We have a handful of Webkinz in our family. A couple more happened to find their way into my children’s hearts at Christmas time. In terms of cuteness, they’re okay. We have other plush that I think outranks Webkinz in the cute department. I remember when I first saw Webkinz and the stringy texture of their fur. I thought they were odd, because it made them more tickly than cuddly.
For those of you who aren’t in the know, Webkinz are small plush animals. They probably appeal more to girls (kittens, puppies, bunny rabbits, and unicorns), but there are some “unisex” ones that would probably have equal appeal more to little boys too, like frogs and gorillas and turtles and the like. Each character comes with an original ID number, which kids (with help of parents) use to unlock a virtual version of their toy on the Webkinz website, called Webkinz World. Webkinz World has its own economy.
Here’s how it works:
“The user receives money (called KinzCash) by adopting new pets, playing online games, answering general knowledge questions, and through daily activities like clicking “I love my Webkinz!”, spinning the Wheel of WOW, or completing jobs (minigames) available once every 8 hours. Each day, there is a Game of the Day which can be played for bonus KinzCash, and occasionally other bonuses are available each hour.
Users can spend their KinzCash to purchase food and clothing for their pet, items for their pet’s room or to build additional rooms onto their house, etc. Users can decorate a room for their pet with pre-made themes, or mix and match their own furniture.
The online world also contains many rare or exclusive items. Some of these items require developing a friendship with the Curio Shop owner to purchase, while others you get for registering other Webkinz accessories you purchase in the real world. Each type of pet gets a special food available exclusively for them. Also, a Pet of the Month is announced at the beginning of each month. If a person registers the announced pet in that month, they will receive other exclusive items.” – wikipedia
To summarize: You play simple games and earn points which you redeem for virtual merchandise. The site encourages kids to visit every day in order to keep their pets happy and healthy (there’s a metre that shows you if your pet is lagging in either) or discover new things in Webkinz World.
In our house we haven’t really paid a visit to Webkinz world. We’ve only gone as far as the border, to officially adopt our characters and print out the certificate.
I’ve thought about it a lot, and I am troubled by the whole idea of consumption that is behind life in Webkinz world.
The argument about computer usage and how much “screen time” kids are getting nowadays is a separate issue. But having kids exchange points for dollars that are “spent” on merchandise is something else altogether.
All of this feeds into the questions brought up by the Shopping Embargo of 2008, about shopping becoming a national pastime, and how spending and buying are increasingly being viewed as recreation. The reality is that excessive/needless shopping is detrimental to our planet and to our wallets … have you read anything lately about how much we, as a society, carry in credit card debt?.
This topic came up at a dinner party a few months ago. In fact, there were people there who were diametrically opposed to the whole Webkinz concept. Both sets of parents had daughters who were in the same age bracket (8-9) as Emma.
I tell ya, it was an uncomfortable conversation, because all parties had such strong feelings about the issue and the conversation took on a heated tone (but perhaps it was the wine talking?). Like with MANY issues related to parenting (remember the whole portable DVD thing?), it’s hard to discuss, because on the surface it looks like one parent thinks the other parent is “wrong.” (By the way, I don’t think you’re a bad parent if you let your kid play in Webkinz world – do what suits you – but I’m writing this because I want to share my own beliefs.)
As I said, I’m bothered by the Webkinz “get more” economy and how the whole thing is structured to encourage the accumulation of material goods. This isn’t something I want my kids to learn … they will come by this in other ways, television, magazines, and by peer pressure. But by immersing themselves in a culture (even if a virtual one) that shows that your goal – the reason you exist – is to get the most goods, isn’t a message I am comfortable with. But it’s just a game! (Yes, I can hear you.) But as you know, playing = learning. They’re getting something out of all of this. If that wasn’t the case, why are there so many websites with math and spelling games?
If my kids are going to play a game (be it online or a console game) I’d really like it to be one that challenges them differently.
Webkinz supporters will come forward and defend the games as requiring certain educational skills and hand-eye coordination etc.. Sure, it might teach kids about math and shopping, but it’s like this: You have 500 dollars, you can buy this basic fridge, or you can wait and earn 2000 dollars to buy this gorgeous supersized fridge with shiny pink accents!
Is the bigger fridge better? What about a bigger house? Or a closet full of trendy clothing? I would argue that more and bigger do not necessarily mean better. MORE, shouldn’t be something we strive for.
I think you can effectively teach these same kinds of things in real life. Many money-based lessons can be taught at the grocery store. i.e (“If this package of spaghetti costs 99 cents and contains 250 grams of pasta, and this one costs $1.50 and contains 450 grams of pasta, which is the better deal?”) And if your kids are getting an allowance they are probably learning the “dollar value” lesson already.
And why create a whole “world” … why not just create an online game and leave it at that? Because a world promotes a sense of belonging. You create it on your own terms. In this world there is no homework, no nagging parents, no bullies in the schoolyard. It’s fun. And your virtual world is a happy place just for you and your friends – whether they themselves are virtual or not. You want to visit, and stay.
My other issue: I hate being manipulated by the marketing machine.
Have you ever wondered what the Webkinz folks have to gain by the millions upon millions of children who log on to their website? I never believed they produced this multimedia playground out of sheer kindness. It probably cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to develop the interface, it probably costs thousands more to keep it running, to host it on a secure server … to keep it staffed. Why bother? It’s not like building of an outdoor playground in a suburban park. This is not altruistic. There are strings attached here.
By giving children a toy with this perceived “added value” they are cultivating brand loyalty. There must be 100 different Webkinz characters, with new ones being issued all the time. There are “special edition” Webkinz, and Webkinz clothes and accessories. Their goal is to sell as much of this stuff as they can while it is still popular.
And with a reasonable price point (it’s the ideal birthday gift!) they want to encourage its collectability. Each critters costs between $10 and $15.00, but I bet they cost about 50 cents to make. I keep hearing of kids who own nine, ten, twelve of these things. How many is too many?
I used to think the Webkinz website was ad-free, but apparently this is not the case. According to Wikipedia, the Webkinz site used to be ad-free, but has started displaying advertisements. Originally they were only for their own additional game-related products, but are now for movies, such as Alvin and the Chipmunks. Some of the advertisements promote responsibility or healthy living.
Apparently there are one million registered users. That’s a lot of eyeballs.
They also have your contact information, and collect information about “play patterns” and where kids go on the site. This will be used in aggregate in order to tailor the website to make it more popular. This stuff is gold.
On the surface it doesn’t make any sense. You might be wondering, who cares if they have my email address?
Well, here’s a piece out of their privacy policy:
“In the event that substantially all of the assets related to the Webkinz website were transferred or sold to another entity, all information, including personally identifiable information would to be transferred to that entity.”
Anyway, back to our own Webkinz situation. The girls really like them for what they are, toys.
When Emma got her first Webkinz (I believe she bought it with some birthday money) we did the “adoption” thing, and talked about it why we weren’t going to go any further into the site. She understands, and accepts, that just because you own one doesn’t mean to have to go online and join in. There are better games to play in this world. She plays with her puppies just how they are – without the bells and whistles. And she loves them just fine.
