WEBKINZ aren't the only interactive toys out there.
It happens in books and on television particularly: one success in a certain genre is followed by others in imitation. The Waltons begat almost a dozen family-oriented shows in the early 1970s, only one (Little House on the Prairie) of which succeeded. When Animal House was a big hit, all three networks created series about fraternity houses. And on.
There are of course online worlds that don't come with a stuffed animal, Club Penguin being one. You choose a penguin, give it a name, and then confirm that your child can play there by answering an e-mail. Once inside, you can decorate your penguin's igloo and play games. You can sign up for free, but if you want to continue the account, you must pay a monthly or yearly membership.
Shining Stars, made by Russ, are a type of interactive pet that comes with a stuffed animal like Webkinz. When you buy a Shining Stars stuffed pet, it also comes with a code that allows access to a website. The gimmick with Shining Stars is that when you join you get a star named after you, although of course these star-naming" businesses don't really officially name stars after anyone. On the Shining Stars site you earn "Glow Points" and presumably can play similar games as to Webkinz.
I saw the Shining Stars today while I was out at lunch. They're pretty cute—you can see that they have several animals that resemble their Webkinz versions, like the unicorn and the cow. They also have a dragon, which is kinda cool. They strike me as a little more "cartoony" than Webkinz.
Even the "Bratz" line of dolls are about to start a virtual world called "Be-Bratz."
Last week there was a bit of a flurry on the Webkinz Outsider forum about yet another iteration: Kookeys. According to the promo now on the web, Kookeys live in KooLand and earn KooCash made up of KooCoins. They can live in several different theme neighborhoods, in dwellings ranging from a log cabin to a dollhouse to a mansion, shop and play games on Main Street, hang out at the lake, or even go to KooKollege.
The reception on the Forum was pretty much in the negative, most seeing it as a rip-off of Webkinz. No, it's just a fact of life in marketing land.
I thought the graphics looked interesting if a bit cartoony myself. However, although the promo site exists, not a hint of what the actual stuffed animals might look like exists in virtual space. If the animated critters who are on the promo site are any indication, it looks as if the stuffed Kookeys will be a bit cartoony as well, but no way to know until they're unveiled.
But that name...Kookeys. Sheesh. I wouldn't have found it at all appealing when I was a kid.
Have Katie Roo and Kenny Roo (and Mayor Moose) introduce you to Kookeys.
Monkey See, Monkey Do
