Sweet Be's Candy & Gifts

Sweet Be's Candy and Gifts your
source for New Webkinz Information and Events

August 2006

Now if your kids want a pet, they’re going to be able to have one without even having to make space for it at home. Stores are now selling virtual pets with a Web site link intended for the amusement and education of children.

"Webkinz are a huge hit,” said Ward, the owner of a local gift shop. “It’s been a great teaching tool. Moms love it because the price is great, and kids love it because it’s fun.”

To get started, the first thing you have to do is go to a local gift shop (or just click here), and buy a Webkinz pet. It’s a plush toy that could be a dog, cat, frog, elephant, cow or whatever your child prefers.You purchase the toy and inside the tag is a “secret code” for the Web site.

It’s quite apparent that today’s kids not only know how to use computers, but they’re also on the Internet all the time. Some parents encourage it, and others are concerned about chatting and giving out a lot of information — since adult predators have become a new threat to parents who have kids online. Webkinz is designed to not only direct and protect children, but also to help them learn.

Courtney Kropog of Fairmont is the mother of a child who plays with Webkinz. She explained how excited her daughter is to use the program.

“My daughter has me go here, there and everywhere to buy them,” said Kropog. “She really enjoys it. The only thing she and her friends do is play with Webkinz. There are different things that you can do daily.”

Kropog’s daughter, Mecca has many different Webkinz pets, such as a hippo, a rabbit, a chihuahua, a monkey, a yorkie, a bassett hound and a golden retreiver. She said that she learns a lot from the Web site and that it is pretty easy to use.

“I get on there with my friends a lot,” said Mecca. “I had to take one of my pets to Dr. Quack once, because it got sick.”

The new Webkinz virtual pets have taken a turn as far as age interests.“We’re finding that even some adults like to play it,” said Ward. “So though at first we had an age limit, we no longer do, because we realized that parents also have fun doing it with they’re children as well as by themselves.”

Once you purchase the toy with the “secret code,” you then go to the Web site and get started. You go to the site www.webkinz.com, get to the home page, and it asks you if you are a new or current member. You then go to the “adopt a pet” option and pick out a screen name and password in order to log in each time you want to play. One safety feature is that when you choose your name, you are not allowed to use your actual name in the screen name. This is so that anyone who meets you on the site does not know your real name. The site also does not ask you for your address, phone number or e-mail — just general questions, such as state, country and birthday.

When you enter your code, you are given the option of making your pet a boy or a girl. Then you are given a room for your pet and an amount of Webkinz cash, so that you can buy things to take care of your pet such as food, furniture, toys and treats.

The Web site supports many games and trivia. You can play games or learn more about your pets. And as an incentive, you can earn Kinz cash for playing and learning.

“You’ll never get a video game for the price that these are, with all of the choices and games,” said Ward. “There’s something new on the Web site every two weeks like a new game, new things to buy, etc.”

The room given to you for your pet is where it lives on the Web. Once you buy items and food for your pet, you are responsible for its health, hunger and happiness. If you don’t tend to its needs, you will eventually need to take it to the pet doctor so that it can recover. If you feed it candy all day, it will get sick, and you will have to take it to the pet doctor called Dr. Quack.

The children participating can also make friends on the site. It does not give anyone permission to give out personal information and is directed to general communication, so they can have fun without possible danger. They have a list of friends that they can chat with, and they can also invite them to their pet’s room to play.

Anyone can get onto the site and take a virtual tour before purchasing one. There is also a locator to tell you where the nearest store is where you can buy one. For those in need of help with the program, you can call the toll free help line at 1-866-WEBKINZ.

It’s learning and fun that moms don’t have to be afraid of. We like to call it -

"The Webkinz Invasion.”