Webchild
Her name is Crystal.
When we enter her room, she smiles and a large red heart hovers over her sweet shaggy brown head. “I missed you!” she says with a squeak (via overhead bubble). It fades and we are left to earn money for her. We want her to have everything – a comfy bed, a dining room hutch, a pink refrigerator stuffed with ice cream cones and salads, and enough shoes for each of her four hooves.
Unlike my children, Crystal has a colorful meter which indicates how happy, healthy, and hungry she is at any given moment. It would be handy to see if my four-year-old’s hunger meter is truly at a 35 or he’s just being cantankerous because Yo Gabba Gabba was a re-run and his sweater is itchy.
For those not in the know, Crystal is a Webkinz stuffed animal that is all the rage with elementary school kids. Each animal comes with a secret code that is entered at webkinz.com, where the animal appears cutely animated. It has a room, which you furnish. The child can buy more empty rooms with points accumulated doing solidly academic quizzes, playing goofy games, or getting a job at the employment office. The animal must be fed, bathed, and otherwise entertained. Animals can visit each other in the clubhouse, as well. It is a chat room with pre-written questions, answers, and phrases ensuring no personal information can be shared with the creeps of our world.
Crystal is generally happy. She is healthy, as long as naps and bottles of vitamins are provided. But she gets hungry all the time. “I think she needs oranges and hot dogs.” my daughter notes. Even in Webkinz World, citrus is apparently affected by disastrous growing seasons. One orange is five bucks! Hi-ho, hi-ho, it’s off to earn pixels of cutely stylized and imaginary sustenance we go. What Crystal wants, Crystal gets. A few days ago, Crystal got a roommate named Julia. She is a pinto horse who loves cookies and riding her bike, according to her bio. Now we must work harder than ever to support our virtual pals.
Sometimes I wonder what I’ve done. I reason that the Webkinz experience is teaching my daughter how to earn and budget money. There is no credit in this world. She’d love to shower her horses with ballerina slipper-shaped bathtubs and princess hats -but sometimes the money has to go for food and vitamins and a working toilet. The boring stuff. I feel the same way sometimes.
Eventually, interest in Crystal and Julia’s well-being will fade. They aren’t real, and although the red hearts and professions of love and friendship are charming and cute, they will never replace what is real and here and now and in each others warm arms. Hopefully, the lessons learned about money and sacrifice will stick with my daughter for a lifetime. There is no meter to measure that.
For now, my husband just makes idle threats to my three-year-old daughter that he will take money out of her piggy bank for everything she breaks.
Too bad she doesn’t have a piggy bank yet.
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Webkinz has done what Neopets should have done 5 years ago. Littllest Pet Shop, Mini Me’s personal fav, has their own version now, too. I continue to be amazed at how computer savvy my kids have become with the help of interactive webgames like these.
If I can’t have a real dog there is no way I’m giving my kids a virtual one… Yeah, I’m selfish like that. =)
Both my boys got one of these for Christmas – and really I was scared to even open up the can of worms in what is involved with them. I thought they were still a tad bit too young. I hear they are all the rage, but really – I had no idea!
I’ve only recently come off a Cash Cow 2 addiction. (Replaced by a Wii tennis obsession.) I did ask for a Webkinz dog for my 40th bday – a CHOCOLATE lab of course. My kids are amazed at how much money I have – because I don’t spend it on anything except food for 4D.
All the kiddos have a few Webkinz. As with any hobby, it’s up to the parents to monitor them. I do like that Webkinz has made Webkinz World a pretty safe place for kiddos.
I wonder if a Webkinz would help my soon to be three year old understand a bit about money and spending it…His latest expression is, “We should buy one of those next time” or “We should buy thaaaat”. I too wish we didn’t have to spend so much on the “boring stuff” but what fun would life be if we could have everything our hearts ever desired the minute we desired it? I agree – the important stuff is “the real and here and now and in each others warm arms” stuff. Thanks for sharing this post…
My 8 year-old and 5 year-old love their Webkinz.
I love the fact that they have to barter computer time from me. *grin* Me, “Sure, you can get on momma’s computer, as soon as your room is clean/you take out the recycling/play with your baby sister for 10 mins….”
Each of my boys got a Webkinz for Christmas. Pongo (our Dalmatian) and Red (our Arabian) seem to be happy and healthy so far. We work on saving and budgeting with their real money also, but I do think it is helpful for them to realize that they can’t have whatever they want when they want it. That money must be earned before it can be spent.
I have to admit, I think it’s fun, too, so I sometimes log on as them to earn money for their pets! Maybe I should ask for a Webkinz for my birthday?