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What is a Webkinz?  

post #1 of 23
6/22/08 at 1:04pm
Thread Starter 
My mom wants to get these for my DS (5) and DD (3.5). I have barely heard of them and don't really "get it".

Can you share with me the good, the bad, and the ugly?
post #2 of 23
6/22/08 at 1:09pm
Dd got one at age 3 as a gift. She's very computer and internet savvy, but had zero interest in the webkinz sites. Couldn't get her to even glance at them after the first try. I remember the site was some room that the character negotiates through and if you bought a bunch of additional stuff then they could click on things and play. Otherwise, there was nothing to do.

She never played with the stuffed toy either.

It seemed like one big marketing ploy to me.
post #3 of 23
6/22/08 at 1:11pm
They're stuffed animals - think Beanie Babies - with a W logo on the foot. They come with a code that you can use to access the website (webkinz.com) where you adopt the pet. On the web site the kids can set up the animals' rooms & but them food & clothing. They also have a lot of games geared toward the younger age levels.

The good - DD (6, though 5yo when she got her first one) really likes it, the website is easy for her to navigate & the games are appropropriate. You also have to 'care' for the pet & she likes that aspect.

The bad - I feel like it promotes consumerism, both on the web site - playing games to earn points to buy more stuff, and irl with wanting another webkinz (she already had 6 or 7 from gifts).
post #4 of 23
6/22/08 at 1:11pm
It's a stuffed animal that also gives access to an online world. The online world does involve some marketing in that if you buy trading cards and other things you get extra codes which get you more online things, but I don't think it's very heavily advertised, and there isn't any outside advertising.

My daughter plays occasionally but she isn't that into it.
post #5 of 23
6/22/08 at 2:22pm
Personally, if you can at all wait until your kids ask for them, I would do that.

They are super popular amongst K-1 around here. My kiddos could care less about the stuffed animal part, but they do like playing the computer games, using the points to make a room and decorate it for their virtual pet, as well as (should you choose to enable the option) "meeting" their cousin or school friends by allowing them to 'come over', and sending them gifts and stuff. So there's definitely a social aspect of it (although it's not like a typical chatroom, you can't free-type messages, which kind of limits the response...most of the time my kids and their cousin or friends get together to play viritual board games or other activities rather than 'talk').

But honestly, unless your kids really enjoy computer games or quizzes and you're lacking your own software for them (they're okay, but if you have any stand alone software it's better), and they're not into them yet--I would tell your mom to hold off. I understand she wants to get them the latest rage, but it might be better to wait.

Was your 5 year old in K this year? If they weren't I think they'll hear about webkinz soon enough.

In other words, they're not terrible, just why bother with all that unless you must. There are cuter stuffed animals and better games for kids...so unless there's a reason for them wanting to try the combo, it's kind of eh.
post #6 of 23
6/22/08 at 3:11pm
we love webkinz. my sister had to show us how to use it....but once we learned - it's a lot of fun for my kiddos. it has arcade games, you can buy a house and decorate it, you can plant a garden, etc. anyway. it's not for everyone...but my kids like it, and our homeschool group has a fun webkinz co-op. hth!
post #7 of 23
6/22/08 at 4:53pm
Me, I'm sceptical, and I'd be particularly hesitant about letting a child younger than 7 or 8-ish spend much time on there.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=1&gl=us

I dunno. It just strikes me as another way to make money by marketing to kids. And I found a bunch of articles about them adding ads, too.
post #8 of 23
6/22/08 at 5:29pm
We have a lot of them between all the kiddos here. My DSD is the only one interested in the website. Sometimes DD1 will watch her play it a bit. I do limit the time spent on the website to an absolute minimun, though, just as I do all electronics. The girls are much more interested in them as stuffed animals and play with them ALL the time.

Since your children are so young and probably not into the computer, I would hold off on signing them up on the website. Just hold on to the tags until they are a little older. I am sure they will find the stuffed animal far more interesting at this point anyway.
post #9 of 23
6/23/08 at 2:14pm
My kids have them. DD got one as a gift when she was 6 but we didn't "activate" it until she was over 7, she just never asked and we honestly didn't know what they were.

That said, both my children enjoy the site, the games are age appropriate, it has semi-educational type quizes on it, and they enjoy taking care of their pet and buying thing for it...which leads into a negative. Basically they play the games to earn "kinzcash/money" so they can buy more stuff for their pet. I think that aspect plays into the consumerism part but they also quickly learn that if they spend all their money, then well, the money is gone!

