Webkinz World Recognized for Safety with Best of the Web Award

Ganz is proud to announce that Webkinz World has been recognized by WiredSafety.org with a Best of the Web Award for 2008.

The Best of the Web Award honors child-focused Internet sites that offer fun and entertainment for kids while protecting them from revealing personal information which could lead to cyberbullying, stalking and other potential dangers.

The presentation was made at the 8th Annual Wired Kids Summit, held in the Congressional Buildings in Washington D.C. on February 9th.

"We are proud to be recognized by the leading advocates of children's online safety with this award," stated Ganz president, Howard Ganz. "We take our members' online safety very seriously, and are committed to providing a friendly and protected world where members can have fun with their pals, and parents can feel comfortable while their children visit us."

"Webkinz World went through a rigorous review before it was given this award," notes Parry Aftab, WiredSafety's Executive Director and an Internet privacy and security lawyer. "12,000 kids and preteens were polled for nominations, and over 400 sites put forward. Parents reviewed the final 70, and then I personally investigated the final selections. Webkinz received more nominations than any other site. We believe the site helps keep children safe while providing a sense of community and friendship."

Webkinz combine the timeless fun of plush pets with the interactivity of the Internet, to give kids a virtual world where they can play, build, nurture, collect and even safely 'chat' using constructed messaging. Webkinz pets were introduced in April 2005 by Ganz, a third-generation family-run business based in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada.

WiredSafety.org provides one-to-one help, extensive information, and education to cyberspace users of all ages on a myriad of Internet and interactive technology safety issues.

Webkinz craze has kids buying, caring for pets

Kaelyn Horn spent $8,000 on a TV.

She's spent thousands more on furniture and accessories to decorate her 35 rooms.

She even bought a bowling alley.

But, lucky for her mom, the 8-year-old Mobile girl isn't spending real money.

She's using her KinzCash to shop online.

KinzCash is currency used on Webkinz World, the online community for the popular Webkinz stuffed animals that come with a secret password that allows you to put the pets to bed, feed them and play games.

You earn points, which are converted into currency, by playing games, answering trivia questions and logging in with a new pet. There's even an employment office where you can complete a job to earn KinzCash.

The Webkinz toys have been in area retail stores for more than a year, and the stuffed pets are a hit among kids.

"We still sell a ton of them," said Jennifer Myrick, store manager for Page and Palette, a bookstore in Fairhope, who started carrying them about a year ago. "We couldn't keep them in or get them in fast enough and it still continues to a degree.

"We still have phone calls and people come in daily to purchase them."

Myrick said the newness never wears off because a new Webkinz is released each month.

She said there are more than 100 different styles, everything from penguins, puppies and cats to seals and a pink pony.

The toys, which are produced by the Ganz Co., sell for around $12 at gift and specialty stores.

Brooke Guesnard, owner of Sassafras Make Believe Makeovers in Mobile, who said she was one of the first to sell Webkinz in the area, has seen sales at her business level off.

"From Christmas to Easter last year it really peaked," said Guesnard.

But when other stores started carrying them, her Webkinz sales slowed down.

Guesnard said she's seen a shift in the age group interested in buying the toy.

"Last year I had sixth graders calling my cell phone daily to see if any had come in," she said.

Now she's seeing a younger crowd interested in the pets. But she's also had grandmothers purchase Webkinz so they can play the computer games.

"I think it's such a craze with kids because it is 'Can I get more than you?'" said Guesnard
Fourth grader Jillian Lieber's Webkinz collection has grown to 105, which includes Lil' Kinz, smaller versions of the stuffed animals.

She started collecting two years ago when she got her first Webkinz from a friend in Philadelphia.

Jillian said her dad, Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber, looks for new Webkinz when he travels to different cities.


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Webkinz craze has kids buying, caring for pets
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Fourth grader Jillian Lieber's Webkinz collection has grown to 105, which includes Lil' Kinz, smaller versions of the stuffed animals.

She started collecting two years ago when she got her first Webkinz from a friend in Philadelphia.

Jillian said her dad, Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lieber, looks for new Webkinz when he travels to different cities.

"He calls me and tells me which one they have and I tell him what I want," said the Mobile girl.

Kids can use the KinzCash they earn to decorate their rooms with anything they want, including trampolines and swimming pools.

Jillian said she likes to buy plants and decorate the backyards. She also enjoys decorating rooms with different kinds of beds and shopping for TV's.

