Many companies are making creative efforts to attract the interests of children. A study shows that the majority of children born after 1990 spend most of their time indoors. In order to get social networking to move away from computers and enter the corporeal world can be a pretty unnerving experience. Ganz has manufactured these plush toys which aim to target elementary-level children into the world of Web 2.0 in a cute and non-invasive manner. Known as the Webkinz, these stuffed animals exist in both the real and virtual world, where the latter is shown as an avatar that is capable of interacting with others in an online community. Just like Beanie Babies, the Webkinz are up for grabs only for a limited amount of time before being retired, in order to make them more desirable. A quick check with eBay show that the retired Webkinz Cheeky Pet Dog and Cat are at a whopping starting bid of $3,000. In order not to miss out on this craze, the Love Puppy retails for a mere $99. They’re apparently pretty hot stuff at events where kids get together, such as Easter celebrations, church functions, and birthday parties.
