Webkinz Hitting Craze Status

I first wrote about Webkinz last summer, when my daughter's friend got her first one and turned her on to the world of real stuffed animals that unlock the doors, via an accompanying code, to their online virtual lives.

I've been tuned into how popular Webkinz have become because they've been a favorite birthday party present for awhile and my 10-year-old keeps me informed of another friend who has well over 20 of them by now.

For a long time, my Webkinz devotee was more than content with one Webkinz, but she has caught the collecting buzz and often wants to walk up to the store in the center of our town that sells the coveted collection of animals. (Lil'Kinz sell for about $8 and larger Webkinz sell for about $11 each; the online web-based gaming is free.)

I realized just how big the Webkinz craze has grown on a random Thursday afternoon in February when I took my daughter to the downtown store to find it packed with other 10-year-olds (give or take a few years) and their moms buying Webkinz. (Mine was buying one for a birthday present for a friend.) One mom snatched up six bunnies that day in an astute display of Easter basket planning. (It wasn't me.)

When my 'tween got a hankering to go to the same store last week with her sister, they found the shelves wiped clean of all Webkinz, big and little. It was the same story yesterday, when I took her there and to the other well-known Webkinz purveyor in the neighboring town. The merchant there showed me two full black boxes filled with pre-paid orders of Webkinz. And yes, we pre-ordered and pre-paid for the Black Lab my 10-year-old has been wanting for awhile. (One good thing is the little fluffy friends are benefiting local shops: They are only sold in independent toy shops and gift stores, not the big-box retailers.)

If this doesn't show the power of word-of-mouth marketing, nothing will. Especially when those mouths are yammering about their latest Webkinz purchases and KinzCash earned at the lunch table or the recess playground. At the Toy Fair in New York, I met the founder of Gigapals, plush toys that also have a link to an online world. He strongly noted Gigapals have been on the market longer than Webkinz. The difference? Gigapals are designed for kids ages 3 to 6, so mom and dad have to get fired up about them. Webkinz have taken off because kids have whipped each other into a frenzy over them.

They can also meet friends online and play games with them, making the site a social networking training ground for 'tweens. The nice thing is the site limits chat to selecting pre-set phrases, so there's no chance for inappropriate exchanges. It's a safe way to dip into social networking at a young age.

I like that Webkinz combines my 10-year-old's love of stuffed animals with her zest for earning money through games, buying stuff, and moving furniture around in virtual rooms. It's just fun, and as long as she doesn't get too crazed about having to have hard-to-find pets, that's a good thing.

Is the Webkinz craze in full swing at your house?

Related:

Webkinz: Bigger and Softer Than a Tamagotchi
Interactive Play Center Stage at Toy Fair