Rainy Day Toys

Toys with an interactive Web component are a hot new trend. Stuffed animal critters that also have a Web site tie-in like “Webkinz” from Ganz have been gaining popularity this year. We sent two Web-interactive toys to our testers _ a Webkinz critter and an Electronic Test Tube Aliens toy named Takon by 4Kids.

“We’re just at the beginning of that trend,” toy expert Jim Silver says. “As kids spend more and more time at Web sites, it’s definitely going to be an important part of toys.” Speaking of Webkinz, “they are very hot. They’ve been hot for the past six to eight months.”

Silver says there are a lot of other Web-related toys and sites, including Shining Stars, which has a variety of stuffed animals and a Web site that allows users to name their star. The Web sites for all these critters are like clubs, and each owner of a critter usually has to enter a special code that comes with their purchase to use the Web site.

In our class survey, Webkinz tied for A- with the Test Tube Aliens. In general, though, our boy testers preferred the Alien, while the girl testers liked the cute critters from Webkinz. Kelly McCoy, 9, thought the alien pet was OK, but said, “I absolutely love Webkinz. I personally have 23 Webkinz.”

Some liked both. Natasha Coleman, 10, said the Webkinz are “really soft, cute and cuddly” but she’d love to have a Test Tube Alien, which is really “cool.” Reed Stevens, 9, said it was a cool toy because “it went from foam to alien!”

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