Wonderful Webkinz - Toys for Kids

The Webkinz are coming! Like hundreds of other fadon this phenomenon?
toys before them, parents are hearing more aboutPros
Webkinz these days, not from the news, but from their- The Webkinz fluffy animal is not a real pet and
kids on the playground. Webkinz are yet another, notdoesn't shed, eat food, bite, bark, wet, need a walk, or
especially cute, plush animal. They come in all varieties,inconveniently die.
including ponies, pandas, monkeys, unicorns, and dogs.- Webkinz world may be more attractive than "shoot
Manufactured by Ganz, the Webkinz retail for around'em up" computer games
$14-$15, when you can find them. What makes themCons
different though is their "secret code" ID that is- The child's imagination and creativity is limited by the
imprinted on their collar tag. The ID gives the owner asoftware.
free year of access to Webkinz World, a site created- Danger of online community taking the place of
just for kids. Webkinz World has games, contests andface-to-face play date interaction.
a virtual version of the their real stuffed animal. It also- Commercialization - Webkinz is a commercial toy, as
includes a "social networking" functionality that is safeyou would expect.
for kids because they are limited to pre-set phrases to- The parent should be aware that the purchase of
communicate.the toy only includes a one year access to the site.
Much like a Tamagochi, the hit toy a few years backAll things considered, dad may find this to be a fairly
for high tech kids, the online Webkinz pets use artificialsafe way to teach basic computer involvement to a
intelligence to simulate living creatures. Kids actuallysmall child and relatively harmless. At the same time,
report back that the pets are "kind of alive." If you haddads should make sure they feel comfortable with the
or have a tamagochi in the house, you probablyWebkinz stories and that they are aligned with the
wondered whether it was good for the child, whenfamily's values.
you weren't scheming how to end its endlessThere's nothing that says that game play is better or
beep-beeping.worse when done on a computer versus on the floor
Is a Webkinz like a pet? Should you let your child get inwith a board game.