Mum is into Webkinz

Yes mum is hooked, many of you parents blessed with kids probably already know about Webkinz, the cuddly toys that have taken our kids by storm for the last two years. I tried to figure out about what makes these Webkinz so special that our kids keep constantly nagging us to buy them new ones. What's the secret that prevents our kids from getting bored with Webkinz within the average two week new toy lifespan, and why have our kids found a new best friend in our computer?.

I recently found the answer, my wife told me all about these smart cookies at the Ganz marketing department (Ganz is the maker of Webkinz by the way).
Instead of just making a cuddly toy representing all the species of the animal kingdom, they have created a virtual online world in which their webkinz live.
This Webkinzworld is hidden from us ignorant mortals by a secret entry code. Each new Webkinz comes with a sealed tag which contains the entry code. In order to give their pet webkinz all the stuff they need ( food, shelter, flatscreen, jacuzzi) our kids need to do chores in this virtual world. This way they make money called Kinzcash and the more money means the more goodies for their friends. This keeps our kids pretty busy during their spare time, as they want nothing but the best for their Webkinz pet and need to do lots of chores for lots of Kinzcash.

Lately something disturbing took place, it's not just my kids being hooked on webkinz, now mum is hooked too!
Mum is hooked for a different reason though, she's in it for the cold hard cash. Mum buys and trades retired Webkinz, the special one off seasonal Webkinz which are released on special occasions like, Christmas, Easter, Halloween and Valentines Day.
Mum keeps here Webkinz boxed up and the tags sealed, which is extremely important for resale value.
Lets take an example, a Webkinz Love Puppy (last years Valentines special) would have cost about 12 dollars retail last year, is now being traded on Ebay for up to 250 dollars and then some. This is a 2000% return on investment in a year, not bad at all I would say. Other retired seasonal Webkinz are sold for more or less the same figures.

Me loves my wife, me really loves my wife, my wife's hobby is better than my retirement plan. Please keep doing the good work Ganz because daddy wants to retire in Florida soon!