Wow!!! We had almost 900 entries in our 2017 Pet Design Contest! You guys did an amazing job and made it very, very difficult for us to narrow it down to just ten finalists. Every submission was excellent and we think they would all make great Webkinz pets! But we had to narrow it down to just ten.
pet design contest pet design contest
Now we want your input. While the final decision rests with the judges at Webkinz, we will take your comments into consideration when making our final choice which will be announced on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2017.
pet design contest pet design contest
When looking at all of the creative, wonderfully executed submissions, we tried to choose finalists that had a unique twist. Sometimes it was a clever idea – like making a dragon out of dragon fruit, or a butterfly’s wings out of Webkinz Magic Ws, a turtle out of a rose, or putting monarch butterfly wings onto a dragon. Sometimes it was a unique new animal we hadn’t seen before – like a Hippocampi or an Orchid Mantis. And sometimes it was just a neat pet that we think our members would love – like a chocolate bunny, a Loch Ness monster, an axolotl, or a Jade Fu dog.
pet design contest pet design contest
Nine of the following ten pet designers – and our honourable mention – will each receive a 1 Month Deluxe Membership. The winner will receive a virtual version of their winning entry, a brand new Pet Design Trophy plus a 1 Year Deluxe Membership.
pet design contest pet design contest
So please take a look at the following entries and let us know in the comments what you think. And come back on February 14 to find out which pet will turned into a virtual pet in Webkinz World that will be sold in Ganz eStore starting Webkinz Day, April 29, 2017. 
Hippocampus by Pokekinz
pet design contest
pet design contest
Webkinz W Butterfly by ECF
pet design contest pet design contest 
Orchid Mantis by Poofmon
pet design contest pet design contest 
Jade Fu Dog by hazzy
pet design contest pet design contest 
axolotl by taydarsauce
pet design contest
pet design contest
Chocolate Bunny by bullseyejingles444
pet design contest
pet design contest
Dragon Fruit by golubm
pet design contest
pet design contest
Monarch Dragon by autumn88
pet design contest
pet design contest
Loch Ness Monster by giantturtle
pet design contest
pet design contest
Red Rose Turtle by duncannut08
pet design contest
pet design contest
Honorable Mention:
We wanted to give a shout out to Worldcombiner for their adorable submission. The Farm Fresh Egg was one of our favorite entries. Unfortunately we couldn’t quite figure out how to make it into a Webkinz pet at this point, but who knows – maybe one day!
pet design contest pet design contest
Congratulations worldcombiner. You will also receive a One Month Deluxe Membership after the winning design is announced!
pet design contest pet design contest
Farm Fresh Egg by worldcombiner
Wow, a huge congratulations to all of the finalists!!! Creative team, how did you guys narrow it down?! I saw so many more that I would have thrown on this list too, haha! Anyway, I think I have to narrow mine down to a top 3 because I could never just choose one as my favorite. 3. Monarch Dragon- Such a creative pet by Autumn88. They put so much detail into those magnificent wings and I know I would love to have this pet in my collection! 2. Is the Red Rose Turtle. DuncanNut08. Absolutely stunning pet, and I’d love to have it in my collection as well! The rose is so detailed and the fact that the rest of the body is the stem/leaves is so cool! Great job! And 1. Is the Orchid Mantis. I had heard of this fascinating insect in a video game I played and I think a Webkinz version would be so so cool! The amount of detail Poofman put into it is crazy, and the per came put absolutely amazing. I would buy any of these 3 pets any day, same goes for all of the finalists! Once again, huge congratulations to everyone who entered and to the finalists, even if your design didn’t win I think you all did an amazing job and you should be very proud!
Thanks! That game wouldn’t be, by any chance, Animal Crossing, would it…? That’s where I first heard of it! XD Yeah, I like the Orchid Mantis. :)
Thanks so much MEG_WEBKINZ! The Orchid Mantis is one of my favorites as well!
Pokekinz, it was Animal Crossing! XD congratulations to you Duncannut08 and Pokekinz, lovely designs! =)
I thought so XD Thanks!
Thank you, MEG!! <3
I vote for the Webkinz W Butterfly to be the next virtual pet! Congratulations finalists! All of your designs are very unique. And I really like the Farm Fresh Egg as well! :) ~J92016
All are very cute designs. We had a special birthday dragon 2 years ago, so I’d rather see something more original. The Orchid Mantis is my favorite. I love insects, and we don’t have nearly enough insect pets in WW. There were also some adorable submissions that didn’t get selected to be in the top 10. I’m really disappointed that you’re not considering an octopus. It’s just insane that after 12 years, we have approximately 14 billion different types of Webkinz dogs, but not a single octopus or jellyfish or preying mantis. The egg is adorable, and if you can ever figure out how to turn that into a pet, it would make a great new easter pet. Please no more bunnies. Great job, artists!
I made an octopus (the Octopirate) for this very reason. I love underwater pets yet we only have different fish variations. Not that I don’t love the finalists, but I would have loved to see an octopus, the sea urchin, etc. as one of the finalists. But congrats to each of the finalists you all did an amazing job!
