- Operation Gumball is an Arcade game that can get a Trophy, it's not retired, like Jellybean Challenge, and came out in 2005. Retrieved from ' '.
- You get trophies in Candy Bash, Cash Cow, Bounce and Burst, Operation Gumball and lots more games! Look at the instructions to find out more. There was a trophy in Webkinz Zingoz before but.
Webkinz are toy stuffed animals that were originally released by the Ganz company on April 29, 2005. The toys are similar to many other small plush toys, however, each Webkinz toy has an attached tag with a unique 'Secret Code' printed on it that allows access to the 'Webkinz World' website. Also on the table was a small gumball machine (dollar store) filled with gumballs and a sheet of paper that had a picture of a gumball machine on the top left corner and said - Operation Gumball - in the middle. On the right side was the Webkinz logo with the saying - Come in and Play (I copied it from the log on page of the website). Oct 05, 2007 I do not want to play “Operation Gumball” just so her virtual puppy can have a pink tutu and a skateboard. Webkinz are a serendipitous combination of Beanie Babies plus Tamagotchi plus video.
Lisa Davis ![Webkinz operation gumball Webkinz operation gumball](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zYH5Em7mqys/SCHj-hcdqkI/AAAAAAAAC1w/EpZLRUHMKyY/s400/potato.jpeg)
FORT WORTH, Texas — My daughter’s ninth birthday is in three days.
FORT WORTH, Texas — My daughter’s ninth birthday is in three days.
Please, please, please, do not let her get a Webkinz.
I’ve heard the horror stories about the cute little stuffed animals, which live a luxurious alternate lifestyle in their own online world.
The moms who had to sign in to Webkinz World every day while the kids were off at summer camp, feeding and playing with their children’s virtual pets so they wouldn’t get sick and have to go to the virtual doctor.
The daughter who left the dinner table to go to an online birthday party for a friend’s Webkinz.
The parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters who have been conned and cajoled into playing Webkinz computer games, to earn more KinzCash, to buy more stuff for virtual pets.
You see, it’s not enough just to give a Webkinz a pat on the head and a virtual doggie treat. Taking care of a Webkinz, or any other of this new breed of interactive toy, involves a lot of shopping and spending, on everything from clothes to toys to home furnishings.
Please, please, please, do not let my daughter get a Webkinz.
I do not want to play “Operation Gumball” just so her virtual puppy can have a pink tutu and a skateboard.
Please, please, please, do not let her get a Webkinz.
I’ve heard the horror stories about the cute little stuffed animals, which live a luxurious alternate lifestyle in their own online world.
The moms who had to sign in to Webkinz World every day while the kids were off at summer camp, feeding and playing with their children’s virtual pets so they wouldn’t get sick and have to go to the virtual doctor.
The daughter who left the dinner table to go to an online birthday party for a friend’s Webkinz.
The parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters who have been conned and cajoled into playing Webkinz computer games, to earn more KinzCash, to buy more stuff for virtual pets.
You see, it’s not enough just to give a Webkinz a pat on the head and a virtual doggie treat. Taking care of a Webkinz, or any other of this new breed of interactive toy, involves a lot of shopping and spending, on everything from clothes to toys to home furnishings.
Please, please, please, do not let my daughter get a Webkinz.
I do not want to play “Operation Gumball” just so her virtual puppy can have a pink tutu and a skateboard.
Webkinz are a serendipitous combination of Beanie Babies plus Tamagotchi plus video games plus social networking, and that’s made them the hottest — and most imitated — toy of the past couple of years.
Each Webkinz comes with a secret code that enables access to the Web site, along with $2,000 in KinzCash. To earn more KinzCash, kids can play games online, or work at virtual jobs or — often the easiest solution — buy more Webkinz out here in the real world.
All sorts of stuffed animals come with their own “online playgrounds” — Shining Stars, Kookeys, My E-Pets, to name a few. There are even plans for Tracksters, a line of die-cast cars that could race online.
Barbie and Bratz have just introduced interactive dolls aimed at slightly older girls, with more emphasis on fashion, makeovers and social networking. The Barbie Girls doll is actually an MP3 player, and the Be-Bratz doll comes with an optional bright pink webcam.
The theme common to virtually all of these toys is shopping. Whatever the currency of choice — Webkinz’ KinzCash; Shining Stars’ Glow Points; Barbie’s B-Bucks — it’s all about acquisition.
We’re Americans, after all, and the youngest entrants into our consumer culture must be trained to buy stuff.
But these online playgrounds are also training grounds for life in the digital world. Grown-ups play “The Sims” and “Second Life” (when you can unhook us from our e-mail and our BlackBerries). High school and college kids have MySpace and Facebook and “Halo 3”.
For tweens, there are Disney.com and Nicktropolis.
And now the marketers have taken aim at kids 8 and younger, enticing them into the world of social networking with stuffed kitties and bears.
