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Teddy Bear, Version 2.0
Megan Leffew, 10, and her brother Brian, 7, play with Webkinz in real life and online.
(By Melina Mara -- The Washington Post)
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"We had a big party," the pup responded. "Just kidding."
Ganz, a family-owned wholesale gift company based in Ontario, introduced the toys in April 2005. Spokeswoman Susan McVeigh said it has not spent any money on advertising. Word has spread virally, one playground to the next. The company said the site has more than 1 million members, both boys and girls, ages 6 to 13. McVeigh would not discuss sales but said the toys' popularity has "grown exponentially." Webkinz generally sell for $7.50 to $10 and are available at Hallmark Gold Crown stores; independent retailers; and hospital gift shops, where Ganz previously had contracts to sell its other products. The toys come with a one-year membership to the site.
Rachel Bolton, a Hallmark spokeswoman, said the toys have become so popular that some stores have waiting lists. She said demand began in the Northeast, then slowly moved down the coast into the South. At Go Bananas, a toy store in Ashburn, owner Mary Holmes said she gets 20 to 30 calls each day from people looking for Webkinz. The craze is now spreading to the Midwest. Larry Benson, who operates three Hallmark stores near Kansas City, said a customer came in with three kids begging for Webkinz.
Byrne said Webkinz have yet to achieve the mass-market success of their Beanie Babies predecessors or brands such as Dora the Explorer. But the children who have become hooked are wildly loyal.
Some are even finding that their Webkinz can come to life offline if they just use -- gasp! -- some imagination.
Megan's friend Kathryn Roche, 10, made her seven Webkinz a house in her basement in Potomac. There are three couches, made from scarves and blankets, and a desk created from a stack of books. Another friend, Annamarie Lukish, 9, likes to dress her Webkinz in the clothes made for her American Girl dolls. Then she makes believe her unicorn and pink poodle are mean girls terrorizing the other Webkinz.
But Annamarie said she prefers playing with her pets online "because there's a lot more to do." Her mother, however, is of a different mind.
Before Donna Lukish allows her daughter to get on the computer, she makes her run around the block a few times, weather permitting. At least that way she's sure to get some exercise.
"I was making dinner, and she was on my husband's laptop. And I hear her saying, 'Oh, we're going to go out for a walk now,' as if she's talking to a pet," Lukish said. "Then I look over at the laptop, and I said, 'Oh my gosh, there's something wrong with this picture.' "
