Webkinz TIPS: Black & White Cheeky Dog and the Himalayan Cat

Two of the newest Webkinz pets! The Black & White Cheeky Dog and the Himalayan Cat. The Black & White Cheeky Dog's PSI is the Black and Chrome Paw Stove and the Himalayan Cat comes with the Yeti Mountain Window!

Webkinz TIPS: Family goes worldwide Webkinz

A Plymouth father and his two daughters are scoring big with a popular podcast about the all-the-rage toy animals. What rhymes with "webcast"? Dave Swerdlick and his daughters, Hannah, 9, and Zoe, 6, spent a few minutes hashing that out, then it was time for Zoe to work her magic.
"Hey, you -- we're gonna have a blast," the first-grader said enthusiastically into a microphone. "It's time for the 'Webkinz Webcast'!" She nailed it in one take. Thus began another recording session for the Plymouth father-daughter trio's hit Internet show, "Webkinz Webcast," which covers the popular Webkinz toys. The free show has been among the top 10 podcasts in the Kids & Family section of Apple's online iTunes Store for weeks. When you add listeners from the show's own website (www.webkinzwebcast.com), the podcast -- which can be saved to an MP3 player such as an iPod or played directly from the Web -- has been downloaded about 50,000 times in just the past month. The girls give shout-outs to specific listeners, and they read e-mail. The show gets loads of fan feedback -- mostly from the United States and Canada, but also from countries such as South Korea, Bahrain and Turkey. One 14-year-old girl in Athens e-mailed to say that "Webkinz Webcast" is her favorite show. "I can't believe how big of an audience we've received in such a short period of time," Swerdlick said. "The response has been overwhelming."
For those not in the know, Webkinz are stuffed animals that come with a code that allows their owners to go to the Webkinz World website and adopt a virtual version of the animal as a pet. To say the toys are hot is an understatement. Google reports that "Webkinz" was No. 2 (behind "iPhone") among all online search terms in 2007. That helps explain why Webkinz were the top pick for a subject when Swerdlick asked the girls if they wanted to do a podcast after he bought a Mac computer last summer. Their original topic was going to be American Girl dolls, but by the time their father had gained the technical know-how, the girls had moved on to Webkinz as their playtime passion. Hannah said of the last-minute switch: "Webkinz are more popular, and they're for girls and boys." It was solely the girls' call, Swerdlick said. "The webcast was not intended to be a trendy thing," he said. "There was no motive in doing it." He elaborated: "I'm not a fisherman; I can't teach my kids fishing skills. But I have a bit of a background in broadcasting, and I thought what a great way to share it. My wife teaches them sewing, and I can teach them how to do some broadcasting." Quality time together In fact, Kari Swerdlick, who has been married to Dave for 10 years, watched her husband and daughters record "Webkinz Webcast" for the first time just last Wednesday, even though it was their 11th show. It's their quality time together, she said. Each 20- to 25-minute episode of "Webkinz Webcast" is recorded essentially live in a downstairs room where guitars and sales-certification awards line the wall, remnants of Dave's music-industry past. He now is a wholesale distributor, but he also used to be a programmer and DJ at a Colorado radio station. He sits at a desk in front of a microphone and the computer, while the girls share a microphone over to the side. Hannah has her own computer, a compact laptop, which she uses to read from the Webkinz website during the show, with Zoe looking over her shoulder. For the 11th show, the trio shared recipes, offered tips for earning play money on the Webkinz site and talked about new products. When Dad held up the new Webkinz catalog that had just arrived, the girls squealed in surprise. "Gimme!" Zoe cried, snatching it out of his hands. "Oooh, they're so cute!" she cooed as she and Hannah pawed through page after page filled with pictures of plush critters. That kind of spontaneity is his main goal with the show, Swerdlick said. Nothing is rehearsed. Swerdlick says he has never heard from the maker of Webkinz, Ganz. But spokeswoman Susan McVeigh told the Star Tribune that the Canadian toy company greatly appreciated the effort and commitment put into "Webkinz Webcast" and other fan projects online. "We do no advertising for Webkinz pets ourselves ... relying instead on word of mouth from kids and adults who discovered them," she said. "We say the Webkinz story has spread 'playground to playground.'"
Source: By RANDY A. SALAS, Star TribuneLast

