1. It’s like the Beanie Babies craze all over again. Only more fun.If you are nostalgic for the Beanie Babies craze of the 1990s (or if you missed that craze and wished you didn't) you can relive it all over again with the Webkinz! Except that the Webkinz are more fun...they don't just sit around collecting dust, but they come to life online. Online, you can decorate your virtual pet's house (you'll have to buy the items using KinzCash...see below), feed him, dress him, play games, even have a job! It's like Second Life, only with animals, or Neopets, only with a corresponding 3D critter in the real world. But watch out...once you use the secret code, you'll lose any resale value!2. If you introduce your child to Webkinz, you’ll be the coolest parent ever. If you are in part of the country where Webkinz hasn't hit yet (mostly the West) or at a school where it isn't a fad yet, buy your child one, and watch what happens! First, they will love that you introduced them to a virtual web-play toy, and they'll also love that they can love and cuddle a stuffed pet and still be cool doing it! They will also start the trend at their school, as they introduce their friends to their virtual Webkinz. Then, all their friends will want one too (this is what happened at my house when my niece from Texas brought one for a visit; my daughter immediately started begging for her own).
3. If your kids already own Webkinz, you'll find out how they spend all their time. Seriously...kids can (and do) spend hours playing Webkinz...they love the games and earning KinzCash so they can feed, clothe and house their pets, they love (safely) chatting with their friends and inviting them over to see their pets' house, and doing "jobs" to also earn KinzCash. In fact, Ganz (the maker of Webkinz) has parental controls for Webkinz so you can limit the amount of time your child spends on the site.
4. It’s impossible to have this much fun for only $12 with anything else. Twelve dollars (or six or so for Lil' Kinz) is a reasonable price for a plush bear alone. But, when you combine that with a full year of online web play with your pet's virtual version (also called an avatar) then it's a true bargain. The site is commercial free, unlike Neopets. To get Neopets without advertisements costs $7.99 per month. Most other online virtual worlds are also available for a monthly fee, not a yearly one...and, as mentioned, here, you also ge the plush animal included!
5. If you love paper dolls, you’ll love Webkinz. Do you love paper dolls, especially online paper dolls? If so, you'll love Webkinz. The Webkinz animals are much more like humans than animals...especially since you can dress them up and decorate their environment, as with most online paper dolls. Even more fun, some of the online environment is interactive (you can bathe the pets in the bathtub, and you pets can cook on the stove!) There is a wide variety of animals available, including dogs (many individual breeds), cats, unicorns, bunnies, hippos, lions, and even platypuses.
6. Retired Webkinz are selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay. For instance...an auction for the retired Cheeky Dog and Cheeky Cat together (with unopened tags) just sold for $995 on eBay. That is nine hundred and ninety five dollars, not nine dollars and ninety five cents (just to be clear). Of course, not all Webkinz sell for crazy prices like these. But...some of the early retired ones do! I'm a bit astounded by this..for instance, for $995, I could buy a very old, collectible Steiff teddy bear, or one heck of a Vintage Barbie doll. Or, a nice weekend trip!
7. If you buy one for your child, it will keep them busy for hours. Ok, admit it...every now and then, you bring some work home, and you need an uninterrupted hour or two to get something done. In those situations, there is nothing like a safe, electronic baby sitter to entertain your child. Enter Webkinz. And, unlike too much television or most video games, Webkinz is educational, with trivia games and a good model of an online virtual economy.
8. If you don’t get one now, all the good adoption names will be taken.If you wait and adopt your first Webkinz next year, the only names left will be SallyB4068 and JohnR8999. Just like good real estate, good online names go fast in virtual worlds!
9. You need to start earning KinzCash immediately. If you don't start earning KinzCash immediately, you (or your child) will never catch up to the early adopters. You will end up with a woefully decorated home for your pet, and sorry looking clothes. Or, you could end up like several poor parents I know that play for their kids after they go to bed to earn them KinzCash! KinzCash can be spent at several virtual Webkinz shops.
10. Where else can you play the Wheel of Wow? I just love the name of that...Wheel of Wow. This is one-time a day activity on Webkinz that you can spin to earn prizes for your pets (neat clothing, furniture for their house). People are addicted to this. Seriously!
This article was written by Denise Van Patten
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