Webkinz Mania

I was blissfully unaware of Webkinz mania, until a friend of Sarah's shared it with her at a play date, and the craziness began. If you haven't heard of them (lucky you!), let me introduce you to the concept. There are limited places to buy them (in our area, it's a bookstore and a Hallmark store), and each may be stocked with different inventory. In our case, I have to state matter of factly that we are only buying one, ONE, and if any whining occurs, the offender will get nothing (oddly enough, it works like a charm...). So you pick one out, take it home, then log into the computer (webkinz.com) with a secret code attached to your Webkinz. After you "adopt" it (flashback to my own Cabbage Patch days), you can then enter Webkinz world. It's actually a neat concept (I feign trepidation) because the kids are then responsible for their Webkinz health, happiness, and food intake that they must monitor so their friends don't get sick. To achieve this, they have to play games, treasure hunt, and work jobs to earn money that goes towards their animals. I love seeing how happy they are when they have fed, bathed, and bought new clothes for them, or decorated their rooms with a new piece of furniture or poster. I am also amazed at how they remember each of their animals names and birthdays. Here they are above posing with the latest members of their Webkinz family.