Kaelyn, who has 48 pets, said she likes meeting new friends in the Webkinz Clubhouse online and playing games.

Baldwin County mom Pam Denham doesn't worry about her 9-year-old daughter Hannah chatting online with new friends she's met in Clubhouse Chat.

The Web site has safeguards that prevent anyone from exchanging personal information. Members cannot type in their own messages, but have to "select pre-constructed messages from chat menus," according to the Webkinz site.

"It's very controlled," said Denham.

Parents say Webkinz is educational.

"It does kind of teach them to take care of things," said Kaelyn's mom, Karen Horn.

Denham said it's helped her daughter learn communication skills and how to budget money.

She said it's also taught her about responsibility.

"Sometimes friends who are going out of town will ask her to watch their Webkinz while they are away," said Denham. "She's been able to apply a lot of life skills to it."

Cute pet without the clean-up

Webkinz may very well be the ideal pet to have. They are soft, cute, quiet and don’t leave messes behind to clean up later.

What exactly is a Webkinz? Webkinz are stuffed animals that can be used to make a virtual pet online. One pet will give you an account that will last one full year. If you do not adopt another pet within a year they will close your account until you do so.

In order to go into the Webkinz community, owners must log on to the Web site using a special code. The code comes on the tag wrapped around your Webkinz’ leg.

To log on you go to webkinz.com and click on new member. If you are already a member, click on log on and go to adoption center. Owners will now create a username and password. Once he or she has logged on the owner will receive 2,000 kinzcash and a medium-sized room. If you are already a member and are logging on a new pet you will receive 2,000 kinzcash as well as another room added on to your house.

Through the Web site, new “owners” can build a house and make new friends. To keep your pet in good shape you must feed him and play with him. There is a W Shop where you can buy food, clothes, toys and furniture for your house. There is also an employment office, curio shop and a school for your pet to attend. The Curio Shop is a place for you to hunt for gems and buy rare items with kinzcash. Kinzcash is money earned from playing games.

Each Webkinz has its own personality. You can find what your pet likes to eat and enjoys doing under the adoption certificate. On the Web site there is a section named, Quizzy’s Corner where they ask trivia questions and you earn kinzcash.

Kiersten Franklin, 11, of Hedgesville, owns two Webkinz. One of them is a koala by the name of Kyle and the other is a pug named Muffin. She “adopted” Muffin six months ago and Kyle four months ago.

Franklin said her favorite thing to do with her Webkinz are “dressing her pets, decorating her room and shopping at the W shop.” She said she expects to get Webkinz for Christmas, but if not, she hopes to get one before her account expires.

Ganz Co., which creates them, has a variety to choose from including bears, unicorns and dogs. During different seasons of the year they sell one-of-a-kind pets and accessories. For the winter season, Ganz is offering a reindeer and a Santa Claus costume. Ganz has also created a pet of the month, in which you receive exclusive items for adopting that particular pet. The Chihuahua is the December pet.

Owners can make friends and also visit their houses. The Web site created a safe chat mode that enables visitors to choose what he or she wants to say without typing it. This means you can only use the words the Web site has provided for you. This is a positive for parents because you cannot give out personal information or use bad language.

The Ganz Company also sells additional things for your pet; such as, trading cards, clothes and charms.

Webkinz World Under Fire for Child-Targeting Ads

Webkinz parent Ganz is facing criticism over the introduction of ads into the kid-centric virtual world, reports The New York Times.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood is taking Ganz to task for placing ads for movies like Bee Movie and Alvin & the Chipmunks in the right-hand margin of the Webkinz virtual world.


The group's concerns were echoed by parents who posted blogs complaining about the move. Parents say that part of the brand's allure was that it was ad-free.Ganz introduced ads on the site in October.

Access to the virtual Webkinz world is free, aside from the cost of buying the real-world stuffed animals, which are used by children to access the virtual world and encourage interaction. Dolls are available at mass-market retailers, no longer the smaller stores where the Webkinz phenomenon originated.

Get the code to a new craze: Webkinz blends fun and education

A toy that combines fun and education has defined new possibilities for retailers and consumers.

The stuffed animals, called Webkinz, are made by the Ganz Company. Since appearing in Rochester a year ago, they have become so popular that managers of area stores are struggling to keep them in stock.

Kelly Holtan, manager of ABC and Toy Zone, said Webkinz were on the shelf for some time before becoming popular.

