Webkinz
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Type of site
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Virtual children's world |
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| Available in | Mainly English (several others available) |
| Created by | Ganz |
| Slogan(s) | Come in and Play! |
| Website | webkinz.com |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Free |
| Launched | April 29, 2005 |
| Current status | Active |
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that have a playable online counterpart, webkinz.com, in "Webkinz World." Webkinz were originally released by the Canadian toy company Ganz on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys; however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "Secret Code" printed on it that allows you to play with your pet in the "Webkinz World" website. On Webkinz World, the Secret Code allows the user to own a virtual version of the pet for online play. Lil' Kinz are smaller, less expensive versions of Webkinz, while the Signature collection are larger and slightly more expensive. Sales of plush Webkinz toys are limited to the United States and Canada, but international users can buy virtual pets from the online eStore. In 2006, Webkinz had one million online accounts, and according to one estimate published in Wired they took in $100 million. In 2011, Webkinz made its first commercial on TV. Webkinz as well updated in 2015 to Webkinz X, making it more kid friendly.
There are many types of Webkinz: regular pets, wild animals, mythical creatures, people and made up ones, like the Gingerbread Puppy. They all come with codes that can be entered on the computer at www.webkinz.com Along with the regular Webkinz toys, there are also smaller, less expensive versions called Lil' Kinz as well as larger, slightly more expensive versions in the Signature collection launched in early 2009. The Signature collection later ended in December, 2013. In 2009, Birthstone pets were released. One new birthstone pet was released for every month. In April 2010, Ganz replaced the Birthstone pets with the Zodiac Pets and the Zodiac theme. Again, one Zodiac pet will be released every month along with its constellation.
Each Webkinz stuffed animal and Webkinz accessory comes with an 8-character code. By registering this code on the Webkinz website, the customer "adopts" this pet in the virtual Webkinz World. Without the Secret Code, the user will not get access to the full Webkinz world, but they can create a free account. On January 19, 2011, Ganz announced that Webkinz World accounts would no longer expire, meaning users would not have to buy a new pet each year to renew their account, but then brought that back into Webkinz in 2012.
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Wikipedia