View source for Webkinz

{{Short description|Stuffed animal brand and video game series}}
{{Multiple issues|{{Advert|date=May 2022}}
{{Missing information|franchise's historical development|date=May 2022}}
{{More citations needed|date=February 2023}}
}}
{{Infobox Website
| name = Webkinz
| logo = Webkinz.png
| logo_size = 200
| screenshot = 
| screenshot_size = 
| founded = {{start date and age|2005}}
| founder = [[Ganz (toy company)|Ganz]]
| url = {{URL|https://www.webkinz.com/|webkinz.com}}
| commercial = Yes
| registration = Required
| type = [[Virtual world|Virtual]] [[plush toy]] [[virtual world|world]]
}}

'''Webkinz''' is a stuffed animal franchise by the [[Canadian]] toy company [[Ganz (toy company)|Ganz]]. Webkinz [[stuffed animals]] have online counterparts in the video games '''Webkinz Classic''' and '''Webkinz Next'''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=All-New Webkinz FAQ |url=https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/announcements/all-new-webkinz-faq/ |publisher=WKN: Webkinz Newz |access-date=2021-06-24 |archive-date=2021-06-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624204021/https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/announcements/all-new-webkinz-faq/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was originally released by Ganz on April 15, 2005.<ref>{{Cite tweet |user=karlborst |number=1280312914608603138 |title=Random #Webkinz fact: we launched on April 15, 2005. I moved Webkinz Day to the 29th because Easter was on April 17 in 2006 and I didn’t want it so close.}}</ref> 

Each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique "secret code" printed on it, allowing its owner to play with a [[digital pet|digital version of their pet]] on [[iOS]], [[Android (operating system)|Android]], and [[Desktop computer|desktop computers]].  Sales of Webkinz plush toys are limited to the [[United States]] and [[Canada]], but international users can buy virtual pets from the Ganz eStore. Plush toys made after October 2020 contain two secret codes for Webkinz Classic and Webkinz Next, respectively.

In 2006, Webkinz Classic achieved one million concurrent players. During this same year, according to one estimate published in ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'', ''Webkinz'' generated approximately $100 million in revenue.<ref name="wired">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2007/07/webkinz?currentPage=all |title=How to Take Money From Kids: Sell Toys Both Physical and Virtual |date=August 13, 2007 |magazine=Wired |access-date=September 19, 2010 |archive-date=September 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901012705/http://www.wired.com/gadgets/miscellaneous/news/2007/07/webkinz?currentPage=all |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, Ganz produced its first television advertisements for Webkinz Classic. Ganz updated Webkinz Classic in 2015 to Webkinz X, a version that created a safer environment for young players.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} In October 2020, Ganz unveiled Webkinz Next, a 3D spin-off with different social features.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Join the Family |url=https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/join-the-family/ |access-date=2020-11-23 |publisher=WKN: Webkinz Newz |archive-date=2020-11-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127083356/https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/join-the-family/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Types of Webkinz==
 
Webkinz are modelled after regular pets and animals, as well as prehistoric animals and mythical creatures. Along with the regular Webkinz toys, there are also smaller, less expensive versions called Lil’ Kinz, as well as larger, more expensive versions in the Signature collection, which ran from April 2009 to December 2013. Lil’ Kinz unlock the same virtual items as a regular-size Webkinz, but feature a smaller in-game avatar.  

The Webkinz Signatures were designed by a different toy company which had partnered with Ganz, and included three different sub-lines of plush: Webkinz Signature, Webkinz Small Signature, and Webkinz Signature Endangered, the latter being based on real-life endangered species of animals, and unlocking a trivia section about the respective animal; purchasing a Signature also unlocked access to a virtual item from the Signature theme. Production of Signatures had stopped when the contract Ganz held ended, and new Signature plush were not made, in part to their steeper price. Ganz continues to release new Signature pets, albeit without their plush counterparts, with certain pets only available as special promotional items; virtual Signatures and other pets given away in this manner often run for an extremely steep price, ranging from $25 per code on third-party sites such as eBay, to $2,000 per code (including several other virtual promotional items), when acquired through the Ganz eStore website itself.  

