Store Of Webkinz at Amazon

Is the Webkinz Craze Bad for Kids?

Is the Webkinz Craze Bad for Kids?

Interactive Toys Are Hugely Popular but Keep Kids Glued to the ComputerFrom GMA By ANN PLESHETTE MURPHY and LAURA LACY



Remember the Tamagotchi craze? Or Beanie Babies? Put them together and you've got Webkinz, the latest toy phenomenon that's sweeping the country and worrying some parents whose preschoolers are spending hours online.

Each stuffed animal Webkin toy comes with a secret code on its tag that allows children to log on to the Webkinz Web site to adopt the animal. Once logged in, a child is welcomed to the extensive online Webkinz world, where they can play games to earn "Kinzcash," a kind of online currency used to purchase food, clothes and toys for their animal's online home.

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In addition, Webkinz recently announced that it would offer a new component to the Web site. "Clubhouse" will be a way for kids to chat with each other. The company says it has put in many safeguards on language and security to protect their young users.

"You can play with them on the computer, or you can play with them as stuffed animals," 9-year-old fan Zoey Denenberg said. "So it's sort of like you get two things."


Flying Off the Shelves, Causing Controversy
The multitasking toy has gained a popularity reaching epic proportions with children as young as preschoolers. Retailers have trouble keeping them on the shelves. When a long overdue shipment finally arrived at The House in Millburn, N.J., the store sold out in two hours.

"Webkinz are a big craze right now in the youth market," said Adrienne Citrin of the Toy Industry Association. "They merge together online gaming communities, plush toys that kids love to nurture and interaction on the Internet."

Not everyone, however, is caught up in the craze. In Boston, Wessagussett Primary School recently banned the stuffed animals from the premises. And some parents feel conflicted about the newest toy obsession.

"It's one more thing to distract them from going outside or reading a book," Jody Boches said.

Mother Irene Heifetz said her children sit at the computer from the moment they get home from school until she threatens them with restricted computer access if they don't go do their homework.

Webkinz World

Webkinz
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Webkinz plush animalsWebkinz are stuffed animals 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" website to "adopt" a virtual version of the pet for virtual interaction. There are also smaller versions of the toys called Lil' Kinz


Gameplay

Much of the gameplay involves the making and spending of Kinzcash. 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. When a user adopts their first Webkinz pet, the user is given basic items such as a room, a welcome balloon, a food item, two pieces of furniture for the pet, some of these items are considered their special food or special items for your Webkinz. 2000 in "Kinzcash" is also given to help food costs and to get you started on your house. Kinzcash is the Webkinz World version of virtual currency. Each pet has levels of happiness, health, and hunger that decrease as time is spent with that Webkinz. They can be increased by feeding, playing with, exercising, and bathing the pet. If these meters get too low, the virtual pet becomes sick and must take the special medicine purchased at the clinic

The online game is free to use for one year after the purchase of the first toy, then a person must purchase another toy to continue playing. There is a grace period of 30 days where users can still access their accounts after which their account will be deactivated. Their pets, Kinzcash, and other items will be kept in tact for a minimum of 30 days after the account has been deactivated. If the user does not purchase another pet within that period, your 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. Ganz later introduced sets of trading cards to further augment the toys' gameplay.

Parental concerns

Various concerns have been raised about childrens' use and overuse of the toys. Some worry that children will become addicted to the game. There have been particular concerns about the website's online chat system. However, the chat system has various safety precautions, with restrictions on who can send messages and what messages can be sent. In the "Kinzchat" chat room, users cannot type, but can choose phrases to say from a list.[7]But it is fun and all parents would like to play this ganz game!