Webkinz are stuffed animals originally released by the Ganz gift company in 2005.
The toys are similar to many other small soft 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.
The toys have been marketed in similar fashion to Ty beanie babies with some being retired after some time, which encourages high secondary selling prices.
Webkinz have been extremely popular, with Ganz claiming more than 2 million units sold to retailers and 1 million registered users of the Webkinz website.
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GameplayWhen a user adopts their first Webkinz pet, they are given basic items such as a room, a welcome balloon, a food item, a piece of furniture for their pet, and 2000 in "Kinzcash".
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 medicane purchased at the clinic.
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.
The online game is free to use for one year after the purchase of your first, then a person must purchase another toy to continue playing.
There is a grace period of 14 days where users can still access their account after which their account will be deactivated. Members then have a minimum of 30 days to renew their account before deletion.
Adopting a new pet will give the user another year of access.
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