"I'm not sure exactly when the craze hit, but suddenly we just couldn't keep them on the shelves," she said. "They took awhile to catch on."

The pint-size animals come in different shapes, such as puppies, monkeys and unicorns. Like many other stuffed animals, they are soft, fuzzy and detailed, but cards containing secret codes set them apart from their plush peers.

Each animal comes with a code that allows its owner to access the Web site dedicated to Webkinz: www.webkinz.com.

When Webkinz owners enter the code online, they complete a quick adoption process that brings their doll's virtual counterpart to life. The animal's online "life" consists of a virtual room that serves as its home. Success in Webkinz World is measured on a scale of one to 100 in three categories: happiness, hunger and health. Each animal begins its life at 100 percent in the three areas, and users have to engage in games and interactions to earn KinzCash; the play money can be redeemed for virtual clothing, furniture, food and other accessories to keep the dolls healthy and satisfied.

The Webkinz experience provides age-appropriate education through a host of online activities ranging from takes on classic video games to trivia, language and logic.

The site also allows users to communicate with each other in a two-tiered system designed to prevent them from sharing personal information. The first tier, called KinzChat, is the most safe. In this mode, users can only send and receive words and phrases from a pre-populated list. If parents choose, they can give their child access to open communication -- the site calls this KinzChat.

Plus. In the open mode, children can type anything except phone numbers, addresses, place names and words the site owners have deemed inappropriate.

Risa Klein, 8, is among the growing number of Webkinz fans in Rochester.

"A lot of people have them," Klein said as she scrolled through her buddy list to see if any of her fellow Webkinz friends were online.

Holtan frequently receives positive feedback from parents who purchase Webkinz for their children.

"They say it's the best thing ever," she said. "It's the safest Web site and they've had a great time with them."

Depending on their size, the toys cost between $8 and $16. Holtan compared the surge in demand for Webkinz with that of Beanie Babies in the 1990s. A recent letter from the Ganz said the overwhelming popularity of Webkinz came as a surprise; prices may be increased, the letter said.

Webkinz appeal to anyone old enough to use a computer -- especially 8 to12 year-olds, Holtan said. And novice virtual-parents need not fear -- according to the Webkinz site, the online animals cannot die; they can only become less happy.

Unhappiness is not an issue in Klein's Webkinz World though; she plays the games daily to earn KinzCash so her online pets stay satisfied.

"Mine are almost always completely happy," she said.

140 essays tell why local children love Webkinz

Triangle kids are wild about Webkinz.



If you're clueless, Webkinz are stuffed animals that are in such demand that stores can't keep them stocked, and they're being auctioned online for top dollar.

These are toys with a purpose. Children register the animals online and then are responsible for caring for their virtual pet. They play educational games to earn "Kinzcash" to buy things in the virtual world for their pet. Teachers and parents -- some of them wrote us, too -- say that Web-kinz help teach math and money skills.

We asked fans to tell us what Webkinz taught them about money.


* Greer Wendland, 11, of Apex wrote that Webkinz teach you "to contain your inner shopper and save up your money."

* Elissa Gaiffi, 6, of Cary learned the hard way not to share her account information in the hopes that her friends would help her earn Kinzcash. "I gave my password to Andrew, but he went on my account and spent all my money," she wrote. "I was very sad, and learned my lesson not to give out my password anymore."

* Christina Bailey, 6, of Raleigh addressed the Webkinz shortage that has parents scrambling. "Mom says the stores are sold out and the only way to get them is to buy them on Ebay," she wrote. "The people on Ebay want 50 dollars for a webkinz. They are bad people."

* "My teacher is pleased how well I am doing in math," Amelia Parkerson, 8, of Wake Forest wrote. "I told her it's all because of Webkinz."

* Cary's Leah Jensen, 9, had this thought for doubtful parents: "Web-kinz does not turn your kid's brain into mush because it's educational and talks about the economy."

Here are the winning essays:

'I saved up for a long time until finally I got one'

I have learned that the smartest way to buy something is to save up all your KinzCash and wait until you see it in the Curio Shop if it's a rare item or wait until it's on sale or you have a lot of KinzCash if it's in the W Shop.

