Social-networking training wheels

Remember Beanie Babies? Cabbage Patch Dolls? Well, now there’s Webkinz. The only (significant) difference is Webkinz have a social site/virtual world for their young owners – kind of a starter MySpace for people below its minimum age. “Last year, Webkinz brought in more than $45 million in retail in the U.S.,” CNET reports. The writer went through hoops to acquire her Webkinz, named Cneta, then more to register at the site, where – like all members - she started with 2,000 units of “KinzCash,” which goes fast because next she needs to decorate Cneta’s room in the site and accessorize her new virtual pet. She bought Cneta “a salmon strudel feast for Cneta, as well as a batch of her favorite food, marshmallows, rainbow-patterned boots, a blue striped bed set, a scooter and some horn-rimmed specs.” She quickly needed more KinzCash for all this self-expression, and she could earn it by playing games in the site, passing quizzes, and doing virtual jobs. Communications on the site is even more restricted than on ClubPenguin. “The only way to communicate with a Webkinz owner, it turns out, is if you already know someone with an account,” which would probably be good news to many parents of Webkinz owners. But not all parents are thrilled with the product/service – see the article for more (including photos). And here’s the big picture on kid social worlds from Business 2.0.