My daughter's 4th grade teacher does a time capsule every year. Her current 4th graders write an essay with their plans for the future and include photos and items that are special to them. They also get to witness returning 12th graders revisiting the same project they did when they were 4th graders. At the time, the Webkinz craze was in full force. My daughter spent months mooning over them. I admit I did not understand it. I remembered the Ty Beanie Baby craze and was worried it would come and go just as quickly and at a greater expense. I thought $14.95 was a bit much to spend on a small stuffed animal when all my daughter really wanted to do was to be able to access the on-line games.
And then her birthday rolled around. She received one for her birthday from a friend. I thought that was wonderful. Thought we were done.
Imagine my surprise when *I* was the one to buy the second one! I was shopping for a gift for another of her friends and saw a wide assortment. I had no idea that they were hard to find at the time and I had just walked into a store with a fresh shipment. Still, I bought her the pink poodle.
After that, the number of Webkinz in our home seemed to multiply exponentially! There were gifts from each of the grandparents... repeatedly. There were gifts from others and my daughter even saved money to buy some on her own. Then, the Webkinz folks started to put out accessories. Yes, accessories for stuffed animals. My daughter is a girlie girl and she cannot resist accessories. Trouble with a capital T!
At last count, there are over 20 Webkinz living in a hat box atop a trunk in my daughter's room, along with scatttered accessories. But, just as I predicted, at least for my child, the craze is dying down. She rarely signs on to the Webkinz site any more, has not asked for a new pet or accessory in months, and the actual stuffed animals only get moved when she needs something in her trunk.
I do think she made a good choice for the time capsule... and it forced me to take a photo of something I might not have ordinarily thought to capture. The papers, chipboard flower and rickrack border are all from Scribble Scrabble's new Sweet N Sour collection.
Melissa Ackerman
And then her birthday rolled around. She received one for her birthday from a friend. I thought that was wonderful. Thought we were done.
Imagine my surprise when *I* was the one to buy the second one! I was shopping for a gift for another of her friends and saw a wide assortment. I had no idea that they were hard to find at the time and I had just walked into a store with a fresh shipment. Still, I bought her the pink poodle.
After that, the number of Webkinz in our home seemed to multiply exponentially! There were gifts from each of the grandparents... repeatedly. There were gifts from others and my daughter even saved money to buy some on her own. Then, the Webkinz folks started to put out accessories. Yes, accessories for stuffed animals. My daughter is a girlie girl and she cannot resist accessories. Trouble with a capital T!
At last count, there are over 20 Webkinz living in a hat box atop a trunk in my daughter's room, along with scatttered accessories. But, just as I predicted, at least for my child, the craze is dying down. She rarely signs on to the Webkinz site any more, has not asked for a new pet or accessory in months, and the actual stuffed animals only get moved when she needs something in her trunk.
I do think she made a good choice for the time capsule... and it forced me to take a photo of something I might not have ordinarily thought to capture. The papers, chipboard flower and rickrack border are all from Scribble Scrabble's new Sweet N Sour collection.
Melissa Ackerman
