“Why do I have to pay money to play Webkinz when I played it for free when I was a kid?”
As many people who played the game years ago are re-discovering their childhood fandom, this is a common complaint posted on social media. However, while it may have seemed to some that they were getting access to the game for free, in reality, they were not.
When Webkinz.com launched in 2005, the only way to play on the site was by registering a code that came attached to the plush pet they were adopting onto their account. Once a code was registered, the player could play for one full year from the date they adopted that pet. At the end of that year, the account became locked until another code was registered during a new pet adoption. An important side note is that multiple adoptions NEVER “stacked” multiple years of membership. So, adopting 10 pets on the same day only ever gave 1 year of membership—not 10 years.
Once the “Webkinz craze” hit around 2007, with so many new plush pets flying off the shelves and players’ collections constantly growing, most kids never got locked out of their account. Basically, they were continually adopting so many pets that their membership never ran out.
In 2009, once plush sales began to decline from their meteoric peak, Ganz introduced Deluxe Membership as a new way to subscribe to the Webkinz game without having to constantly purchase physical plush toys. While this form of membership came with many bonuses like monthly gifts and eStore Points for special items, the amount and variety of bonuses added to Deluxe Memberships has steadily increased over the years, while the fee has essentially remained the same.
In 2012, Webkinz transformed its membership structure to a “Freemium” model. While Deluxe and Full Membership basically remained the same, once those subscriptions ran out, players were no longer locked out of their accounts. Instead, they could continue as a free player, with limited access to certain items and features. Kids that wanted to create a new account could also for the first time adopt a free pet instead of registering a code. This is the membership model that Webkinz still uses today.
Want to know what all the differences are between being a Free Player, a Full Member, and a Deluxe Member? We created a handy list which you can see here.
Do YOU remember the days when the only way to play Webkinz was to purchase a plush toy? And what would you like me to report on next? Let me know in the comments below!
Aha. In a way I understand why Deluxe was added now. But I still wish players who PAY for plush pets don’t have to pay more just to get stuff. Full members seem to be getting less and less as the years go by…
they deliberately skimmed over that, article is misleading because of it
I’ve been a member for years and years. I’ve pinched pennies, cut corners and such to pay for it and never, ever regret it once. Now, when my husband and I are doing much better, we always make a point of saving our pennies so that when Webkinz has their sale on yearly memberships we can get it then. I’ve not always been happy with some of the changes. Lol I still loathe and detest the pet demands, but again, neither my husband nor I have ever regretted it all these years. :-)
Honestly, I sometimes miss the days when buying a Webkinz was all it took to become a full member. I also miss the days when I could around town and see Webkinz for sale at a number of different stores.
I’ve been around since year #2. Fondly do I remember the days of purchasing Webkinz plush at local retail stores. Even though most of the changes in Webkinz World have been for the better, I do not understand why we can no longer purchase plush in stores. Can you please report on that? Here’s an idea: How about selling in stores a few unique, collectible plush critters each year? It might entice new players to join and keep “old” players collecting!
Unfortunately, while we would love to see Webkinz plush stocked in every store, retailers only stock products based on customer demand. You can read more about Webkinz plush in one of my earlier reports here: https://webkinznewz.ganzworld.com/announcements/special-report-with-steve-webkinz-9/
Would love to see current pets released in estore as virtual….especially since we can not find plush in Canada
My granddaughter started Webkinz in 2007. We each got an account and played games with each other and traded stuff and had so much fun!!! She is growing up but the memories we share with our webkinz friends are priceless!!! Worth every penny I have spent for hours and years of enjoyment! Still my happy place! lol
Awesome report, Steve! It’s a bit crazy to think of how much webkinz world has changed, I remember getting locked out of my account once or twice. The most frustrating thing about deluxe being introduced was being a full member and watching arcade games or items in the wshop become deluxe only when they had been available to everyone; though for things like the vacation island being made deluxe only, you used to have to pay a lot of kinzcash to go on vacation for one day and now it’s free for deluxe accounts. Or getting access to all the games in the magical forest, whereas before you had to buy kinzclips, charms and figurines to unlock each of those games.
SO MISS Vacation island torches and the bushes !! Comercials we used to be able to skip in Deluxe now it slows playing and is kind of sad !
Great report, Steve. My grandmother bought me my first Webkinz, a Westie named Sugar. When I loved it so much, she started buying them for all my cousins as well. We were crazed. She passed away suddenly and my mom began an account in her honor. After a few years we lost track of our Webkinz world, my mom was busy and I played a lot other video games, but then we suddenly decided to get back into it last year and we love it more than ever. The community of players are so unique, creative and supportive also. It’s a great space overall.
I’ve had my account since 2007 when I was only 6 years old. The pictures of the old sign in screens brings back lots of memories for me of going through the collections catalog and the wish list feature (I clicked the checkmark on half of them). Now I’m 17 and I still love Webkinz because of the membership perks of Magical Forest, Webkinz Stadium, Tournament Arena, etc.. While Webkinz is also fun without a membership, I encourage you all to ask your parents to try it out maybe for a new years present! I think your next report should be on that webkinz card game that used to exist that always said “JOSTLE” after you role the dice or something like that, I used to collect so many trading cards back in the day and I wonder sometimes what happened to that long forgotten game
Loved that game., webkinz trading cards….hope they bring it back.
Sounds like an interesting mashup. I remember “Jostle” from the Dicekinz game that retired back in 2012, and there was a Trading Card Challenge game in the tournament arena (can’t find when that retired).
Thanks Steve! Have been playing Webkinz since 2007 and will continue to play for as long as the game is around. Do you know if webkinz will be around for a while ?
YES, we plan on having Webkinz stick around for a long time. We have an exciting announcement about that coming soon in the next few weeks…
Ohoho, what are you hinting at, Steve? ;P I look forward to seeing what you mean in that announcement!
Awesome I am so excited. I enjoy this game so much and buy membership and points whenever I can which I hope helps you guys keep Webkinz world up and running for many years to come. I was worried about the whole flash player ending thing but after reading this comment I now have my hopes back up. I love Webkinz world and it helps me daily to be able to spend my time here with you guys and my pets and friends! Thanks for being awesome you guys!
This is awesome news..if animal jam can have a desktop and app version of the game, and its successful, so can WW! Just get moving on the app having more desktop features. Today’s generation and those who played years ago are coming back because of the app (as seen on Twitter) everyone wants a webkinz app where we can do everything we can do on desktop……taking too long will cause players to lose interest…I know it’s tough updating WW and the app but you guys can do it!