In May 2009, the Birthstone Pets series was released, with one new virtual Birthstone Pet (a brightly-colored dog with the corresponding birthstone on its hip) being released for each corresponding month. In April 2010, Ganz replaced the Birthstone Pets series with the Zodiac Pets series. Similarly, one Zodiac Pet was released every month, and were limited to just digital avatars, with no plush being made available; however, there was greater variety in the types of animals offered, not comprising only dogs as before, but including an Eagle, a snake, a horse, a crab, and even a butterfly in the series. In 2011, the CandyKinz series was released, which was originally composed of virtual-only pets with various dessert-related themes; later, plush versions of some of the CandyKinz were made available, such as the Gingerbread Puppy. In June 2012, the Rockerz Pets series was released, which, along with the virtual pet unlocked with the purchase of a plush toy, also unlocked a virtual item from the Rockerz theme, in a similar manner to the Webkinz Signatures; some later Rockerz pets were only available as digital avatars. 

In 2019, Ganz announced that the “first generation” of Webkinz plush was ending and that no new plush pets would be released for the time being, with fully virtual pets being created and available to purchase.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/announcements/official-statement-on-the-future-of-webkinz-plush-toys/|title=Official Statement on the Future of Webkinz Plush Toys {{!}} WKN: Webkinz Newz|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-06|archive-date=2019-09-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906154432/https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/announcements/official-statement-on-the-future-of-webkinz-plush-toys/|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2020, Ganz resumed the creation of plush Webkinz toys for the spin-off game Webkinz Next. New pets include a code for Webkinz Classic and a code for Webkinz Next.<ref>{{Cite web|title=They're Here! All-New Webkinz Plush Toys!|url=https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/allnewplush/|access-date=2021-05-23|website=WKN: Webkinz Newz|archive-date=2021-05-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523091612/https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/allnewplush/|url-status=live}}</ref>

All inactive accounts were once stored to later be unarchived upon retrieval, but it was announced by Ganz, that on Oct. 1, 2019, all archived accounts would be deleted after seven years of inactivity, do to storage issues, and a change in children’s online privacy laws. No new accounts were archived, and users with free accounts which had been abandoned for more than six months, would be deleted.

== Gameplay ==

Each Webkinz [[stuffed animal]] and Webkinz accessory comes with an 8-character code, within a tag tied onto the plush. By registering this code on the Webkinz Classic desktop application or mobile app, the customer "[[adopt]]s" a pet in the [[virtuality|virtual]] Webkinz World. Without the 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. However, certain features become inaccessible for accounts that have not registered a new pet for over a year.

The Webkinz World is an [[online play]] area with [[Virtual economy|its economy]] controlled by Ganz. The user can earn money (called KinzCash) by adopting new pets, playing [[online games]], answering general knowledge questions, and through daily activities like spinning the ''Wheel of WOW'', playing ''Wishing Well 2'', 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 other bonuses are available each hour, full days on weekends, and afternoons only on weekdays. With each Webkinz toy purchased, more KinzCash, rooms, and items are added to the user's account.

Many of the tasks in Webkinz World involve collecting items. For example, [[recipe]]s are released for the players through [[cookbook]]s or one of the TV shows called ''The Secret Chef''. "Gems" can be mined once a day at the ''Curio Shop'', with a full set of gems being turned into the ''Webkinz Crown of Wonder'' and used to buy exclusive items. A similar feature, called ''Alyssa's Star Challenge'', involves users clicking on colored stars to find valuable stars.

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 are obtained by registering other Webkinz accessories purchased in the real world. Each type of pet gets a special item and food available exclusively for them. 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 also receive other exclusive items.