Thanks Meg, me too! Thought for sure an underwater pet would be a winner as there were so many new ones presented! Love the talent of these professional looking animations here!!! WOWZers!!!
Yes, that is why I submitted a lobster, we need more underwater choices! I will keep submitting him when appropriate for pet designs…maybe some day (I’ll see if I can’t be more creative with the design but i did hand draw it!) But I LOVE all the finalists! Congrats to you all!
Yeah, I’m not usually a big fan of Webkinz bugs, but I do like the Orchid Mantis. It’s very well designed, and it looks like poofmon put a lot of thought into it. :)
This was a very pleasant surprise this morning and I cannot thank the wonderful Webkinz staff enough for choosing my design. I’m so proud of all the finalists and all the talented artists who put so much time and effort into this contest. It just goes to show that the Webkinz artist community knows no bounds and I hope that everyone continues to find inspiration and creativity in their life. Congratulations to all and may the best pet win!
Congrats Hazzy! I’m glad you got to be a finalist; I really like your entries. ^ᴗ^
Congratulations Hazzy! I agree with you about the Webkinz community. I’m glad that Webkinz does hold these type of design contests and encourages this creative spirit. I’ve had so much fun designing and drawing for each of the contests I’ve entered, and I hope others feel the same. Great work on your Jade Dog. It will fit in well with the Ming and Dragon Sanctuary themes. Good luck!
Great job guys, they all are amazing!
Thanks Jrz2000!
So much creative talent! I am amazed by each one. Congratulations to all who were chosen as finalists!
Thanks Pupwolf! I’m really excited! :D
My favorite of these selections is the Chocolate Bunny which I highly voted for, it looks like it has a jaw full of chocolate too, lol! I’ve been playing Webkinz for ten years and have hundreds of them! And have entered tons of contests that I never won but I was just so happy for my Sea Urchin’s views and ratings, thanks you all so much!!! :) AND for Michael and Mandy to have it on Podkinz!!! This pet would be a bit ahead of it’s time for Webkinz to do, I suppose (well it could only wear hats and sunglasses, ha ha! but that is OK.) Thank you everyone who voted for my Signature Black Swan which I really really want Ganz to make!!! I would buy it right now if the plushie could be made with black satin fabric…awesome! Thanks again and congratulations to all!!!
When I pet is as cool a Sea Urchin, a pair of snazzy shades is all it needs! Seriously, your sea urchin was in my personal top faves.
Thank you so much!!! LOLZ! True that be, maybe one day…have a great wekend and good luch to your gorgeous Mantis design.
I really wish your Sea Urchin would have made it, it was my personal favorite entry I saw the entire contest. But great job on your designs! =)
Thanks so much MEG!!! LOVE your Octopirate, so cute, made me smile everytime I viewed it!!!
Aww, thank you!! I’m so happy you liked it =D
Your Sea Urchin was totally awesome!! I LOVED it!! I do hope we get to see it in WW one day!! <3
Thank you Autumn88!!! I hope so too, it would be funny!
I have pet axolotls in real life, so I would LOVE to have an axolotl pet on webkinz! :) The Orchid Mantis is also a really cool, unique idea, but honestly any of these would make great, new pets!
I really like the Hippocampi and the Loch Ness Monster! Great entries everyone! :D
Thanks!! I’m happy you like it! ^꒳^
Thanks Webkinz Team! Gosh, I’m so honored to have my Orchid Mantis up there as a finalist and among some of my favorite pet designs from the entries too! (Oh, and I’m Poofmon, as in ‘monster’, not Poofman. ~_^) So excited for the Valentines Day reveal! Good Luck Finalists! I’m glad that the Farm Fresh Egg design got a Mention too, because it was one of my personal top 10 faves. Everyone who entered the pet design contest should be proud of themselves.
LOL I just misspelled your name in my comment above, sorry about that! Congratulations on finaling, I like your design the best & hope you win so I can buy your totally awesome Orchid Mantis! Best of luck, my friend!
1Emerald1, no worries. I’m sure Newz staff will fix the misspell at the next convenience. Thanks! I’m happy to know my bug will have a welcoming home waiting if it gets to move into Webkinz World.
Yeah, your entry is great, Poofmon! Congratulations!! :D
Pokekinz, Congratulations to you too. The Hippocamp has been one of my favorite legendary creatures since I was very young. The first time I saw one was as a beautifully carved ride-on on a carousel at the old Astroworld amusement park. It was my favorite of the carousel creatures (even though is was the bolted-down type that didn’t move up and down!). Seriously, Google “astroworld carousel hippocamp”! It is so beautiful. Great job on your entry! I will definitely adopt your Hippocamp for myself, and he will have a great home with my Splash Dragon.
Wow, they do look cool! Now I kinda wanna ride on one…. XD It’s too bad AstroWorld closed down… I’d never been, although I would’ve been too young to really enjoy it anyway. Thank you Poofmon!
I definitely think yours is in high consideration. To have mine in the same list as yours is an honor of itself, haha!
taydarsauce, congratulations and good luck! I will buy your Axolotl as a gift for my best friend. We were ecstatic to see your pet design in the top 10. Last year we were lamenting the lack of an axolotl in WW. My friend just told me to tell you they will name him “Augie”. Lol!