Virtual cuddles
 Webkinz win kids over with fuzzy feet in 2 worlds


 Published: April 12. 2007 7:00AM


You can't find them at Barbara's Hallmark stores, or Evelyn's Hallmark either. There are none at KT Specialty Gifts in the Millcreek Mall nor at Teaching Touches. (Erie Times-News)

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You can't find them at Barbara's Hallmark stores, or Evelyn's Hallmark either.

There are none at KT Specialty Gifts in the Millcreek Mall nor at Teaching Touches.

Peebles is sold out. So is Splash Lagoon.

They're back-ordered at all of these stores, as well as Inside the Jelly Jar and Chestnut Place.

Romolo Chocolates won't even sell them anymore.


 They are Webkinz -- cute, cuddly, stuffed animals that come with identity tags kids can type in online to create cyberspace versions of their hot new "pets."

"Her name is Sparkle. She's a white Unicorn. She was born in February," said Caroline Upham, 7, a Webkinz owner in first grade at Wesleyville Elementary School.

Caroline is having fun expanding her Webkinz's online home. She can move the graphic-arts version of Sparkle from room to room, "buying" the unicorn baths, for instance, with Webkinz "cash" to take care of it and keep it clean.

"She's really fun, and you can buy her as many rooms as you want. So far, I have six. You can play arcade games and buy her bathrooms and bathtubs. You can adopt as many as you want. I want a horse for my birthday."

Caroline and her friends Michael Nye, 7; Julia Cecchetti, 7; and Olivia Koller, 8, each have at least one Webkinz toy. Sometimes they bring their Webkinz to school and play with them together during recess. Sometimes they all log on to www.webkinz.com at the same time from their homes and have the online versions of their pets interact through instant messages.

Tips For Parents:

The Webkinz site is one of the more responsible ones Jeffrey Natalie, a licensed social worker and family counselor, has seen.

Still, parents should limit the amount of time kids have access to the computer and how much time they spend playing such games online. Natalie, of Erie, recommends no more than one hour a day spent online and no more than one hour of television.

Many families have computers set up in common areas of the house, such as the kitchen or family room, so children and teens aren't tucked away in bedrooms, going online without supervision. Still, computer usage -- and television watching -- can have addictive qualities that sneak into even the most well-intentioned families.

Parents have to set boundaries, tell kids when it is time to stop, and enforce what they say. Natalie also warns parents to monitor where kids go on the Internet, even after several positive experiences with different sites.

-- Tricia Wood DeMarco

 

"I first heard about them at Christmastime," Caroline's mom, Kate Upham, said. "Then I happened to be looking for an alternative to candy on Valentine's Day, and I picked one up." Kate Upham was lucky to find the Webkinz at Evelyn's Hallmark in the Kmart Plaza East on Buffalo Road at the time, since the run for them was already on.

"I think it's fun and teaches them a little bit about responsibility," Kate Upham added. "I think the colors are nice and the graphics are great. There's no advertising or pop-ups or anything. I love it when she goes into the quiz section. The quizzes are age-appropriate."

Webkinz toys, made by the Ganz Co., usually run between $8 and $15, depending on size and retailers' markups. Several merchants contacted for this story said they expect those prices to go up very soon.

Ganz Communications Manager Susan McVeigh said the company is looking for additional manufacturing facilities to try to keep up with the market surge, though she declined to disclose the actual number of Webkinz that have been sold.

Caroline plays on the Webkinz Web site for a little less than an hour a day, her mother said. The computer at the Upham home is located in the kitchen, where her parents can look over her shoulder frequently to see what she is doing.


 Online, little gauges tell Caroline if Sparkle is hungry or tired, for instance. A few mouse clicks and Sparkle gets fed or put to bed. Caroline can click on a little phone icon to talk with her friends, but they can't type in any text they want. They must choose from a drop-down menu of phrases -- a safety precaution that eliminates the exchange of personal information and chat with online predators.

There are also games to play on the site, including "Spin the Wheel of Yum," which works a lot like a slot machine, and quizzes that incorporate learning skills.

Kids earn Webkinz "cash" online by taking good care of their pet or by winning games. Their Webkinz cash total is tallied up as they play, and reduced when they "buy" virtual clothes, toys or furniture to decorate their online pet's cyberbedroom.

"From what I've seen, it is not as educational as I had hoped," said Patty Zukowski, a first-grade teacher at Wesleyville Elementary. "The kids really love it, but it is just for fun; it's not a substitute for math and reading."

While Zukowski gives the Web site credit for being very colorful, animated, cute and safe, "I just wish it was a little more educational. It does teach them how to find some of the computer keys," she said.


 Webkinz toys keep their registration online for one year. After that, owners must buy another Webkinz in order to register again. When they register the new toy, they also can extend the registrations on their existing pets for another year.

When Ganz first began making Webkinz in 2005, sales got off to a slow start.

Erie merchants agree that the stuffed animals -- cats, dogs, horses, monkeys, tigers and frogs -- didn't hit their retail stride until Christmas 2006.

Since then, there's been no catching up. Local retailers can't keep them on the shelf, and one, Romolo Chocolates, 1525 W. Eighth St., decided not to carry them anymore because of the problems caused by huge consumer demand and by eBay sellers repeatedly wiping out their stock.

"We won't ever carry them again," Romolo owner Tony Stefanelli said. "People are fanatical about them. We had several gentlemen who would come in every morning and buy every one we had. We had other people who were trying desperately to get them for their kids. They'd call and we'd say, 'Sure, we have that one in stock,' and by the time they got here somebody else had scooped them all up, eight or 10 at a time."


 Like Ty Beanie Babies, Webkinz are more valuable with their tags still on, including the little pieces of paper in plastic sleeves that hang around their necks. Stefanelli said those tags sometimes disappeared, leaving the de-tagged stuffed toy on the shelf at his store.

"We really pride ourselves on service here, and we found ourselves in a situation where we couldn't service people the way we like to," Stefanelli said.

"I'm ready to start answering the phone by saying, 'Thank you for calling the Jelly Jar. We're out of Webkinz,'" joked employee Shawn McClelland.

The week before Easter, Inside the Jelly Jar staff members put 12 Webkinz on display one morning at the store, 2618 W. Eighth St. In fewer than four hours, they were sold out.

Ken Tuszynski at KT Specialty Gifts in the Millcreek Mall had one Webkinz left when interviewed for this story.


 "We went through 400 in a week," he said. "They are definitely the hottest thing out there. We get 50, 60 calls a day. We sold more Webkinz in one week of this year than all of last year put together."

A search on eBay shows Webkinz selling for about $15 each. Some prices rise above $20. A few vendors had a "limited edition" Sherbet Bunny priced at $38, and a Love Puppy at $99.99. As of April 9, there were 41 different Webkinz and 25 Lil'Kinz to choose from. Webkinz are 81/2 inches tall and considered the big brothers and sisters to Lil'Kinz, which are 61/2 inches tall.

"We'll be bringing out new ones throughout the year," McVeigh said. "We are certainly committed to upping the manufacturing of them. They are hugely popular."