Each Webkinz comes with a secret code that enables access to the Web site, along with $2,000 in KinzCash. To earn more KinzCash, kids can play games online, or work at virtual jobs or — often the easiest solution — buy more Webkinz out here in the real world.
All sorts of stuffed animals come with their own “online playgrounds” — Shining Stars, Kookeys, My E-Pets, to name a few. There are even plans for Tracksters, a line of die-cast cars that could race online.
Barbie and Bratz have just introduced interactive dolls aimed at slightly older girls, with more emphasis on fashion, makeovers and social networking. The Barbie Girls doll is actually an MP3 player, and the Be-Bratz doll comes with an optional bright pink webcam.
The theme common to virtually all of these toys is shopping. Whatever the currency of choice — Webkinz’ KinzCash; Shining Stars’ Glow Points; Barbie’s B-Bucks — it’s all about acquisition.
We’re Americans, after all, and the youngest entrants into our consumer culture must be trained to buy stuff.
But these online playgrounds are also training grounds for life in the digital world. Grown-ups play “The Sims” and “Second Life” (when you can unhook us from our e-mail and our BlackBerries). High school and college kids have MySpace and Facebook and “Halo 3”.
For tweens, there are Disney.com and Nicktropolis.
And now the marketers have taken aim at kids 8 and younger, enticing them into the world of social networking with stuffed kitties and bears.
Online playgrounds for kids have become such big business that Disney just bought Club Penguin, an online world aimed at kids ages 6-14, in a deal worth up to $700 million.
Club Penguin doesn’t even come with stuffed penguins.
Online playgrounds make money in different ways; toy sales are only part of it. Some sites, like Club Penguin, charge subscriptions. Others, like Neopets, sell advertising, sometimes embedding it in the games.
“Our poor kids, they have targets on their backs. They’re the subject of branding from the moment they can turn on a commercial television station,” says Liz Perle, editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews media from a parental perspective. “Companies have learned the earlier you get to them, the more you can influence their brand loyalty later on. Kids trust what they see.”
Perle recommends that children younger than 8 not be allowed to play on such sites, because they don’t understand delayed gratification, or the difference between truth and advertising.
Beyond the KinzCash, Perle points out, there are very real expenses connected with such a lifestyle. “Kids are getting iPods and cellphones. It’s not just the hardware that costs money. You have to load it up with iTunes. You have to pay for a phone plan. You can’t play on Webkinz without an ISP provider, and that’s $40 a month,” she says. “The care and feeding of these technologies adds up.”
Club Penguin doesn’t even come with stuffed penguins.
Online playgrounds make money in different ways; toy sales are only part of it. Some sites, like Club Penguin, charge subscriptions. Others, like Neopets, sell advertising, sometimes embedding it in the games.
“Our poor kids, they have targets on their backs. They’re the subject of branding from the moment they can turn on a commercial television station,” says Liz Perle, editor-in-chief of Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that reviews media from a parental perspective. “Companies have learned the earlier you get to them, the more you can influence their brand loyalty later on. Kids trust what they see.”
Perle recommends that children younger than 8 not be allowed to play on such sites, because they don’t understand delayed gratification, or the difference between truth and advertising.
Beyond the KinzCash, Perle points out, there are very real expenses connected with such a lifestyle. “Kids are getting iPods and cellphones. It’s not just the hardware that costs money. You have to load it up with iTunes. You have to pay for a phone plan. You can’t play on Webkinz without an ISP provider, and that’s $40 a month,” she says. “The care and feeding of these technologies adds up.”
It’s not just the spending mentality that’s worrisome to parents. It’s also the amount of time kids spend plopped in front of the computer. “You have 24 hours in a day. How much of that do you want spent in front of a screen?” Perle asks. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a computer screen or a TV screen. It’s a screen. The body ain’t moving. Social interaction ain’t happening — not in the way you can see facial expressions, hear tones of voice, touch them or hold them — all the cues we’ve spent millions of years evolving to give us full, 360-degree communication.”
Privacy and online predators are less of a worry at sites for young kids. Webkinz World is no Facebook, after all. Any interaction between users is heavily monitored and highly restricted. There is no open, uncensored chatting.
There are playground bullies, though. Some kids cheat to get extra KinzCash. Cyberbullies spread nasty rumors about how Shining Stars can kill your Webkinz.
Parents need to watchdog the computer just like we do the TV. You know the drill: limit computer time; get homework and chores done first; monitor what your kids are playing; play with them to make it more social; keep the computer in a family room, not bedrooms.
“Help your children navigate through this cyber world the same way you help them navigate through the 3-D one.” Perle says. “Just as you’re involved in school, in teaching your kids to drive, in teaching them right from wrong — this is one more thing added to the parental plate. Because we didn’t grow up with it, it’s harder to teach it,” she says.
“But you have to be involved in your child’s online life, since this is going to be their world, so much more than ours.”
So what is to become of this generation of kids, coming of age with IM, MySpace, video games and virtual worlds?