Webkinz TIPS: New Webkinz Are Coming in 2008

New Webkinz come out rather quickly it seems. Day after day you can hear the buzz online about what the newest Webkinz will be. This year its no exception, many new Webkinz will be arriving in stores soon. So you may ask your self why all the hype, why all the fuss? The answer is simple, kids want to be different from others. So to children who play Webkinz one great way to be different is to have one of the new Webkinz earlier than anyone else. This sets them apart with their own individual identity. For the most part Webkinz are rather inexpensive at only $9-$15 a piece so its not all to much for parents to buy a couple different Webkinz for their child.Another reason everyone wants to get the new Webkinz and get one early is because of value. Remember Beanie Babies? The concept is similar to that, as the demand goes up for some of the Webkinz and goes up fast. One way to make sure you have one of the valuable ones is to buy one brand new before they get to popular and before the value explodes. Some of these plush are now going for upwards of $1000.New Webkinz also arrive every season. Last years for valentines day they released a Love Puppy and recently for Valentines Day in 2008 they are releasing the Love Frog. In 2007 for Easter Ganz released the Sherbert Bunny plush and for 2008 its a Baby Easter Chick. As you can see year to year Ganz releases New Seasonal Webkinz.Also as with releasing the seasonal ones very often throughout the year new Webkinz will hit the stores. This keeps supply and demand for an already popular product up. In 2007 right before fall a large array of new Webkinz was released onto the market and everyone was out to get the latest and greatest toy fast. In early 2008 another entire arsenal of new Webkinz is being released which will further generate the hype. This is a good move on Ganz's part as most "hot" toys only have a shelf life of a couple years. So making the buzz for new Webkinz is one of the best ways to keep everyone including the fans extremely happy.With the demand of Webkinz still in high gear many stores that carry them are having trouble keeping the shelves full. Often stores are not even able to order enough of the new Webkinz plush to meet demands. This leaves many looking to buy their Webkinz online. Some online stores feature some great deals and others you'll pay a large premium just to be able to get a new Webkinz before they are gone. So the best tip is to buy online and buy early and never pay over fair market price.The demand for this "hot" plush will not die out anytime soon. You can expect the laws of supply and demand to continue to cause not only shortages of the plush but also higher prices along with making these toys even more collectible. If you are someone looking for a new Webkinz get one before they are gone.
Author: Mike Brown

Webkinz TIPS: Webkinz as an great educational toy

Webkinz Pets Can Be A Great Friend. There is more webkinz than you can imagine. There are all kinds of different animals that your kids can choose from. No matter what kind of animal they like they will be able to find one that they can shower with love. They will have endless fun with their new pets and be able to take care of them. Every kid wants to have a best friend that wants to do everything with them. With the webkinz pets they will have exactly that. However, there is more to webkinz pets than just the plush animals.
What Kids Can Do With Webkinz:When your kid receives their new webkinz they will be given a secret code that they can use online to adopt their pets. They will be able to pick out a name for them and even choose whether they are a girl or boy. This way they can have the best friend that they always dreamed of.
They will also be able to go online to the webkinz site to care for their pet. They can have hours of endless fun with them. On the website they will be able to design a room for their new pet. They will be given kinzcash that they can use to buy new furniture and other things for their new pet's room. They can find out when they are hungry, happy and what their health is.
They will have the chance to play games, do trivia questions, enter contests and a lot of other things that will not only teach them things like responsibility but that they can have fun doing with their best friend. They will be begging their parents to let them get online to play with and have fun with their new webkinz.
Why Parents Like Webkinz: Parents will be able to get online and monitor what their kids are doing on the webkinz site. They will be able to keep control of what their kids are allowed to do. This is something that is important for every parent so that they know their kids are safe.
Another thing that parents like is the fact that the webkinz will help their kids learn how to be responsible for something other than themselves. This is always something that parents are trying to teach their kids. With webkinz pets your job as a parent will be much easier. This is something that every parent likes.
Parents also like to see their kids having fun and learning at the same time. Not many toys will be able to accomplish both of those things at the same time. Webkinz is great because they have combined the two and made a great place for kids. They have come up with a very inventive way for the kids to enjoy themselves and for parents to be happy about them spending time online. Not many websites can boast that they make kids and parents happy at the same time. Usually it is just one or the other but not both.
What Are You Waiting For? You need to buy a webkinz for your kids right now. The faster they get their webkinz the faster they can start having fun and learning. You and your kids can sit down and spend time together when you are showing them everything that they can do with their new pet. Your kids will love you forever. You definitely want to see your kids happy and to see them getting more education. What is better than them getting the education of responsibility that will help them throughout their whole life? There are more webkinz then you will ever be able to buy for your kids but letting them get one will make you and them happy. So go get one today.
Summary: The more webkinz you see the more you will love them. They are a great educational toy for your kids. There are also a lot of reasons that parents like them. This is one plush animal that makes both the kids and the parents happy. What could be better than that?