your Webkinz animal in the virtual world, you will start off with some virtual money called KinzCash. To get more KinzCash you can do a number of activities such as play games, answer trivia questions and other various activities. If you adopt more Webkinz, you will also receive more KinzCash.
In the virtual world you can also interact with other Webkinz animal owners. For example, if you can invite another Webkinz animal owner to your virtual house. The interaction that takes place is kid safe because Webkinz has created a chat system in which no personal information can be shared.
Once you accumulate enough KinzCash, you can purchase virtual items to further enhance the online experience. You can buy food for your Webkinz animal, additions to your house and many other items within stores in the virtual Webkinz world. Overall, this virtual world is a nice twist on what would otherwise be a plush animal not too different from the wildly popular Beanie Babies.
The Webkinz animals are available all across the United States in thousands of stores. The Ganz company, which owns Webkinz, has reported that more than two million Webkinz animals have been sold and that more than a million users have logged onto their virtual world.
On the Webkinz website, they currently show approximately 70 different Webkinz animals in their catalog. Here are some examples of Webkinz animals and their physical description:
Beagle – The Webkinz beagle is white, brown and black. While all four paws are white, most of the main fur is brown.
Cheeky Cat – With an orange coat and pink nose, the Webkinz Cheeky Cat is a favorite among collectors.
Clydesdale – The Webkinz Clydesdale is mostly brown with a black main and a predominately black tale.
Frog – With big eyes and a dark green coloring, the Webkinz frog is a favorite for small children.
Koala – The Webkinz koala is grey and white with a big black nose. The belly is white with the rest of the animal being mostly grey.
Penguin – This chubby penguin has a black and white coat with a yellow nose and friendly looking black eyes.
Rabbit – The Webkinz rabbit is utilizes white and light shades of grey to compose the body of this animal.
Tiger – The Webkinz tiger has a very busy design highlighted by the orange coat with black stripes.
Unicorn – A long-standing Webkinz favorite is the Unicorn. Mostly white, the unicorn has a shiny horn on top of its head.
In addition to buying the Webkinz animals, you can also buy accessories for the Webkinz animals such as clothing, purses and charms. Just like the Webkinz animals, the accessories come with eight digit codes that allow you to get credit for your purchase in the virtual world.
Another Webkinz related product is the Webkinz trading cards. When you buy a pack of Webkinz playing cards, you get random Webkinz cards that each depicts different Webkinz animals. You can decide to collect the cards until you have completed the collection. If you have multiple of the same cards, you can trade with others for cards that you don’t have.
However, in addition to simply collecting the cards, there are different games that you can play with the Webkinz trading cards. The rules for these games are located on the Webkinz website. There are a couple games that can be played that are suitable for most ages.
If you are on a budget, there is a Webkinz alternative called Lil’ Kinz. Also made by the Ganz company, Lil’ Kinz are very similar to Webkinz animals except they are less expensive due to being smaller in size. While there is less than half the number of Webkinz animals, there is still a good variety. Lil’ Kinz animals include the alley cat, bulldog, cow, gorilla, horse, panda, pig and tree frog.
If you are buying a present for a child and want to give the child an interactive gift that will provide hours of fun, consider getting an animal in the Webkinz family. Webkinz animals provide a huge amount of entertainment. Not only does the child get the animal to play with, they can go online and have endless fun in a safe environment. Parents have reported that children tend to have a lot of fun in the video game-like environment online.
To get more information aimed at parents, you can go to the Webkinz website and visit the area of the site which is dedicated to parents. You can not only restrict access for your child to certain parts of virtual world, you can also read about how the Webkinz world can be used to help your child learn. Frequently asked questions are available to answer most any question that you have. If you are interested in throwing a Webkinz themed party or cooking with Webkinz recipes, you can also find that information on the website.
If you are a collector, you should also look into acquiring Webkinz animals. Their value continues to rise as the demand for the animal grows. Sometimes, there have been reported shortages when the demand has outpaced the supply. With the Ganz company retiring some of the Webkinz animals, collectors can make big money by selling to others who are looking to complete their collection and can’t do so by buying the Webkinz animals in a store. It’s not uncommon for collectors to sell retired Webkinz animals for ten to twenty times the original purchase price!
To buy Webkinz animals, you can log onto the Webkinz website and use the website’s store locator feature. All you have to do is select what product you are looking for, select your country, select your state, select your city and then you will be shown a list of stores in your city that have the Webkinz animals for sale. Be advised that it’s always best to call ahead to the stores to make sure they have Webkinz animals in stock. This is especially true since Webkinz animals tend to sell out fast.
Do you live outside of the United States or Canada? No problem! Webkinz has begun shipping the Webkinz animals all across the globe. By going to the Webkinz website, you can click on the International section to see if Webkinz are available in your country. Currently, approximately 20 countries outside of the United States and Canada carry Webkinz animals. These countries include France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.
What are you waiting for? Join the Webkinz craze today by purchasing your first Webkinz animal and registering that animal in the Webkinz virtual world!
photo credit: ninjapoodles
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Naked Brothers, I’m Jennifer Martinez and I really think that you guys are cute. I know you guys hear this all the time but I’m your biggest Fan. I’m 9 yrs. old how about you guys? Hope you guys are not older than me.Write back plz. My nickname is Kand-e.
Sincerely,
Kand-e
[…] you do so, you enter into a 3D gaming world where you can control your toy online. It doubles as a social site because your child is able to interact with other pet owners […]