Each Webkinz animal comes with a “secret code� that gives kids access to Webkinz world on the Internet, where they “adopt� and name the online representation of their new toy. In this virtual community, children can decorate rooms for their pets, play games to earn pretend money (called Kinzcash), and communicate with other Webkinz owners. They monitor their Webkinz’ health, hunger and happiness, and respond by taking them to the doctor, feeding them and playing with them.
Lil Kinz are the “younger siblings� of Webkinz, and retail for about $7.50 compared to $10 for their full-sized brothers and sisters. Webkinz world offers 46 Webkinz, three of which that have been retired, and 28 Lil Kinz. The toys represent a variety of animals, including unicorns, frogs, dogs and elephants.
How hot are they?
The Toy Box on Merrimon Avenue can’t keep Webkinz in stock. The store sold out before Christmas, then finally received a small shipment in March. All 42 Webkinz in that shipment were sold in two days, according to Gary Green, The Toy Box’s owner.
Green has back orders in for between $15,000 and $20,000 of Webkinz, but he has no idea when they’ll arrive.
Other area stores are similarly inundated with queries. Andy’s Hallmark at Asheville Mall reports multiple calls. They received a small order of Webkinz last week, but, like The Toy Box, sold all of them within a few days. Dancing Bear Toys on Tunnel Road doesn’t even carry Webkinz, but the store still gets seven or eight calls or visits per day from people looking for them.
Green credits the demand to the online component and the collectivity factor. He compares Webkinz to the Beanie Baby toys that created a similar fervor in the late ’80s.
“In the online version, each Webkinz has a special friend that’s another Webkinz the child is probably going to want,� Green said. “The more Webkinz you have, the more games you can play, the more rooms you can decorate. So there is that consumerism angle.�
Online element
Although kids earn Kinzcash online, no real money is exchanged on the site.
In the site’s chat room, kids can only communicate by choosing from a list of pre-written phrases, so they can’t exchange any personal information.
Mary Chamberlain Harlan, 9, owns nine Webkinz and wants more.
“I like that you can get online and play with your friends,� Harlan said. Kids can exchange “friend codes� and then play games online with each other.
Harlan’s Dad, Will, regulates how much time his daughter spends in Webkinz world, limiting her to an hour a day, although he said she wants more time online. She can earn extra Webkinz time with chores.
Like many parents and others who work with children, Alison Jordan, executive director of Children First, is concerned about the consequences of kids spending too much time online. “The more time children spend playing on computers, the less time they’re being active,� she said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than one to two hours of quality TV and videos a day for older children and no screen time for children younger than 2. This includes time watching TV and videotapes, playing video and computer games and surfing the Internet.
The backstory
Webkinz are the brainchild of Ganz, a 57-year-old gift company based in Toronto, which is careful about choosing who sells its merchandise. Typically, only Hallmark stores, boutique gift stores and independent toy stores carry their lines. This hasn’t stopped resellers on E-bay, Amazon and other online sites from offering the toys for two to seven times their retail price.
According to the store locator on the Webkinz website, www.webkinz.com, Asheville retailers are the Hallmark stores, The Toy Box, the two hospital gift shops, Enviro-Depot and Once Upon a Time in Biltmore Village.