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Beanie Babies of the online era

DAWN CALLEJA

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 3:08 AM EDT 12/04/07

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  1. shmeety shmeets from Canada writes: Good lord. Not again!!
  2. M. Sands from Canada writes: This doeasn't seem like such a novel idea - even my kids don't think so! Yes, it's a smart one, but surely it's not groundbreaking.
  3. Chico Dedick from Delta, writes: Another collectable, here we go again!
  4. D. McGill from Canada writes: When we first encountered Webkinz, we were thrilled. A safe place where our child could play without fear. Less than 8 months after the purchase of the first Webkinz....we are starting to see the dark underbelly of popularity and greed. Recently we went to one of our favorite retailers of Webkinz and were told that they were being held hostage by Ganz. If the retailer did not purchase other Ganz items, Ganz would withhold any further shippments of Webkinz. Our collective jaws dropped. After checking into several other retailers in our city, we found that they were issued the same ultimatum. Being a curious person, I checked the Ganz website for other offerings, I was surprised to find that almost all of the plush toys looked very much like the existing Webkinz collection. For Easter our child received a Lil Kinz Pig from the Webkiz collection. She noticed a heart on the Ganz tag, and with the honesty that can only come from a seven year old child said " Ganz loves? I think not!" When I asked her why she said that, she responded with this " Ganz is bullying stores, and that's not right". Yes, Webkinz are a great product, when the website works (to credit Ganz, it has become moderately better). However, when Webkinz world talks about the cheating that seems to happen on the site, and how sad it makes them the corporate folks SHOULD be looking to themselves and asking if bullying (as defined by most reasonable folks) is a virtue that is promoted in Webkinz world and by it's creators. The greed of the new retailers is astonishing, raising the prices on Webkinz, when the price point is one of it's best features for parents. All the retailers that supported Ganz while Webkinz was not the new "it" thing, are now being punished. I have a suggestion for Ganz.... Don't bite the hand that feeds you, because you can fall just as quickly as you rise.
  5. Linda merk from United States writes: As D. McGill says it is popularity and greed. Yes, but not from the company as much as from the consumers. Greed is a horrid thing. While waiting with several others for a store to receive their webkinz into inventory a man walked in with several older children, all with hundreds of dollars and credit cards each. The store had only received a dozen and a half of the dalmation variety amongst others, and having no order to the crowd that had built it was a free for all. He pushed his way through and grabbed them all. Two of every kind was what they were allowing and that is what he got. I heard he was going to sell them at the flea market. So who is greedy?
  6. Daniel Chun from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, Canada writes: Being in the toy business as a store owner and a toy product manager/designer, i think the idea is not bad, certainly not unheard of, There were a company who had a robot and had online access and it went under. This category also had its shortcomings - where is the social apsect of it ? Toys needs to break away from the need for internet or access to computer consoles. Good old pretend play or group play is needed. G&M also reported on a good selling toy - the LEGO NXT, this one also have the need for computer for their programming part - at least the company sponsored FIRST LEGO LEAGUE and its educational and team play value is HIGH HIGH HIGH. Where are the good old play toys ? or is the toy industry all becoming a subsegment of the Internet Play or Bubble ? We will see..

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