Webkinz Mini Wiki

Launched in 2005 by Canadian giftware company Ganz, Webkinz was a popular virtual world like Neopets, where children could adopt and take care of virtual pets, play games, and interact with friends. But before it became a social platform for kids, the stuffed toys began as a B2B product targeting specific retailers like Hallmark and Hobby Lobby.

Webkinz was initially a huge success, with millions of children creating accounts and adopting virtual pets. The website was free to join, but users had to purchase physical plush toys, which came with a secret code that could be used to enter the virtual world. This strategy proved to be highly profitable for Ganz, as children would often collect multiple pets.

Though still in operation, Webkinz eventually lost their favorability to mobile titles like Animal Jam. How did one of the most popular children's toys of the 2000s fall from grace?

What Happened to Webkinz?

Webkinz was developed using Adobe software, namely Illustrator and Flash, which Apple devices didn't support.

Webkinz was only accessible through a computer, which limited its appeal. The website remained largely unchanged over the years, with no significant updates or improvements as Flash entered its end-of-life stages.

In an attempt to revive the site, Ganz launched a new version of Webkinz in 2015 called Webkinz World. The new platform featured updated graphics, new games, and a more streamlined user interface. However, it failed to recapture the magic of the original website, as many users had aged out and moved on to other platforms.

The rise in copypastas didn't help either, as Dr. Quack was forced into retirement to quell rumors of the "Webkinz Killer."

Is Webkinz Still Around?

The short answer is yes, Webkinz is still around, but it may not be the same Webkinz you remember. Though no longer browser supported, Webkinz Classic is now available on mobile via desktop app.

Whether or not your account is still active is another story entirely. In 2019, Ganz had a backlog of accounts that had reached the 7-year legal threshold outlined in the User Agreement. Additionally, Webkinz new free-to-play status spurred a flood of new registrations.

There's more bad news for OG players: Webkinz Classic hosts no room deletion features, and those features are confirmed to never be coming. If your 9-year-old self happened to build a backyard in the center of your home, there's no hope of changing it.

Academy:

Meet Superintendent Ms. Cowoline and sign your pet up for school classes. The report card displays a pet's current course level and as how many classes they must complete to get to the next level. Every time a pet levels up in a class, they earn a pin displaying their new level. Once a pet reaches level ten in all of the basic courses, they will earn their Kinzville Academy diploma.

Physical Courses:

Strength
Speed
Agility

Mental Courses:

Creativity
Intelligence
Style

Pet Talent Courses:

Cooking
Grooming

Recess:

In Kinzville, it takes 15 full days of classes to earn a recess session. Recess games include:

Buried Treasure
Hide-and-go-Seek
Hopscotch
Merry-Go-Round

Arcade:

Ant Mania: Picnic 2

Atlantiles

Bananza

Bananza: Tropical Troubles

Booger Gets an A

Candy Bash

Candy Bash 2: ¡Viva Poncho!

Cash Cow

Cash Cow 2

Color Storm

Dex Dangerous and the Lunar Lugbotz!

Flutterbugged

Go-Go Googles!

Goober's Atomic Adventure

Goober's Lab

Goody Gumdrops

Home Before Dark

Hoppy Little Rocketship

Hungry Hog

Jumbleberry Fields - Similar to Yahtzee, fill jars of preserves to win prizes!

Lily Padz

Lily Padz 2: Downpourz

Lunch Letters

Ms. Cowoline's Roll Call

Operation Gumball

Pet Party Parade

Picnic

Pinky's Big Adventure

Pizza Palace

Polarberry Jam

Polar Plunge - Reach the bottom of the slope while jumping over obstacles.

Smoothie Moves

Spree!

Stack 'Em Up Solitaire

Tile Towers

Triple Strike Solitaire

Tulip Trouble 2

Wacky's Bullseye Batter

Wacky Zingoz

WackyER Zingoz

Webkinz Rally

Wheel of Deluxe - Wheel of WOW for Deluxe members.

Wheel of WOW - Spin the wheel once a day to win KinzCash, Food, Clothing, and W Shop items.

Where's Wacky

Wishing Well 1 - Like a traditional slots game, click the button to roll. Two or more of the same icons in a horizontal row will earn KinzCash, with the W acting as a wild-card.

Wishing Well 2 - As in Wishing Well 1, Make a Wish 5 times a day to earn KinzCash and bonus items.

Zacky's Quest

Deluxe Games:

Crafty Canaries

Dashing Dolphin

Dogbeard's Gold

Get Eleven Solitaire

Grand Grotto

Hatch The Dragon

Iceberg Escapades

Jazz Monsters

Jumbleberry Blast

Leapin' Llama

Quizzy's Word Challenge!

Skater Kat

Skunk Sweeper: Hide n' Skunk

Stardrops

Tunneling Twigzy

Wacky Zingoz Extreme

Waddell's Icecap Adventure

Webkinz Scrambled

Whimsy Skies

Zingoz Bounce

Zingoz Bounce n' Burst

Zingoz Pie Throw

Zingoz Pop

Zingoz Zangoz

Curio Shop:

Meet Arte in the Curio Shop to access the Gem Hunt activity and sell gems. Collect all 30 different gems to trade for the legendary Webkinz Crown of Wonder.

Gem Hunt:

Click stalagmites at random to find hidden gems (or slag, if you're unlucky).

Dr. Quack's Office:

While it's a rare occurrence, Classic Webkinz could get sick.

"If your pet has a green snout, a thermometer in its mouth, and looks sad, it is sick. You will have to take it to see Dr. Quack in the clinic to make it feel better. You can listen to him examine your pet, but you can't watch him since he will pull out a screen divider. Medicine to cure your pet costs 25 KinzCash. Make sure that you take care your pet better!"

Employment Office:

Even your virtual pets aren't exempt from the throes of capitalism.

Meet Job Advisor Tabby Von Meow and choose one of five jobs on the Job Board to complete for KinzCash. Jobs change every hour and can be accepted every eight hours, though Deluxe members can choose one extra job per day. Completed jobs go on your Resume.

Easy

Dr. Quack's Assistant

Fence Painting

Hamburger Cook

Newz Delivery

Shoe Store Clerk

Medium

Babysitter - (Unlocked by completing 50 Kid's World questions at Quizzy's Corner)

Flooring Assistant - (Unlocked by completing 50 Social Studies questions at Quizzy's Corner)

Gem Mining - (Unlocked by collecting 20 types of gems in Gem Hunt)

Grocery Clerk - (Unlocked by completing 50 Math questions at Quizzy's Corner)

Ms. Birdy's Assistant - (Unlocked by completing 100 Language questions at Quizzy's Corner)

Piano Player - (Unlocked by completing 50 Arts questions at Quizzy's Corner)

Hard

Kinzville Mover - (Unlocked by achieving Strength level 2 at the Kinzville Academy)

KinzPost Sorter - (Unlocked by completing 50 Math questions at Quizzy's Corner)

Home and Furniture

Each Webkinz player has their own home lot. Rooms can be purchased in small, medium, or large sizes.

Much of the furniture is functional. Webkinz can sleep, watch TV, and cook with a wide variety of stove recipes. The Webkinz Studio can be used to create and direct short TV shows.

Wish Factory