== Criticism ==
{{Criticism section|date=February 2023}}
* Parents have raised concerns regarding children's use and potential overuse of the ''Webkinz'' toys.
* Some parents have voiced concerns about the website's [[online chat]] system.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} The chat system, known as ''KinzChat'', has various safety precautions. These include placing restrictions on who can send messages, and disallowing users to type; opting for a "safe-chat" system wherein users can only post pre-written phrases from a list.<ref name="Pardo">{{cite web|last=Pardo|first=Steve|url=http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070411/BIZ04/704110410|publisher=[[The Detroit News]]|access-date=2007-04-23|date=2007-04-11|title=Kids hooked on Webkinz world}} {{dead link|date=February 2023}}</ref>
* Some schools have expressed concern about the toys becoming a distraction from education. This has occasionally resulted in ''Webkinz'' being banned from school grounds.<ref name="Seltz">{{cite news|title=Toy causes classroom distraction|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/04/08/toy_causes_classroom_distraction/|date=2007-04-08|access-date=2007-07-12|last=Seltz|first=Johanna|work=The Boston Globe|archive-date=2008-12-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207052654/http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/04/08/toy_causes_classroom_distraction/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Some users voiced criticism when the once advertisement-free site<ref name="Barakat">{{cite web|title=Review: Webkinz pleases parents and children|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/19732158|date=2007-07-13|access-date=2007-08-20|publisher=[[NBC News]]|last=Barakat|first=Matthew|archive-date=2014-07-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714224023/http://www.nbcnews.com/id/19732158/|url-status=dead}}</ref> began displaying advertisements, previously only for their additional game-related products, but now also for movies, such as ''[[Alvin and the Chipmunks (film)|Alvin and the Chipmunks]]'' and ''[[Bee Movie]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/webkinztakes.htm |title=CCFC News – Webkinz takes heat for taking advertising<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=2008-04-15 |archive-date=2008-09-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905213623/http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/news/webkinztakes.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> Due to this, an option for members to block advertisements promoting content that is not sponsored by or affiliated with Webkinz or Ganz was created. However, if enabled, this option cannot be changed until 30 days have passed. {{Citation needed|date=February 2023}}
* In 2007, rumors spread about a character that would kill Webkinz on the site,<ref name="Lisa">Davis, Lisa (28 September 2007). "Interactive Toys Like Webkinz Are Drawing Young Kids, Worrying Some Parents." ''Fort Worth Star-Telegram''.</ref><ref name="Snopes">{{cite web|url=http://snopes.com/horrors/madmen/webkinz.asp|title=Webkinz Murderer|last=Mikkelson|first=Barbara|author2=David Mikkelson|date=3 January 2008|work=Snopes.com|publisher=[[Snopes.com|Urban Legends Reference Pages]]|pages=1|access-date=2009-09-19|archive-date=2023-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230220193244/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/webkinz-murderer/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Schoberg">{{cite news|title=Virtual Pet Threat: No Need to Worry, Kids Assured.|last=Schoberg|first=Diana|date=9 February 2007|publisher=The [Quincy] Patriot Ledger}}</ref> supposedly inserted by a disgruntled employee or a rival site.<ref name="Snopes" /> These claims were proven false.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.webkinz.com/bulletinz_rumor.html
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225134620/http://www.webkinz.com/bulletinz_rumor.html
|url-status=dead
|archive-date=2007-02-25
|title=Concerned About a Rumor?|work=Webkinz.com|publisher=[[Webkinz.com|Concerned About a Rumor]]|pages=1|access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref>

=== 2020 data breach ===
In April 2020, a hacker gained access to the login information of almost 23 million players, which was later leaked.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Children's game Webkinz suffers from a data breach (Includes interview)|url=http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/children-s-gane-webkinz-suffers-from-a-data-breach/article/570557|date=2020-04-21|website=www.digitaljournal.com|access-date=2020-05-17|archive-date=2020-05-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200524112133/http://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-and-science/technology/children-s-gane-webkinz-suffers-from-a-data-breach/article/570557|url-status=dead}}</ref> As a response to this, Ganz later strengthened their encryption and required all Webkinz users to reset their passwords.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Webkinz Incident and Password Change|url=https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/passwordchange/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-17|website=WKN: Webkinz Newz|archive-date=2020-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531225218/https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/passwordchange/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
<!-- Please do not add links to fan sites or stores. See the article [[WP: EL]] for more information. Thanks. -->
* {{official website}}

{{Non-sports trading cards}}

[[Category:Virtual pets]]
[[Category:Children's websites]]
[[Category:Virtual world communities]]
[[Category:Stuffed toys]]
[[Category:Toy animals]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2005]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 2005]]
[[Category:2000s toys]]
[[Category:2000s fads and trends]]