Aug 14, 2007

Webkinz toys come to life onlineBy Dolly A. ButzSiouxCityJournal.com

Angel, a stuffed Webkinz Pegasus with a shiny pink mane and glimmering wings, sat lifeless next to a computer keyboard. On the monitor, Angel’s virtual self came to life before her owner, Grace Schiltz’s, very eyes. With a few key strokes and a click of the mouse, Angel moved about the screen in a virtual room Grace had furnished. She opened her closet and peeked at a cropped jacket, hair bow and teddy bear. She ate a bushel of bananas and responded with an “Mmmm good!” although Grace said Angel prefers cupcakes.

Grace, 9, of Sioux City, said her Webkinz Pegasus and horse are her favorite toys.

“You don’t have to get out anything. You don’t have to put anything away.”

Grace’s mom, Julie Schiltz, said Webkinz are a big hit at her house. Her sons Will, 9, and Tommy, 7, are also crazy about Webkinz. Will owns a bulldog, and Tommy has a cocker spaniel.

“You kind of have the real thing here and then see the little cocker spaniel playing on the merry-go-round on the monitor. It gives them some kind of a connection to it,” she said. “They actually have it in their hand. It’s not so remote on the computer screen.”

Webkinz, a line of plush animals released by the Ganz gift company in 2005, have exploded in popularity over the past year. A secret code attached to the animal’s foot, hoof or paw allows the owner to log on to the Webkinz World Web and combine real life play with online activities such as virtual room designing, arcade games, trivia quizzes and chatting.

Webkinz animals are flying off the shelves at Northwest Iowa specialty stores. To give everyone a fair shot at buying one of these cute, furry toys, Coach House Gifts at the Southern Hills Mall is enforcing a purchasing limit.

Read complete article.