Hi everyone, Steve Webkinz here. In today’s special report, let’s take a closer look at something I see our players constantly discussing: Webkinz plush.
There’s a lot to unbox here, so let’s split this up into some frequently asked questions, and I’ll try to provide an answer.
Q: Is Ganz ever going to bring back Signatures?
A: Sorry, no. The Webkinz Signature line was not actually designed by Ganz. They were made by a 3rd party company that specialized in more realistic plush designs, and those plush were made under contract to Ganz. Unfortunately, this made them very expensive, and this fact led to them being discontinued. Our in-house plush department has been creating some more realistic looks to some of the recent Webkinz plush, but there are no plans for a new Signature line.
Q: Why are some of the Webkinz plush on sites like eBay so expensive?
A: Ganz is a plush toy wholesaler, which means that we sell our plush toys to store retailers at a specific price. The retailer then decides the price for selling that toy to consumers like you. Ganz doesn’t have any control over that. And if someone buys it from a store and decides to list it on a website like eBay, they can try selling it for whatever they think they can get for it.
Q: I can’t find a certain Webkinz plush toy I want. Can’t you just make more?
A: Our plush toys are manufactured overseas and then shipped to our main warehouse before we send them out to retailers. We have to place the order months in advance, so we request a certain number that we think will sell. Over the years, based on previous experience, we have become better overall at meeting demand. However, there are still some situations where a particular pet sells more than we anticipated. In those situations, it is usually too late to go back and order more. Also, Webkinz plush are meant to be collectible toys, so it’s to be expected that some plush will be harder to find than others.
Q: Why is it that I can find tons of some early Webkinz plush in dollar stores, but never any of the new ones?
A: As mentioned in the answer above, in the earlier years of Webkinz, we tended to order far more plush than we could actually sell. Promotions like the Pet of the Month were designed to help sell off all of those extras. Some of the plush back stock was sold to dollar stores just to clear out space in the warehouse. Our more recent plush are now ordered at much lower levels, so we don’t have such a big problem with overstock. If you buy one of newest plush Webkinz pets, you are actually getting a rare Webkinz toy.
Q: Why do you make so many dogs? Why can’t you make some kind of new animal that you’ve never made before?
A: The simple answer is that as a business, Ganz needs to make plush pets that sell, and over the last 13 years, dogs have outsold every other type of plush pet by a long shot. We also try to make some other varieties of pets, but generally we try to stick to the pet types that people have been buying. On the technical game side, each pet has to work within the skeleton animation system we already have, so if we don’t have an existing skeleton to animate a new type of pet, then we can’t make that pet work in Webkinz World.
Q: Are you ever going to use the string fur again that you used on the first Webkinz plush?
A: The string fur was a way in the early days of Webkinz to make the plush pets distinct from other brands on store shelves. As the Webkinz brand has become more established, our plush department has been able to use better and more realistic plush material to manufacture the toys. While it is unlikely that you’ll ever see any new plush Webkinz made entirely from the original string fur, you may still see a small piece of this material pop up in a plush toy from time to time.
Q: Why can’t I find Webkinz plush in my local store?
A: Unfortunately, fewer retailers are ordering Webkinz plush today than when the toys were at the height of their popularity. The only thing we can suggest is to speak to your local store owner who sells other Ganz merchandise and ask them if they would consider ordering and stocking Webkinz plush toys. If enough people ask, they may just do it.
Q: Where can I find Webkinz plush?
A: Some Hallmark stores are still ordering Webkinz plush, but you should call your local store first to see if they are one of them. You may also be able to find them on Amazon. The best way to get the latest Webkinz plush pets is to order them directly from Ganz through the Ganz eStore.
Webkinz plush toys at the Ganz eStore: https://www.ganzestore.com/estore/catalog/plush
Webkinz plush toys on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/webkinz
This has been Steve Webkinz reporting for Webkinz Newz! Do you have any other questions about Webkinz plush I haven’t answered? What are some other things in Webkinz World you’d like to know more about? Let me know in the comments below.
Steve Webkinz, Why did Ganz stop making Little Kinz?
Lil’ Kinz were originally created as a way to sell smaller plush for cheaper prices and get more players to discover the game. Once the game become extremely popular, there wasn’t as much need for Lil’ Kinz anymore.
Thanks for all the info, Steve! Makes a lot of sense now!
Very interesting, thank you Steve!
Thanks for this report! It was super helpful! :-)
I did love those Signatures. But even though they’re gone, it’s great that the E-Store offers them as virtual pets. Very interesting, Special Report, Steve, thank you!
Thank you for all that very interesting information. I suspect the reasons stores don’t want to sell Webkinz plush is because people steal the code tag and then the store cannot (SHOULD not) sell the plush. As a collector, I prefer to look at each little plushy expression and choose the one that “speaks” to me. I cannot do that buying online. As an AFOW (adult fan of Webkinz) I have done my best to promote Webkinz to the target audience. For example, I give Webkinz plush as prizes to students at my school who have earned awards. If the next generation of kids doesn’t SEE the pets in stores, how can they find out about how much fun there is to be had in Webkinz World? I think you should order a zillion of one certain pet from your manufacturer and sell it dirt cheap at the Dollar Store to get kids to join. Even if they steal the tag, at least they’ll know they can buy more pets online for real. Or, sell greeting cards for birthdays and other holidays that have a pet code sealed inside. If the cards are cute enough, people will buy them even if they don’t know they have an online pet attached and the recipient can figure it out. That would cost you almost nothing and maybe build your fan base.
Hi momno1! Giving out Webkinz as prizes is such a great idea! I also love your greeting card idea. I buy lots of greeting cards, and would definitely buy Webkinz greeting cards. Have a great day!
Hi momno1, the greeting card idea is pretty cool! Maybe the graphic on the front of the card can represent the pet that is to be adopted in the sealed code inside…I like your idea!
I live in the UK, there are no places here we can buy plush and you don’t ship outside of the US and Canada. Would you consider adding more places to your shipping options?
Have you tried eBay. That’s where I get most of mine.
Thanks, very informative!
I have one question, at the end of the webkinz plush unboxing video, you say the pets are available on the amazon store, and when I look, they aren’t?! As a UK webkinz collector, I cannot buy plush off the estore.
This was actually so informative! I was wondering these questions, but never actually thought I would get an answer! Is there a direct portal on Amazon.ca as well? It would be easier for us Canadians to buy from Amazon.ca!