“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!
I have been a deluxe member almost as long as I have been on Webkinz! I love Deluxe. The one thing I miss is when you could buy a deluxe membership and get a second one for another account at a reduced rate. This was great for parents with more than 1 kid playing or people who had multiple accounts. I just recently got my super collector badge for having 300 pets on one of my accounts. Thank you Webkinz for years of fun from one of the grownups that got drawn in by a youngster and didn’t outgrow the game like the youngster did!!
Thank you Steve for the awesome report. Deluxe has so many benefits when priced in an affordable way allowing many players to keep playing the game they love! Long live WW <3
love webkinz – fun and safe place for earthlings to play! great price and love all the fun you keep adding! have a great 2019!
LOL, kids played for “free” because they got the stuffed animals as gifts. :D 13 years later, all of those kids are now adults (age wise) , so they have to buy their own stuffed animals. :D
I’d like you to report on what features the app will have once Flash goes away. Will there still be a social aspect to the game, such as the clubhouse? Will there still be a computer/web option for it? What does the timeline look like? How much will change?
We have some unexpected great news about this, but we’re still a few weeks away from being able to officially announce anything. So, STAY TUNED!
Wow! Can’t wait. Lots of us are waiting on pins and needles lol
I do and have been playing since then and I’m 71 years old!
*gives a thumbs up* WAY TO GO!!! Older people tend to stay in fandoms longer than the younger ones. XD But I’m never going to go!!!
Thats awesome !
I would love to have you report on how to play in Adventure Park. For some reason I am stuck on a challenge and I can’t figure out what to do. Roberta says to click on the door to her right but I have clicked everywhere in the park and nothing works. I have searched this site for instructions and tips on how to play in the park and there is nothing. I asked in the forum but got no response. Maybe a whole tutorial would help us??
Maybe she means the other garden? Go thru the arches and there is another garden there. Hope this helps! Webkinz rules…I’m 45+ and WILL NEVER STOP playing!
Thanks Jackrules13 for the reply. I have tried going through the arch but only find a small garden and nothing there helps me. I’m just glad it doesn’t kick me out for clicking too much because I am clicking on everything! ….. It is very very frustrating for me. I am also frustrated by the fact that I no longer get challenges.. you know the ones on the left side of your screen. I have brain damage and I am unable to play the games that require the use of the arrows. My son used to help me, but he is an adult now and refuses to help me and when I asked Ganz to substitute another quest that didn’t require the arrow buttons, they did for a while. But then all of a sudden they stopped doing that for me and told me that there were no more challenges available and I had completed them all. Personally I feel that they are being dishonest with me and no matter how many times I contact customer service they just say , ‘ um oh ya, I see in your account you have finished them all’ or ‘ well you must have finished them all or something’ . I truly enjoy the challenges and the special rewards … or I used to. I haven’t had a challenge for over 2 years now….except for the Deluxe Challenges. Anyway, Jackrules13, I have been playing since 2006 and I won’t ever stop either. I now have 9 accounts and they sure keep me busy!!
Other than special challenges, like Winterfest, there haven’t been many new Challenges. There haven’t been any new permanent challenges in at least a couple of years now.
STEVE, THIS IS MY FAVORITE REPORT YET!!!! I joined the virtual online world in 2009 on November 17th, and I remember the older log ins! =D I remember the older log ins some, but I mostly remember 2009 and the years past because that’s when I played! YEAHHH!!! THE ROCKERZ BACKGROUND!!! I absolutely LOVE the Rockerz pets. I have a lot of them! And Amazing Wooooorld!!!! That game totally rocked! So did Nakamas. I remember some of my sibling splaying Webkinz Friends and Tail Town Friends. Also, what happened to Zoey’s Deign Art Academy? I found that game super fun, too!!! All of the older Ganz games were so much fun! And haha, I remember when you could change languages. I remember doing it to Dr. Quack, Tabby, and Debbie. XD Hey, could you do a report on Amazing World and the older Ganz games?
Like how they connected with Webkinz and stuff.
Hi Steve! Thanks for a great report!!
I actually didn’t get started with Webkinz until 2009. As a result I’ve seen the decline of the venues here in town where I can purchase the plushes. As a result I’ve actually taken to online shopping. Yes, that means that my first purchase online was 2 of the Ribbon Unicorns! (the white ones) I’ve now gotten several Webkinz online. I’ve also now gotten to a point where I can afford the Deluxe membership. I am still a bit put out that games and Vacation Island are now Deluxe when they used to be for all players. I’ve no objection to some of the new games being deluxe but I was hurt when I no longer had access to games and such that I was used to playing. Well, enough of the soap box. Thank you very much for the overview Steve Webkinz! Thank you Ganz for all of the wonderful times and pets over the years. I really do enjoy decorating and shopping for new clothes with my pets. I also love the gardens and the cooking as well!
I forgot to mention how much I appreciate the virtual option for the pets as well. I only have so much room for plushes!