When I was running low on food one day I went to the W Shop and saw that oranges were 30% off. I bought them and I saved a lot of money that I used later to buy a table and some chairs for my Webkinz's room. When I need to buy a bed I usually play games in the arcade that I'm good at (beds usually cost a lot of KinzCash even if they're on sale) until I have about 1000 KinzCash. I really wanted a pool one day to put in my backyard so I saw that they cost about 2000 KinzCash! I saved up for a long time until finally I got one and still had enough KinzCash leftover to buy a T.V. I have seen really cool books and video games before and I've saved my money and bought them and had a lot of money left to save up. If I win a Webkinz I will give it to my sister. She almost got a Pegasus but it was needed for something else for our school, so I really want her to win either Webkinz.

--Daniel Nance

'Savvy buying is ... a must'

Webkinz has taught me about saving money and buying smartly. If you don't save your money in Webkinzworld, you will end up broke. Saving money in Webkinzworld is the key to letting your Webkinz live a longer, happier life. If you buy everything your Webkinz wants, you won't be able to afford its needs. If it doesn't have a bed to sleep in or food to eat, it will get sick and die. And believe me, a dead Webkinz is absolutely no fun!

Savvy buying in Webkinzworld is a must. You don't need "exclusive" items. (Exclusive items are only available to owners of five or more Webkinz and are very expensive.) Sale items can be very cute. Save the exclusive item for your Webkinz birthday.

There are ways to earn extra KinzCash in Webkinzworld. Don't forget to play the "game of the day!" If you play the "game of the day," you get more Kinzcash than usual. If you win, you get your name written up in the Webkinz newspaper! Also, you can sell Arte, the dog who owns the Curio Shop, any items you don't need anymore. It is like a virtual consignment store.

Webkinz has taught me things about money and saving that I can use in real life. Just like in Webkinzworld, I consigned a painting I did not need anymore when I redid my room. Webkinz has taught me the value of comparing prices in the real world. I help my Mom by picking up coupons in the grocery store. I investigate to see which brand is having a sale on ice cream before buying it. I always check the clearance rack before I purchase.

Webkinz has also taught me the importance of saving. It has taught me not to buy everything that I want. Instead, I save my money for special things. Right now I am saving for clothes for my doll.

Webkinz has shown me how to purchase smartly in Web-kinzworld, as well as in the real world.

--Evie Fordham

'I have $8,948 dollars on Webkinz because I save my money'

Everything in the W shop, where you buy things on webkinz.com, is really expensive, even if it's on sale! Sometimes you get free coupons so you can get discounts on items. The best coupon I've ever gotten is 60% off! To save money I buy the cheapest food. That compares to real life because you need money for other things too. So you can't just buy the most expensive food for your pet. You can use expensive food for special occasions instead.

I have $8,948 dollars on Webkinz because I save my money. If my pet gets sick, I want to be prepared in case the medicine costs $2,000. I saved up to buy a bed that cost $1,200. All my younger sister does is try to win stuff and send gifts to everybody. So she only has $509 dollars. She wouldn't have enough money if her pet got sick and the medicine cost $2,000.

I am now saving up for a living room. I save my money in real life for things I want right now. I used some of my money to buy my first Webkinz. I have 3 now.

Most people like to save their money but some people don't. Some people like to send gifts to others because they think they will get a package back, like my sister. Some people just buy things repeatedly.

I have learned that you should be a good shopper, use coupons when available and don't forget to save your money.

Webkin Tree Frog

Webkinz Tree Frog


Webkinz animals come with a special internet code where your child caninteract with it. They can name it, make it a home, even play games.Not recommended for children under 3. NOTE* Due to limited supply; Webkinz orders are limited to 12 pieces per style per customer.

Webkin Golden Retriever

Webkinz™ Golden Retriever


Golden Retriever plush is made of several different fabrics. Tag on arm contains a code for the Webkinz "Adopt A Pet" website, virtual petgame. Approx. 7½". NOTE* Due to limited supply; Webkinz orders are limited to 12 pieces per style per customer.

Webkinz: 8.5 inch Horse

Webkinz: 8.5 inch Horse


Webkinz animals come with a special internet code where your child can interact with it. They can name it, make it a home, even play games. Not recommended for children under 3. Age Group: 3 to 7 Years Manufacturer Name: Ganz

Webkin Pug

Webkinz™ Pug


Webkinz animals come with a special internet code where your child caninteract with it. They can name it, make it a home, even play games.Not recommended for children under 3. NOTE* Due to limited supply; Webkinz orders are limited to 12 pieces per style per customer.