| Have you ever heard of a toy that sold more than | | | | that include pandas, cats, poodles, pigs, monkeys, |
| one million units in it first fourteen months without | | | | and frogs. Webkinz pets can only be bought for |
| the parent company ever spending any money to | | | | adoption through specific independent gift and toy |
| advertise it? How about the fact that it is only sold in | | | | stores. The adopted Webkinz comes with a secret |
| certain specialty stores (and cannot be purchased in | | | | code that is used to register the toy pet and gain |
| many popular toy stores) yet these toy pets are | | | | access to its highly interactive world in cyberspace. In |
| selling at the rate of over ten thousand each week. | | | | this world in cyberspace you can name and feed the |
| When I last checked Ebay, the site had over ten | | | | pet, design its room and raise cash through |
| thousand of these toys for sale. As you can see, this | | | | interactive games that can be used to develop the |
| toy pet is wildly popular with the more than five | | | | toy pet's life and story. The online activities are |
| hundred thousand customers who have "adopted" it | | | | designed to teach children to be responsible, nurturing |
| for children between the ages of five and twelve. | | | | pet owners and to save and budget. The Ganz |
| The name for this toy is Webkinz. | | | | company also now sells Webkinz charms ,clothing and |
| I first discovered Webkinz several weeks ago. After | | | | playing cards. |
| a day of teaching first grade, my wife returned | | | | My wife certainly proved to be correct in the |
| home with that gleam in her eye that tells me that | | | | adoption of the toy pet frog for the classroom. Her |
| she has thought of a new and unique way to | | | | first graders loved playing and learning with "Froggie" |
| educate her first graders. She told me that her | | | | their adopted class mascot . Some of the educational |
| classroom had adopted a pet frog called "Froggie" | | | | activities in her class room that used the Webkinz |
| and that the children were very excited. I thought a | | | | included writing about the frog using descriptive |
| pet frog would be great in a first grade classroom | | | | paragraphs with illustrations, researching the red eye |
| and wanted to know who would feed it. She told me | | | | tree frog as well as math activities that sometimes |
| that feeding "Froggie" would require money that the | | | | utilized the Webkinz interactive website. The class |
| children could raise online through the pets interactive | | | | even wrote a letter to the Ganz company suggesting |
| website. I was confused until she told me that the | | | | ideas for future Webkinz toy pet designs. |
| frog was really a toy pet called a Webkinz. | | | | However, it was her final class activity that |
| Since I had never heard of a Webkinz, I was | | | | astounded me the most. She asked the class how |
| interested in learning more. Webkinz is produced by | | | | many of these adopted toy pets that they owned |
| the Ganz company headquartered in Toronto, | | | | at home. When the counting had stopped, her |
| Canada. It is a small stuffed animal somewhat larger | | | | twenty five students told her that they owned four |
| than the size of a beanie baby. There are about | | | | hundred twenty one Webkinz. |
| thirty five different types of Webkinz that can be | | | | That unadvertised small toy pet certainly has huge |
| purchased /adopted as pets. You can adopt pets | | | | grass roots appeal. |