“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!
Ahh, I love this report. I’ve never stopped playing Webkinz ever since I’ve joined. LOL remember when we could change the languages? いいえ、覚えていません。おっと I love and miss the Rockerz background. Rockerz are the best Webkinz ever made and I miss Amazing World, Nakamas(before they reamed up with AW), Tail Town Friends, Webkinz Friends, and Zoey’s Design Art Academy. And I especially miss… the old Webkinz.
I was also wondering, will you be adding the watch a video to get a prize thing on the new ww app? Or is that going to not be available once we can’t use the browsers to get on ww? I’d love to get more of those items, but it’s near impossible to play it on any browser for me. Takes way too long to do it. I love the new app! It’s really made playing enjoyable for me again.!!! It was taking long time to load on the browsers.
That functionality doesn’t work on the app. The prizes are more likely to be added in other places.
Thank you for answering Sally!
Hi steve! I’d really really like to know if we will be able to visit others homes in the near future, that is one thing that our family misses very much! We don’t live close to each other, and it was a way to spend time with all my sisters and my mother and feel like we were all “together”. We miss it a lot.!! And we’ve all been playing since the beginning. At first it was for tge kids..then as they grew up and away from ww we took over their accounts and kept playing! and we figure they may play again someday too. If not them, then the next wave of girls when they are old enough might. We just would really like to be able to visit each others sites again….please??!!!!
Me too and I would love to sell some. I also am getting ready to close an account and am going to lose all of those items when I do.
Steve the webkinz game is very nice. In some games it is extremely difficult to take trophies. I did not get all the trophies because I did not cross all the levels. You can make it easier to cross the levels. The webkinz game is for kids. It is good that you exist.
can you fix the wshop back to the way it was before webkinz x? i want the shopping cart option back, its so easier to buy stuff that way.
There are a few things I wish Webkinz would change. One thing is to make ALL items sellable/tradeable/sendable! When we can’t sell/trade/send items that we don’t like/want/need, they clog up our dock and rooms. As a Deluxe member with ePoints, I should be allowed to send ePoint items to whomever I wish. If I am spending MY money on these virtual items, then why can’t I give that item to someone else. This whole “rare item” mind set is ridiculous. With the exception of the actual plush pet that you could buy, there is nothing “tangible” in Webkinz World that you can call “rare”. Why make it almost impossible to complete a room theme that is now deemed “rare” or “retired”? I would dare say that most of us that play long term on Webkinz are adults and not children. So PLEASE think about the absurdity of not letting us sell/trade/send the items we have bought with real money, ePoints, or won in the game. And, please get rid of the very annoying doors in the rooms, or at least let it be an option we could turn off or on. Personally, I use the house map to go from room to room, and seldom use the door.
I fully agree. Also, allow us to buy any item, not just bundled. It has become less of an open family type business, now its profit above anything else. Please allow us to purchase any item, and do with it as we want.
this is MY complaint (and I have sent it in hoping to get it answered), but here goes again: I WANT TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE THE “FREE” CAT THAT WAS GIVEN TO THOSE WHO DID NOT HAVE AN ACCOUNT. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO BUT THAT CAT ON MY ACCOUNT WITH MY OTHER PETS, otherwise this is a punishment to long-term users who have had an account and never let it expire!!! Thanks! best, k.
oops I meant “PUT”
By that token you might as well say you want all of the Deluxe pets on your account, too. There wasn’t anything special about these pets. I have both the Mutt and Domestic cat, but I never really got anything spectacular from them. Their PSI’s were the Dragster car that was an exclusive and I am sure there are many of those around. And HOW can it be a punishment to long time users? It was a free demo to entice new users to play. Now look at all the medallion pets we have the option to win! I don’t get where you think this isn’t fair?
Steve Webkinz, There have been many wonderful items over the years that stopped working after 10 was initiated. Now that you have started a new era with the browser free game will you be able to fix the rest of the rides and things that still don’t work like the Log Jammer Ride, the Mountain Mine Cart Ride, the Rocket Drop, and the RoboKinz Guardian? I am sure there are others I may not be aware of, however, it is very sad to have these amazing items and not be able to let our pets enjoy them.
does this mean that my origami item that was once so awesome will never work again? that my suns will never hold still in the sky again? please, no! techs–get to work ;) best, k.
Don’t forget all the animated walls/floors that have been broken for ages. :(
There’s also the time machine and an animated underwater wallpaper that no longer work. And TVs
I have this same question, beerfeet. I have so many wonderful items I’ve gotten in times past from the eStore, among other places, that are still broken. My pets miss playing on all their fun toys! Is there any timeline as to when the remaining “broken” items will be fixed?
I have all the items mentioned and many more. I have been putting messages on where ever I can and have never had a response. Even an “I don’t know” would be nice
Yes, I really miss some of the things that worked before that 10 year mark.
I don’t think they intend to fix those things, they would’ve done it by now if they did. How many years has it been since Webkinz X launched, 3? 4? I hate it that they sell estore items that show as animated in the estore but don’t work in your account. I believe it’s called false advertising. Isn’t that illegal in Canada?
I really wish they would fix the Time Machine item. I have a cool laboratory room and the Time Machine looks great in it, but sadly it doesn’t work and is also frozen with a kind of ring of light around it.
I wish you would have a day when we could sell items or trade items we have too many of. I’m talking about unsellable and untradeable items. I have a room full of these items.
I second that notion. I have soooooo many storage rooms full of stuff I can’t trade or sell. It would be nice to get rid of the items then I would have a bunch of rooms I could use instead of just sitting with stuff in them I can’t use anyways.
I absolutely agree with you. I keep getting camping outfits on the Wheel of Wow and cannot sell them – it makes no sense.
I agree, I have actually contacted Ganz CS to have them remove items from my account that were not sellable or tradeable.
This is an awesome idea! Yes, there are items I would gladly give to other members or sell, but can’t
I’m with you I have all these duplicate items that are taking up unusable space. Also I have over $4 in kinz cash I would love to to be able trade some for e store cash.
I’m totally with you.