We also don't buy any additional stuff (cards, clothes,etc) my kids just play the games online. They play a little bit w/the stuffed animals, they mostly hang out on their beds LOL.
post #10 of 23
6/23/08 at 7:34pm
We have a bunch- somewhere in the teens.
My DD (8 now) loves the games and she's big on imigination so she plays with all her stuffed animals.
The games online are fun. I especially like the word one where you take letters from a box and make words (think word whomp). I've stayed up many a night playing it while DD is in bed
post #11 of 23
6/23/08 at 10:31pm
Thread Starter 
When you "register" the toy ~ do they require personal info? (name, addy, etc.)

Thanks for the replies. Lots to think about...
post #12 of 23
6/23/08 at 10:51pm
I don't remember any personal information being required to set the account up - in fact there seemed to be a lot of safety features in place. One of them prevented my daughter from naming her bear webkinz 'Barry' - said that they would not accept the name and I still can't figure it out!

As far as the ads go, according to their own site they are not currently running any ads but there was a spot to switch them off entirely that you could click now just in case they decide to run ads in the future. So I shut them off preemptively (sp??)

We are Webkinz fans, largely because the kids spend more time playing with them off line than they do online and because I enjoy playing the computer games once the kids have gone to bed!!!
post #13 of 23
6/24/08 at 12:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2shy2post View Post
When you "register" the toy ~ do they require personal info? (name, addy, etc.)

Thanks for the replies. Lots to think about...
No, it does not ask for any personal info. You just create a username with password. In fact, they are constantly informing kids not to give out their password to anyone.

They are very big on safety. It has chat features where kids can talk to one another. However, they can not just freely type. There are pre-written things to say. That way kids can not give away any personal info to anyone. I have been rather impressed with how many safeguards they have set up.
post #14 of 23
6/24/08 at 1:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ma_vie_en_rose View Post
They are very big on safety. It has chat features where kids can talk to one another. However, they can not just freely type. There are pre-written things to say. That way kids can not give away any personal info to anyone. I have been rather impressed with how many safeguards they have set up.
Ditto...the "chat" feature and the "mail" feature only allows them to send messages that are preselected like "have a cheery day" etc.
post #15 of 23
6/24/08 at 1:48am
Ds was given a monkey for his 7th birthday. He adores it and sleeps with it. He played on the web site for quite a while but eventually got tired of it. We restricted his use the same as we do for the rest of his computer interactions.

He plays games to win money so he (well, his virtual monkey character) can pay for rooms, furniture, gardens, etc. It's like the real life allowance we give him to learn how to budget with.

13 y.o. dd got into it for a while, as well. Ds saw how much she liked playing the web games and got her a Webkinz (raccoon) for Christmas.

It's about as consumeristic as you want to make it. You can buy clothes to for the Webkinz, and they have codes that unlock other things in the virtual world. But my kids have not been interested in that.
post #16 of 23
6/24/08 at 7:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandynee22 View Post
...The games online are fun. I especially like the word one where you take letters from a box and make words (think word whomp). I've stayed up many a night playing it while DD is in bed
I love that game! Dd is not spelling yet but I love it...kinda like an easier Boggle, which I love. And yes - I've played it many times when dd is asleep!
post #17 of 23
6/24/08 at 7:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2shy2post View Post
My mom wants to get these for my DS (5) and DD (3.5). I have barely heard of them and don't really "get it".

Can you share with me the good, the bad, and the ugly?
It seems like your kids are a bit young for the computer aspect of webkinz. My 7 y/o DD got one as a gift, she loves to play with stuffed animals and didn't register and play online for about 6 months. She really loves it now. You play the games to earn cash, but it isn't just about consumerism, you have to care for your pets or they need to go to the doctor. They teach the kids to put their pets to bed before leaving webkinz so they are well rested. You have to give them food and water. They have healthy and not so healthy offerings and your pet responds to what you give them. My DD has been saving her $ so she can plant a garden and then she can feed her rabbit for free. : My teen DD even said she has a friend who goes on the site because they have one for older kids too. I think there are lots of positives to what it has to offer, of course moderation is necessary.
post #18 of 23
6/24/08 at 10:08am
We think that webkinz is fun! It's a nice website where I can let ds1 &2 play on the computer and not worry about any unwanted pop ups and they get to play some fun electronics games. Besides the word game Operation gumball is pretty fun too (think MasterMind). They like that I'll get them points but then my games last a little long
post #19 of 23
6/24/08 at 10:20am
My kids LOVE webkinz! We have tons here and my children play with no restrictions. They love the stuffed animals themselves and often play physically with them. They also love the online experience and have learned SO much. I credit webkinz with my 6 year old taking an interest in computer skills.

They've been really fun in our house!
post #20 of 23
6/28/08 at 5:08pm
My dd has two of them and loves them. They are just overpriced stuffed animals. DD is 5 and has no interest in going online with them. Her 7 & 8.5 yr old cousins love to do the online thing with them. DD likes to make them jewellery out of pipe cleaner.
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Mothering › Forums › Parenting › Ages and Stages › The Childhood Years › What is a Webkinz?