Ads on Webkinz draw criticism
Peggy O'Crowley
New Jersey Star-Ledger
December 17, 2007
Early on, the wildly popular virtual pet Web
site Webkinz got the stamp of approval from many parents
who took comfort in its being free of advertising.
No longer. Within the last couple of months, the toy
manufacturer has begun promoting children's movies on
the site, prompting dismay among some parents, who must
already buy real stuffed animals before their children
can register online.
"We're hoping they will pull the ads, but it looks like
they are planning to have more advertising," said Susan
Linn, the director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free
Childhood and a Harvard psychologist.
The advocacy group launched a letter-writing campaign
asking Ganz, the manufacturer and producer of the
Webkinz animals and the site, to withdraw the movie
promos.
So far, two ads have promoted the DreamWorks' film "Bee
Movie" last month and Fox's "Alvin and the Chipmunks,"
which opened Friday. On the site, children use a code
from their stuffed animal to register to create a
virtual version of their pet. They can play games, such
as Bingo, and earn virtual money, called "KinzCash," to
buy their pet furniture, clothing and ac cessories. The
virtual "products" include a "Bee Movie" costume for a
pet or a piece of clothing worn by one of the chipmunks
in the movie.
Ganz has not scheduled any more third-party ads,
although the company has not ruled out adver tising in
the future, company spokeswoman Susan McVeigh said in a
statement Thursday.
A major marketing success, the company has sold untold
numbers of the cuddly Webkinz animals. Earlier this
year, demand had soared, causing shortages. Retail
prices for Webkinz range from $8.95 to $15.95. As a
private company, Ganz does not publish sales figures.
Parent grumbling about the ads first showed up on blogs
like www.webkinzmoms.com in October, when the "Bee
Movie" ads were posted. Some worried that the ads
represented a fast track for future advertising, and
others complained that the company was making enough
money from the stuffed animals.
McVeigh said that any future advertising "would have to
pass our standards for quality, family- friendly
products -- we would not allow junk food, products that
are violent or brands and/or products that are not age
appropriate."
The company must approve all advertising and does not
allow linking off the Webkinz site, she said. The site
would also retain the "ad vertisements" they currently
run promoting healthy habits such as eating vegetables,
she added.
Two other similar virtual animal sites, Shining Stars
and Penguin Club, do not currently allow third- party
advertising on their sites, according to spokespersons.
Retailers said that so far, most parents don't seem
aware of the ads and don't talk about it when they buy
the animals for their kids.
"We talk to our customers and it's not coming up," said
Elaine Jordan, owner of the Learning Express toy store
in Westfield, where she said Webkinz sales are still
brisk.
As a parent, she's disappointed in the ads. "I guess
it's just not the Web site we thought it was," she said.
Parent Lorie Ulllrich of Mont clair, whose 8-year-old
daughter Violet is a Webkinz fan, said she did not know
of the movie ads, in part because Violet mainly plays
with the animals instead of going online.
While she said she doesn't ob ject to movie advertising,
she would not welcome any kind of product placement.
"If they start selling cereals and toys, that's entering
a slippery slope," she said. "With television they are
exposed way too much as it is."
Linn, the Harvard psychologist, said it was too soon to
gauge the extent of the letter-writing campaign to Ganz.
"We hope that Ganz will rethink this and come to the
conclusion that the millions in dollars in sales from
Webkinz is enough for them," Linn said.