Virtual Pets

My grand children got me curious about virtual pets. Reminiscent of the Beanie Babies of a few years ago, young kids are creating and adopting virtual pets online.



Leading the pack are Webkinz. Webkinz combine both real and virtual pets. These fuzzy fun creatures of different sizes come with a secret code which allows the child to access the Webkinz World where they take care of their pets, play virtual games online, and earn virtual cash to spend in the community. Created by Ganz Gift Co. in 2005, Webkinz took off like a storm and now, it is in just about every child's Christmas list. A new line of pets is introduced almost monthly, the latest include plastic pets. The collection also includes a pet clothing line and food such as waffles.





Kookeys ( not to be confused with Kookys) another virtual pet line created by Iovox Entertainment invites children to buy plush and virtual pets online. The website includes the story of Koo Land, a magical place founded by Sylvester Von Koo and Mackey Moose, where all animals live in perfect harmony.





Sims 2: Pets created for PC, Game Cube and Play Station 2 joins the virtual community of Sims where virtual people live with their virtual families and friends. Children can create pets of different breeds and looks. The pets can then interact with the family, and be trained on proper pet behaviors. Children can also adopt virtual pets either from the animal shelter or as a gift from family or friend. Pets can grow up to have defined jobs such as being a guard dog or a show dog. This is a fun interactive virtual game for both adults and children.