The MacArthur Foundation, better known for its genius grants, has just launched a five-year, $50 million program to study how digital technology is changing the way our children think, learn, play, make judgments and relate to others — and what this means for families, schools and society. For starters, the foundation’s digital media and learning project (www.digitallearning.macfound.org) is studying the idea that video games can be true learning tools.
Professor Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, worries that the fast pace of our tech life is robbing our children of the chance to learn to be quiet, reflective and patient. She also worries about what it means when we develop intimate relationships with machines, instead of people, and about how virtual pets can change our opinion of reality.
Turkle is fond of telling the story of the day she took her 14-year-old daughter to see an exhibit on Charles Darwin at the American Museum of Natural History. On display at the entrance were two Galapagos tortoises, which, being typical tortoises, didn’t move. Her daughter mused that they could have just used robots, instead. The other children in line agreed. They weren’t particularly interested in authenticity.
And kids themselves perhaps have a better grasp on all this than we give them credit for.
Rachel Dancer, 8, of Arlington, Texas, has three Webkinz, all puppies: a pug named Puggles, a lab named Blackie and a cocker spaniel named Fuzzy. “Blackie is my favorite because she is so soft,” Rachel says. Rachel can’t pet Blackie online.
Rachel enjoys the online component; she spends more time playing with her virtual Webkinz than with the real toys. Sometimes, she plays games online with her cousin, Sarah. (A side benefit: “The kids actually talk on the phone and keep in touch better now because of Webkinz,” says Rachel’s mom, Susan Dancer.)
But as much as Rachel likes her Webkinz, she’s well aware of the differences between real world and virtual, and she prefers the real world version.
“My dog Waggles can snuggle with me and play with me,” she says. “These can’t.”
Privacy and online predators are less of a worry at sites for young kids. Webkinz World is no Facebook, after all. Any interaction between users is heavily monitored and highly restricted. There is no open, uncensored chatting.
There are playground bullies, though. Some kids cheat to get extra KinzCash. Cyberbullies spread nasty rumors about how Shining Stars can kill your Webkinz.
Parents need to watchdog the computer just like we do the TV. You know the drill: limit computer time; get homework and chores done first; monitor what your kids are playing; play with them to make it more social; keep the computer in a family room, not bedrooms.
“Help your children navigate through this cyber world the same way you help them navigate through the 3-D one.” Perle says. “Just as you’re involved in school, in teaching your kids to drive, in teaching them right from wrong — this is one more thing added to the parental plate. Because we didn’t grow up with it, it’s harder to teach it,” she says.
“But you have to be involved in your child’s online life, since this is going to be their world, so much more than ours.”
So what is to become of this generation of kids, coming of age with IM, MySpace, video games and virtual worlds?
The MacArthur Foundation, better known for its genius grants, has just launched a five-year, $50 million program to study how digital technology is changing the way our children think, learn, play, make judgments and relate to others — and what this means for families, schools and society. For starters, the foundation’s digital media and learning project (www.digitallearning.macfound.org) is studying the idea that video games can be true learning tools.
Professor Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, worries that the fast pace of our tech life is robbing our children of the chance to learn to be quiet, reflective and patient. She also worries about what it means when we develop intimate relationships with machines, instead of people, and about how virtual pets can change our opinion of reality.
Turkle is fond of telling the story of the day she took her 14-year-old daughter to see an exhibit on Charles Darwin at the American Museum of Natural History. On display at the entrance were two Galapagos tortoises, which, being typical tortoises, didn’t move. Her daughter mused that they could have just used robots, instead. The other children in line agreed. They weren’t particularly interested in authenticity.
And kids themselves perhaps have a better grasp on all this than we give them credit for.
Rachel Dancer, 8, of Arlington, Texas, has three Webkinz, all puppies: a pug named Puggles, a lab named Blackie and a cocker spaniel named Fuzzy. “Blackie is my favorite because she is so soft,” Rachel says. Rachel can’t pet Blackie online.
Rachel enjoys the online component; she spends more time playing with her virtual Webkinz than with the real toys. Sometimes, she plays games online with her cousin, Sarah. (A side benefit: “The kids actually talk on the phone and keep in touch better now because of Webkinz,” says Rachel’s mom, Susan Dancer.)
But as much as Rachel likes her Webkinz, she’s well aware of the differences between real world and virtual, and she prefers the real world version.
“My dog Waggles can snuggle with me and play with me,” she says. “These can’t.”
A SAMPLING OF INTERACTIVE TOYS
Webkinz
There are about 50 Webkinz animals in circulation, from puppies and kitties to hippos and monkeys (around $12), as well as 30 or so smaller Lil’Kinz (around $10). Like Beanie Babies, old animals are retired, and new ones are released every month. Notable upcoming releases include a black cat for Halloween, a reindeer for Christmas and a “Love Frog” for Valentine’s Day. This summer saw the arrival of Webkinz trading cards and Webkinz charms, with their own sets of special secret codes. This fall sees the debut of Webkinz clothing and little-girl makeup. www.webkinz.com
Barbie Girls
MP3 music players designed to look like Barbies, with spare parts to change hair and clothes. The Web site, which features chatting and lots of shopping (with “B Bucks”), is still in Beta test mode. It’s accessible without buying a toy, but the toy opens up special features. $79.95. www.barbiegirls.com
Be-Bratz
Dolls wearing more makeup than clothes — these are Bratz, after all — come with crystal-studded USB drives that double as necklaces. Plug the drive into your computer to activate your online Bratz, make a MyPage, go shopping, get a makeover and chat with friends. Starting next month, stores will have gift cards worth extra points, for buying more virtual stuff. $29.99; not compatible with Mac or Vista. www.Be-Bratz.com
Shining Stars
A lot like Webkinz, but not nearly as popular. When you activate your pet, you get to name a real star (although it won’t be recognized by the scientific community). A portion of the $15 retail price goes to the Starlight Starbright children’s charity. www.shiningstars.com
Neopets
Geared to older kids, Neopets was an online playground first, toys second. (The merchandising really kicked up after MTV bought the site a couple of years ago.) Neopets look like genetically modified critters — Aisha the cat has a long antenna, Gelert the doggy thing has enormously elongated ears, JubJub looks like a tribble with big eyes. Stuffed toy “plushies,” with secret codes that unlock special prizes online, are $7-$13. www.neopets.com
Ty Girlz
From the folks who brought you Beanie Babies all those years ago, these are aimed at the older Barbie/Bratz crowd. The soft dolls have names like Cute Candy, Punky Penny and Sizzlin’ Sue. $12.99. www.tygirlz.com
Bella Sara
The most imaginative and parent-pleasing of the toys on this list, Bella Sara starts as a set of trading cards, a la Pokemon. Designed by a Danish social worker to help young girls express their feelings, the cards feature horses, real and mythical. Enter each horse’s code online, and it comes to life in a stable where it needs to be fed, watered and groomed. But whoa! You don’t have to buy the apples, or the curry combs or anything. There’s no shopping involved. Instead, play games to earn trophies to display in your horses’ stalls. A pack of five cards is $1.99. www.bellasara.com
Swypeout Battle Racing
Trading cards that feature race cars and customizable parts, some for looking cool (rad rims, condor wings, screaming pipes), some for battle (flash mines, ice blasters, stink bombs). Online, you can race your customized cars against other kids’. To register, cards must be swiped through a special USB scanner. A starter kit, with the USB scanner and five cards, is $19.99. Additional packs of six cards are $7.99. www.swypeout.com
Webkinz
There are about 50 Webkinz animals in circulation, from puppies and kitties to hippos and monkeys (around $12), as well as 30 or so smaller Lil’Kinz (around $10). Like Beanie Babies, old animals are retired, and new ones are released every month. Notable upcoming releases include a black cat for Halloween, a reindeer for Christmas and a “Love Frog” for Valentine’s Day. This summer saw the arrival of Webkinz trading cards and Webkinz charms, with their own sets of special secret codes. This fall sees the debut of Webkinz clothing and little-girl makeup. www.webkinz.com
Barbie Girls
MP3 music players designed to look like Barbies, with spare parts to change hair and clothes. The Web site, which features chatting and lots of shopping (with “B Bucks”), is still in Beta test mode. It’s accessible without buying a toy, but the toy opens up special features. $79.95. www.barbiegirls.com
Be-Bratz
Dolls wearing more makeup than clothes — these are Bratz, after all — come with crystal-studded USB drives that double as necklaces. Plug the drive into your computer to activate your online Bratz, make a MyPage, go shopping, get a makeover and chat with friends. Starting next month, stores will have gift cards worth extra points, for buying more virtual stuff. $29.99; not compatible with Mac or Vista. www.Be-Bratz.com
Shining Stars
A lot like Webkinz, but not nearly as popular. When you activate your pet, you get to name a real star (although it won’t be recognized by the scientific community). A portion of the $15 retail price goes to the Starlight Starbright children’s charity. www.shiningstars.com
Neopets
Geared to older kids, Neopets was an online playground first, toys second. (The merchandising really kicked up after MTV bought the site a couple of years ago.) Neopets look like genetically modified critters — Aisha the cat has a long antenna, Gelert the doggy thing has enormously elongated ears, JubJub looks like a tribble with big eyes. Stuffed toy “plushies,” with secret codes that unlock special prizes online, are $7-$13. www.neopets.com
Ty Girlz
From the folks who brought you Beanie Babies all those years ago, these are aimed at the older Barbie/Bratz crowd. The soft dolls have names like Cute Candy, Punky Penny and Sizzlin’ Sue. $12.99. www.tygirlz.com
Bella Sara
The most imaginative and parent-pleasing of the toys on this list, Bella Sara starts as a set of trading cards, a la Pokemon. Designed by a Danish social worker to help young girls express their feelings, the cards feature horses, real and mythical. Enter each horse’s code online, and it comes to life in a stable where it needs to be fed, watered and groomed. But whoa! You don’t have to buy the apples, or the curry combs or anything. There’s no shopping involved. Instead, play games to earn trophies to display in your horses’ stalls. A pack of five cards is $1.99. www.bellasara.com
Swypeout Battle Racing
Trading cards that feature race cars and customizable parts, some for looking cool (rad rims, condor wings, screaming pipes), some for battle (flash mines, ice blasters, stink bombs). Online, you can race your customized cars against other kids’. To register, cards must be swiped through a special USB scanner. A starter kit, with the USB scanner and five cards, is $19.99. Additional packs of six cards are $7.99. www.swypeout.com
Webkinz Operation Gumball
For my son, Tyler's, 4th birthday I had been planning a Winter Wonderland party for months in advance. My in-laws graciously gave permission to hold his party at their cottage on a lake an hour and a half north of our home. We had planned to sled and ice-skate. I had already purchased all of the party ware and decorations and had found directions to make a snowman pinata. We had planned all the theme related foods we were going to serve and my son had picked out his cake.
The day after I mailed out the invitations, my husband came home from work and told me that he had been encouraged by his boss to attend a social/work event the evening of the party. After a half-hour of going over our calendar and realizing there was no way to change the party to the weekends before or after, my almost 4-yr. old asked me for the third time that day if he could play on the Webkinz website. I asked him what he thought about having a Webkinz party at our house instead of a snow party, his face lit-up and I was saved!!!
INVITATIONS: I had sent adorable little invitations that showed children sledding down a hill with little cottages and trees in the background. It was perfect for our original party. Unfortunately, I had to call everyone and tell them that the invitation they had just received was now being changed to a Webkinz party at our house. Luckily, they were all very understanding.
DECORATIONS: For anyone who is unfamiliar with Webkinz, they are a stuffed animal line by Ganz. They come with a code that the child can use to start an account with their website. When the child plays with their pet on the website, the help it stay happy, healthy and loved. They can also play games and earn Kinzcash to buy things/food for their pet. Three of my five kids are VERY into Webkinz and I am embarrased to admit that, between the three of them, they have 41 Webkinz stuffed animals. We used them as our main decorations. On our foyer table, we placed a large basket filled with ten different Webkinz and tied red, yellow and blue balloons to the handle. Also on the table was a small gumball machine (dollar store) filled with gumballs and a sheet of paper that had a picture of a gumball machine on the top left corner and said - Operation Gumball - in the middle. On the right side was the Webkinz logo with the saying - Come in and Play (I copied it from the log on page of the website).
It had lines below for everyone to write their name and guess. I sprinkled three types of multicolored confetti (Happy Birthday, balloons and cake with four candles) all over the table. I used the game table in our living room for a gift table and placed red, green and yellow balloons attached to a blue balloon weight along with a chihuahua Webkinz in the center of it and more confetti. In our dining room we hung crepe paper streamers from the chandelier to the walls forming a canopy. I used two alternating streamers, one was solid blue and the other had giraffe, lion, ducky, bear, bunny, and cat faces on it (dollar store).
On one wall we hung a banner that said HAPPY BITHDAY and had monkeys, dogs, giraffes, cats and spiders on it. I placed a solid blue (Tyler's favorite color) tablecloth on the dining room table. I placed seven more Webkinz in a basket that we wrapped with a multi-colored star foil wire garland in the center of the table. We used our snack bar in the kitchen to serve lunch from and I placed blue plates and napkins there and a blue rhino Webkinz. I made three different posters using blue poster board. I hung one sign on the door to our basement (the Arcade) that said in different colors - Today in Webkinz World! Jan. 31, 2009 Today's Events: Head to the Pizza Palace!
Make sure to get your Smoothie Moves! (Strawberry-Banana or Tropical Colada) Did you remember to make your Operation Gumball guess? At the Arcade: Search for precious gems in the Gem Hunt! Play Zingoz Pop, our Game of the Day! Take a spin on the Wheel of WOW! Chef Gazpacho's Hot Potato! Get to the W Store for today's specials! Win fabulous candy at Candy Bash! Give the Birthday Boy a Gift! Eat some Cake with your special Webkinz friends!. Another sign said - W STORE - with 4 inch letters made from different colored paper and I attached blue and yellow balloons on the top corners. I hung this from the end of the snack bar in our finished basement. I also made a poster that listed all of the items for sale and their cost for the W Store. We placed Webkinz around the house on shelves, tables, the piano and even in the bathrooms. The party started at noon so we began with lunch.
FOOD: Fortunately, I had three Webkinz experts to guide me. Tyler wanted pizza for lunch and his brother told me that was the perfect choice. We served ham cheese, pepperoni, sausage and mushroom pizzas and breadsticks with sauce. My ll year old also told me that we had to serve smoothies for drinks because that was a very popular Webkinz drink. I was going to make my own but then I discovered that V8 sells fruit smoothie drinks that were cheaper than from scratch! We set up a bar area for smoothies (strawberry-banana and tropical colada) and soft drinks with blue cups and, of course, more Webkinz. I even had a pig Webkinz holding a picture of Tyler.
GAMES: We took all of our game ideas from the Webkinz website. I have to admit, I was a little frazzled when I realized I was going to have to come up with a completely new party theme, all of the games and supplies in less than two weeks. We ended up choosing these six games to try to replicate: Operation Gumball, Gem Hunt, Zingoz Pop, Wheel of WOW, Chef Gazpacho's Hot Potato and Candy Bash. Four of the games were played to win Kinzcash and two to win candy. The gumball machine I had placed on the foyer table was the prize for Operation Gumball, the guests just had to guess the correct number of gumballs and whoever came closest won it . The rest of the games were played in our finished basement. When we first went down to play, I had each of the kids pick a wallet to hold their Kinzcash. I made these by cutting colored paper in half and then folding the halves in half again and stapling the ends shut. The kids picked which ever color they wanted and wrote their name on them with colored markers.
Gem Hunt: I hid Easter eggs around the room. I had placed craft plastic gems that we had left over from my daughters' birthday parties in the eggs. We had the kids look in three different age groups (the kids that participated ranged in age from 1 to 20), so that the youngest could find the ones that I left out in plain sight, but the others really had to hunt. I used 15 circle gems worth $1 Kinzcash each, 7 triangle gems worth $2 Kinzcash each, 4 square gems worth $3 Kinzcash each, 3 heart-shaped gems worth $4 Kinzcash each and 1 oval-shaped gem worth $5 Kinzcash. Each kid was allowed to find three eggs and then bring the gems to me. I bought the gems from the kids for the appropriate amount. I found a really great link to some great Kinzcash that I could print from another party on this website at http://zirkel.com/blog/page/2/ (Thanks Leslie!!).
After this we played Zingoz Pop. I rolled up Kinzcash, in $1, $5 or $10 amounts, and slid them into the balloons and then blew them up. The kids had to pop the balloons, but they could not use their hands or heads to do it (we helped the younger kids). Whatever Kinzcash was in their balloon they put into their wallets until it was time to go to the W Store.
The next game was the Wheel of WOW. I used my kids' spinner from their Twister game. I cut a circle out of red paper and cut a slit with a hole punched in the center to slide around the spinner and cover where it says Twister but still show the color dots. I then wrote WOW with some black letter stickers on the red paper and taped it into place. We printed off pictures of four of the Webkinz that Tyler has and taped those over the corners that had left/right, hand/foot on them. It turned out very cute for the little time and no cost it involved. For this game the kids each took one turn spinning the wheel, if they got a yellow dot they won $1 Kinzcash, a red dot $2 Kinzcash, a green dot $3 Kinzcash and a blue dot $4 Kinzcash.
The last game to win Kinzcash was Chef Gazpacho's Hot Potato. We simply used a dalmatian Webkinz and played hot potato. I played a children's cd, when I stopped the music, whoever was holding the Webkinz was out. When a child was out they got $1 Kinzcash, until we got down to the last two. The child who came in second received $5 Kinzcash and the winner won $10 Kinzcash. After this I opened the W Store. I had set it up on the snack bar we have in the basement. I sold packs of Smarties for $1 Kinzcash each, pencils (either with dogs, solid blue or sparkly silver) for $2 Kinzcash each, different types of plastic fruit with candy powder inside for $3 Kinzcash each, gummi junk food (hotdogs, hamburgers and ice cream cones) for $4 Kinzcash each, punch balloons for $5 Kinzcash each, a gummi pizza for $6 Kinzcash and I had one grand prize - a package of Webkinz Trading Cards for $40 Kinzcash. I used small shoe boxes that had stripes or checkes on them to hold the items. The kids were so sweet, after they bought what they wanted; they all donated their left over money to Tyler to buy the Trading Cards because he didn't have enough Kinzcash.
The last game was Candy Bash, which we interpreted to be a pinata. I saved the pinata for after the W Store in case anyone complained about what they could buy. Tyler picked a seahorse pinata (yes, there is actually a seahorse Webkinz!). I gave each of the kids a treat bag that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY all over it and I wrote each of their names on them so that we didn't have any confusion. It was finally time to open gifts and Tyler was thrilled to receive, among other gifts, two more Webkinz!! We followed this with cake and ice cream.
CAKE: I had decided to use Webkinz figures on top of the cake as soon as we had changed themes. I had seen them at one store in my town before Christmas. Unfortunately, they didn't have any when we went in to buy them and I started to panic. I got on the internet as soon as I got home and found a group of three figures (cat, polar bear and pug) on Ebay. The auction was ending in 20 minutes so I bid and I won. I emailed the seller that they were for my son's birthday cake for his party in a few days and she said she would get them in the mail the next morning. Luckily we received them in plenty of time. I placed them on a cake I bought (1/2 off!!!) decorated with white frosting, edged in blue frosting with yellow, red and green frosting balloons on it. We used a rainbow colored #4 candle that matched the rainbow colored W symbol that is on every Webkinz.
I served the cake and ice cream on Zoo Pal plates that look a lot like Webkinz. They included kangaroos, rhinos, foxes, bunnies, rams, gorillas, alligators and moose. I would have loved to have used them for the pizza. Unfortunately, the plates were just too small for lunch plates, but they were perfect for cake and ice cream. Tyler had a great time and it was so much fun watching his siblings and cousins playing all of the games. The party was a big hit and he is already looking forward to his skating/sledding party for his 5th birthday (hopefully!!).
The day after I mailed out the invitations, my husband came home from work and told me that he had been encouraged by his boss to attend a social/work event the evening of the party. After a half-hour of going over our calendar and realizing there was no way to change the party to the weekends before or after, my almost 4-yr. old asked me for the third time that day if he could play on the Webkinz website. I asked him what he thought about having a Webkinz party at our house instead of a snow party, his face lit-up and I was saved!!!
INVITATIONS: I had sent adorable little invitations that showed children sledding down a hill with little cottages and trees in the background. It was perfect for our original party. Unfortunately, I had to call everyone and tell them that the invitation they had just received was now being changed to a Webkinz party at our house. Luckily, they were all very understanding.
DECORATIONS: For anyone who is unfamiliar with Webkinz, they are a stuffed animal line by Ganz. They come with a code that the child can use to start an account with their website. When the child plays with their pet on the website, the help it stay happy, healthy and loved. They can also play games and earn Kinzcash to buy things/food for their pet. Three of my five kids are VERY into Webkinz and I am embarrased to admit that, between the three of them, they have 41 Webkinz stuffed animals. We used them as our main decorations. On our foyer table, we placed a large basket filled with ten different Webkinz and tied red, yellow and blue balloons to the handle. Also on the table was a small gumball machine (dollar store) filled with gumballs and a sheet of paper that had a picture of a gumball machine on the top left corner and said - Operation Gumball - in the middle. On the right side was the Webkinz logo with the saying - Come in and Play (I copied it from the log on page of the website).
It had lines below for everyone to write their name and guess. I sprinkled three types of multicolored confetti (Happy Birthday, balloons and cake with four candles) all over the table. I used the game table in our living room for a gift table and placed red, green and yellow balloons attached to a blue balloon weight along with a chihuahua Webkinz in the center of it and more confetti. In our dining room we hung crepe paper streamers from the chandelier to the walls forming a canopy. I used two alternating streamers, one was solid blue and the other had giraffe, lion, ducky, bear, bunny, and cat faces on it (dollar store).
On one wall we hung a banner that said HAPPY BITHDAY and had monkeys, dogs, giraffes, cats and spiders on it. I placed a solid blue (Tyler's favorite color) tablecloth on the dining room table. I placed seven more Webkinz in a basket that we wrapped with a multi-colored star foil wire garland in the center of the table. We used our snack bar in the kitchen to serve lunch from and I placed blue plates and napkins there and a blue rhino Webkinz. I made three different posters using blue poster board. I hung one sign on the door to our basement (the Arcade) that said in different colors - Today in Webkinz World! Jan. 31, 2009 Today's Events: Head to the Pizza Palace!
Make sure to get your Smoothie Moves! (Strawberry-Banana or Tropical Colada) Did you remember to make your Operation Gumball guess? At the Arcade: Search for precious gems in the Gem Hunt! Play Zingoz Pop, our Game of the Day! Take a spin on the Wheel of WOW! Chef Gazpacho's Hot Potato! Get to the W Store for today's specials! Win fabulous candy at Candy Bash! Give the Birthday Boy a Gift! Eat some Cake with your special Webkinz friends!. Another sign said - W STORE - with 4 inch letters made from different colored paper and I attached blue and yellow balloons on the top corners. I hung this from the end of the snack bar in our finished basement. I also made a poster that listed all of the items for sale and their cost for the W Store. We placed Webkinz around the house on shelves, tables, the piano and even in the bathrooms. The party started at noon so we began with lunch.
FOOD: Fortunately, I had three Webkinz experts to guide me. Tyler wanted pizza for lunch and his brother told me that was the perfect choice. We served ham cheese, pepperoni, sausage and mushroom pizzas and breadsticks with sauce. My ll year old also told me that we had to serve smoothies for drinks because that was a very popular Webkinz drink. I was going to make my own but then I discovered that V8 sells fruit smoothie drinks that were cheaper than from scratch! We set up a bar area for smoothies (strawberry-banana and tropical colada) and soft drinks with blue cups and, of course, more Webkinz. I even had a pig Webkinz holding a picture of Tyler.
GAMES: We took all of our game ideas from the Webkinz website. I have to admit, I was a little frazzled when I realized I was going to have to come up with a completely new party theme, all of the games and supplies in less than two weeks. We ended up choosing these six games to try to replicate: Operation Gumball, Gem Hunt, Zingoz Pop, Wheel of WOW, Chef Gazpacho's Hot Potato and Candy Bash. Four of the games were played to win Kinzcash and two to win candy. The gumball machine I had placed on the foyer table was the prize for Operation Gumball, the guests just had to guess the correct number of gumballs and whoever came closest won it . The rest of the games were played in our finished basement. When we first went down to play, I had each of the kids pick a wallet to hold their Kinzcash. I made these by cutting colored paper in half and then folding the halves in half again and stapling the ends shut. The kids picked which ever color they wanted and wrote their name on them with colored markers.
Gem Hunt: I hid Easter eggs around the room. I had placed craft plastic gems that we had left over from my daughters' birthday parties in the eggs. We had the kids look in three different age groups (the kids that participated ranged in age from 1 to 20), so that the youngest could find the ones that I left out in plain sight, but the others really had to hunt. I used 15 circle gems worth $1 Kinzcash each, 7 triangle gems worth $2 Kinzcash each, 4 square gems worth $3 Kinzcash each, 3 heart-shaped gems worth $4 Kinzcash each and 1 oval-shaped gem worth $5 Kinzcash. Each kid was allowed to find three eggs and then bring the gems to me. I bought the gems from the kids for the appropriate amount. I found a really great link to some great Kinzcash that I could print from another party on this website at http://zirkel.com/blog/page/2/ (Thanks Leslie!!).
After this we played Zingoz Pop. I rolled up Kinzcash, in $1, $5 or $10 amounts, and slid them into the balloons and then blew them up. The kids had to pop the balloons, but they could not use their hands or heads to do it (we helped the younger kids). Whatever Kinzcash was in their balloon they put into their wallets until it was time to go to the W Store.
The next game was the Wheel of WOW. I used my kids' spinner from their Twister game. I cut a circle out of red paper and cut a slit with a hole punched in the center to slide around the spinner and cover where it says Twister but still show the color dots. I then wrote WOW with some black letter stickers on the red paper and taped it into place. We printed off pictures of four of the Webkinz that Tyler has and taped those over the corners that had left/right, hand/foot on them. It turned out very cute for the little time and no cost it involved. For this game the kids each took one turn spinning the wheel, if they got a yellow dot they won $1 Kinzcash, a red dot $2 Kinzcash, a green dot $3 Kinzcash and a blue dot $4 Kinzcash.
The last game to win Kinzcash was Chef Gazpacho's Hot Potato. We simply used a dalmatian Webkinz and played hot potato. I played a children's cd, when I stopped the music, whoever was holding the Webkinz was out. When a child was out they got $1 Kinzcash, until we got down to the last two. The child who came in second received $5 Kinzcash and the winner won $10 Kinzcash. After this I opened the W Store. I had set it up on the snack bar we have in the basement. I sold packs of Smarties for $1 Kinzcash each, pencils (either with dogs, solid blue or sparkly silver) for $2 Kinzcash each, different types of plastic fruit with candy powder inside for $3 Kinzcash each, gummi junk food (hotdogs, hamburgers and ice cream cones) for $4 Kinzcash each, punch balloons for $5 Kinzcash each, a gummi pizza for $6 Kinzcash and I had one grand prize - a package of Webkinz Trading Cards for $40 Kinzcash. I used small shoe boxes that had stripes or checkes on them to hold the items. The kids were so sweet, after they bought what they wanted; they all donated their left over money to Tyler to buy the Trading Cards because he didn't have enough Kinzcash.
The last game was Candy Bash, which we interpreted to be a pinata. I saved the pinata for after the W Store in case anyone complained about what they could buy. Tyler picked a seahorse pinata (yes, there is actually a seahorse Webkinz!). I gave each of the kids a treat bag that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY all over it and I wrote each of their names on them so that we didn't have any confusion. It was finally time to open gifts and Tyler was thrilled to receive, among other gifts, two more Webkinz!! We followed this with cake and ice cream.
CAKE: I had decided to use Webkinz figures on top of the cake as soon as we had changed themes. I had seen them at one store in my town before Christmas. Unfortunately, they didn't have any when we went in to buy them and I started to panic. I got on the internet as soon as I got home and found a group of three figures (cat, polar bear and pug) on Ebay. The auction was ending in 20 minutes so I bid and I won. I emailed the seller that they were for my son's birthday cake for his party in a few days and she said she would get them in the mail the next morning. Luckily we received them in plenty of time. I placed them on a cake I bought (1/2 off!!!) decorated with white frosting, edged in blue frosting with yellow, red and green frosting balloons on it. We used a rainbow colored #4 candle that matched the rainbow colored W symbol that is on every Webkinz.
I served the cake and ice cream on Zoo Pal plates that look a lot like Webkinz. They included kangaroos, rhinos, foxes, bunnies, rams, gorillas, alligators and moose. I would have loved to have used them for the pizza. Unfortunately, the plates were just too small for lunch plates, but they were perfect for cake and ice cream. Tyler had a great time and it was so much fun watching his siblings and cousins playing all of the games. The party was a big hit and he is already looking forward to his skating/sledding party for his 5th birthday (hopefully!!).