So, tell me everything you know about Webkinz

[Nestof3]

Well, maybe not everything, but what's it like?

[Jmac]

webkinz is fun but a money pit. Your kid can get on with their one pet and play games and build them a room and stuff but there are some areas the kid can't go without buying certain products like charms or figurines and some things cost so much kinzcash (money earned from the games) that you couldn't hope to get any without buying lots of plush webkinz. There are daily activities that your kid can do once a day to earn cash and prizes which are fun. They can grow a garden, cook and make food for their pet or just buy the food in the store. I am a webkinz expert at this point. Let me know if you have any specific questions.

[Night Elf]

I love webkinz! I have 2 of my own. Included in the price of one stuffed animal, you get a year's membership on their website that has lots of fun activities and games. That's not a bad price considering all you get for less than $15.

 

My children and I have never desired to go to any of the other parts of the site that require extra purchases. We spend most of our time in the Kinzville Academy and Arcade.

[KidsHappen]

Don't even start! :tongue_smilie: Especially if your children like collecting. My two youngest have about 30 each. For two years it was the gift for every birthday and Christmas. They got them from friends, relatives and us of course, not to mention for the longest time that is where all of their own money went. And my children never part with stuffies. Sometimes they and their friends get together and have stuffie jambories in my living room and I swear I can easily have 100 in there at one time. They did use the website as well. My teens still play Neopets and they are darn near grown.

[Closeacademy]

It is an addiction that deserves its own 12 step program. After a year and a half we have finally seen the obesssion has waned a bit. There for a while my dds and all their friends were into it big time and it was all the kids ever talked about.

 

I do like the site though. It is all scripted but if they know the user names of their friends they can visit each other's houses and play games together. My friend really like it because it has little quizes and she mader her son do those first before playing the "fun" games.

 

You do get to decorate the houses, add rooms, and dress up your pet. It is a lot of fun.:001_smile:

[wagnfun]

What the other posters said and more!

 

I held off for a while b/c I thought it was just junk but when I gave in I was pleasently surprised at the educational games & trivia on it. My 6 yr old loves it & plays the games w/ her big brother!

 

I have yet to put any extra money into the game outside of her stuffed animal webkinz. They are priced ok enough that she wants to do extra chores to earn money to buy them (ranging $10-20). Im lucky though b/c she only collects all white stuffed animals, lol, so that cuts down on what she wants to buy.

 

Have you given in yet?

[Delighted3]

My kids haven't expressed any interest in the stuff on the site that costs money. They don't have a lot of the webkinz. They get maybe 2 a year from friends or from us if their account is getting close to expiring. Their interest ebbs and flows, do I wouldn't say it is too addictive and I think it is a very safe site for kids to be on and have age appropriate fun with their friends. My kids have friends that they don't see very often and they really enjoy being on at the same time.

Joy

[KristenS]

They are fun, addictive, and the website runs to glitches. Ganz customer service ... they are nice people but the company never actually gives them the right information to work with.

 

I do like the games, and it's cute fun to get to cook recipes on the little stoves and not have to clean up. LOL. I know lots of moms who play more than their kids!

 

My favorite site to direct the beginning Webkinz fan to is www.webkinzinsider.com ... their forums and info guides will tell you tons, and they go to great lengths to keep out trolls, cheat posters, and the like. They are harsh on scammers too (you can trade virtual items you and your pet collect). They even make all their mods go through a background check, since so many of the members are kids.

[katemary63]

:lol: He and DD8 play it together everyday - just a few minutes. It is fun, educational and for what they do, free. DD8 only has 2 webkinz and we aren't going to get anymore. She is not obsessed with it, it is just something fun to do with Daddy. I have never been on it. Once in a while they will call me to the computer to show me a new "room" they decorated! So cute! When DH can't sleep sometimes, I get up and find him on Webkinz, playing games - so I guess they are fun! Haha. HE says he is earning money so she can buy more stuff.

[Jolash]

RUN AWAY! Seriously, my ds likes them (although the fun is starting to wear off now, thank goodness!) and will occassionally sign on to the website - when it's working - to play. But there is always the call for "just one more" or "I have to get this one because it's retired." Plus there's the storage issue.. finding space for 30 stuffed animals is a pain!

[Chris in VA]

You all might find this funny--Dd got a webkinz and never got online with it. Her friend who is 2 years older set up a little something for her once, ONCE, and dd never did it at all. She told me just yesterday that the dog could have her webkinz. She'd rather play in the creek and plant the garden.

[ELaurie]

We signed ds 9 up for a one year membership using his Webkin, and they both used the same account until it expired. Then we signed up ds 7 for a year using his Webkin, and they both played with that until they discovered Club Penquin :D

 

We haven't payed for a Club Penguin member ship - they play the free games, and their screen time is pretty limited.

[Terrabelle]

Both my girls have several Webkinz, and I've been pleased with the website. They have a limited amount of time to spend on it, but the activities seem to be a fairly profitable use of time. They think it is fun to decorate their rooms and send other "friends" gifts. There has been nothing questionable or unsafe in my opinion.

[Nestof3]

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful info and opinions. I think my boys would enjoy this, as it sounds more interesting than something like Poptropica. But, I don't want a bunch of stuffed animals. LOL

[akmommy]

Webkinz didn't last long here. Younger DD and DS played on the website for maybe a month before they lost interest. DS just doesn't take alot of interest in the computer yet. DD spent the most time there, but after her friend that first introduced her to Webkinz moved she lost interest. She has two of the animals and I don't think she ever even entered the code for the second one.

 

But they do love the stuffed animals.;)

[angela in ohio]

They are something fun my mom does with the grandkids. My kiddos and my niece and my mom have them, and they "visit" each other's animals. ;) I have to admit the games are very fun!

 

I am always the skeptic for stuff like this, so before they went on, I went in and checked everything out. It is really just good clean fun.

 

The quizzes are very PC, which is nt our style, but my dc laugh and say, "Well, I know what answer they WANT me to say!"

 

We let them play about once a week (sometimes less,) and it works out fine. It's not one of those things you have to keep up with every day or it dies. :glare: