A hot toy on the market right now for children is a family of stuffed animals called Webkinz. I found out about them during a visit to Flowers on the Move on Gum Branch Road in Jacksonville. I entered the store to purchase flowers for a family member. While I was waiting, a nice employee of the shop saw my 5-year-old daughter with me and told me about these popular pets. He said his granddaughter loves them.  

But, what’s so cool about the Webkinz animals is that they are ”special” animals. Included on the tag of each animal is a code, which allows the pet owner to join Webkinz World, a place where children can spend quality time on the computer. Once entering the special code, the child can name his or her pet and print out adoption papers. Once a member of Webkinz World, the child can learn many things.

There are various games for children to play. In return for playing the games, the children receive play money. In turn, they have to make purchases in the Webkinz store to make sure their pet is kept happy and well fed. This teaches children the value of money.

The site contains many things for children to do, including a trivia portion that tests a child’s trivia skills in various categories for ages 5 and up. The site is updated frequently with new things to do.  

I went back to buy one for Kayla for Easter and she loves it. It’s great. We named her hippo Hip E. Yo. And, she loves buying food for him to eat. What an awesome invention. And, the best part is that I only paid about $13 for it (I think).

Find out more about Webkinz at www.webkinz.com.