“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 hope Webkinz stays for a long time. I am hoping to become deluxe in the future. In the meantime, I’m a full. Best wishes.
There is no such thing as free games!! They all have in-app purchases!! Webkinz is creative, fun, and a safe place for kids to play! My daughter and I have been playing since 2007. We both still are amazed at all the new creative ideas. And-still love adopting new pets and making beautiful rooms!!! A great hobby. We are players for life!!! Keep the ideas coming!!!
I would like to know, please, why Ganz charges Webkinz memberships in US dollars when it is a Canadian company? Wouldn’t it be more fair to at least charge Canadians in Canadian dollars? Thank you.
I know, it’s so weird. I’m American, but Canadians are cool and so are their glow-in-the-dark coins.
Isn’t it actually better to be in US dollars because its more cheaper here? Or am I confused here because I know things in Canada are about 2 or 3 dollars more expensive than in the US. And Radish, we found a Canadian penny and a Canadian 5 cent haha! I think its cool to have coins from different places, we also found an Argentinean Peso!
LOL, MLP at least we have that. The only thing is the that they are really hard to find because we get US travelers coming over to buy them from us. And really, the only Glow-in-the-dark coin in circulation is our $2.00 coin from the Sesquicentennial we had back in 2017 to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Aside from that we do have painted coins, as well.
It kind of breaks my heart to see the Amazing World logo on the top of the last picture from when it was still a thing. I know that GANZ has reasons for shutting it down, but I do miss it.
Is it just me, or did this article by Steve just run a few months ago?
He did, I think he rewrote it just in case anybody missed it.
It’s not. It’s just weird how their recycling old posts.
I was thinking the same thing. Must’ve redid it.
Thank you for writing such a clarifying article! I really hope people read it closely. ;) And I think it’s awesome that we don’t get locked out of our accounts anymore (I remember when that used to happen)! I’ve been Deluxe for 10 years, but I appreciate that I won’t lose access to my accounts if I ever decide to be a full or free member. Though, I would most likely be a full member since the eStore always has great sales on virtual pets. :)
Isn’t this exactly the same as special report with steve webkinz #16?
It is, but that thread already has 110 responses on it. Sometimes a fresh approach brings a fresh perspective ;)
Well said, MommaSays. (I get your username, LOL)
My grandma bought me my first Webkinz, the white westie dog. She got our entire family, me and all my cousins into Webkinz. She passed away from a bad stroke shortly after that so now all my webkinz I had when I was little are so special to me. They are memories. Their rooms are. I love my newer ones I’ve gotten since we started playing again too. Webkinz is amazing. I hope it never goes away. It’s one of my prized possessions, even though it’s not a physical thing or a real place.
*gasp* it’s not a real place?!?!?
i love a good history lesson! could we get more special reports like this?
I had adopted pets pretty well every month from 2007 till 2009. One of the children had walked away from her account and I actually got a leter from Ganz telling me that if I renewed by purchasing a pet, I would get 15 months instead of just 12. Both hers and her brother’s accounts were renewed this way and it was a nice bonus. This was before you introduced Deluxe. My house STILL has kinz of every shape and size. It has three binders with complete card collections, plus a collection that we used just for playing the board game that you could print off from the Help section. THAT was FUN. I have been here for every change, I have seen and experienced so many good things and made some really good friends because of this site. The children have learned so many things from this site. I hope it stays around for a long, long time to come.