Hi everyone! I often get asked, “What ever happened to Mazin’ Hamsters?” and “Will you ever bring back Mazin’ Hamsters?”

I will try to answer these and some of your other questions about Mazin’ Hamsters below.

For those that don’t remember it, Mazin’ Hamsters was a fully 3D section in Webkinz World introduced in 2010, which was unlocked when you registered a Feature Code that came with a plush hamster.

Mazin’ Hamsters was unique from the rest of Webkinz World because it was running completely different animation software. While Webkinz World runs on 2D Flash, Mazin’ Hamsters ran on an early version of 3D Unity.

Inside ‘Mazin Hamsters, there were lots of mazes that your hamsters could race around or explore. Completing each maze awarded a trophy!

If you wanted more mazes, you could make your own using the maze building tool. You could even share your mazes with the community and have other players run through them.

Later we added a Hamster Hamlet section with different worlds for your hamsters to explore, along with daily activities like the popular Moolah Mountain!

Unfortunately, the uniqueness of ‘Mazin Hamsters was also its biggest problem. Much like the upcoming discontinuation of Flash by web browsers, the original version of Unity 3D was discontinued as a web plug-in. So, in September of 2015, because we could no longer run the game on the web, ‘Mazin Hamsters was closed.

However, Unity as a game engine has continued to thrive and grow. A new WebGL platform was developed to run Unity on the web, but unfortunately it was not backwards-compatible for those using earlier versions like ‘Mazin Hamsters. The Development and Art teams at Ganz that built ‘Mazin Hamsters would eventually take their collective experience and create a whole new massive online game: Amazing World.

Will ‘Mazin Hamsters ever return? While there aren’t currently any plans to bring it back, with Unity now one of the premier gaming technologies, you never know what the future might bring. Unity continues to be a technology that Ganz uses to develop new projects.

What was YOUR favorite part about ‘Mazin Hamsters? And what would you like me to report on next? Let me know in the comments below.

In the summer of 2010 we launched the Mazin’ Hamsters line of plush along with a Unity 3D section within Webkinz World. Players could build and explore mazes, journey through the Hamster Hamlet, participate in daily activities, and win prizes—including trophies that were awarded when you completed the mazes.

Unfortunately in the fall of 2015, once the Unity Web Player used to create Mazin’ Hamsters was no longer supported by web browsers, it had to be shut down.

You can still find hamster as virtual pets in Webkinz World or at the Ganz eStore, and if you’re lucky, you might just find someone willing to trade one of these amazing trophies in the Clubhouse.

Have YOU collected any of these trophies? Let us know in the comments below.

With the latest release of the Chrome web browser, plugins such as Unity3D (which MAZIN’ Hamsters uses) have been disabled by default.

No worries! It’s simple to re-enable Unity3D support. Just follow these steps within the Chrome browser:

1. Open your Chrome web browser.
2. Enter the following URL: chrome://flags/#enable-npapi
3. Click “enable” on the Enable NPAPI Mac, Windows option.
4. Restart the browser.
5. Go play!

***UPDATE***

If you are not seeing the “enable NPAPI” option at the above URL, you may need to install Microsoft Silverlight on your computer (note: Silverlight does not work in Chrome for Mac, it ONLY works in Chrome for Windows)

1. If you don’t already have Silverlight installed, please install it:
   Follow this link https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkID=149156
   1. On Windows, this will download Silverlight.exe (or Silverlight_x64.exe).
   2. After download completes, please click the file to run it and complete installation.
2.  Close your Chrome browser, re-open it and try the “enable NPAPI” steps listed in the original post above.

It has come to our attention that some players using Apple’s Macs are having issues with the ‘Mazin Hamsters feature within Webkinz World.

After extensive testing we have found that our version of the Unity 3D engine is no longer supported by Apple in the Mac OS. If you have OS X 10.9 (Mavericks) or OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) Hamsters will not work in any browser.

To play ‘Mazin Hamsters, you must play using a  browser on a Windows PC. We recommend using Google Chrome for all of Webkinz. Ganz is no longer supporting Mac’s OS X for this feature.

**This issue does not affect your Hamster in Webkinz World in any way.**

Did you know that a Webkinz CINNAMON MAZIN’ Hamster Feature
Code will unlock three different ways to play?

That’s right!

One CINNAMON Mazin’ Hamster feature code unlocks:
• One Cinnamon Hamster for use in your Pet’s room in Webkinz World
• One 3D Cinnamon Hamster for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters within Webkinz World
• One Cinnamon Hamster Ball and Tube Design also for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters
• One Cinnamon 3D Hamster for use on Amazing World.com

Register Online-only MAZIN’ Hamster Feature Codes in the Code Shop on Webkinz.com and in the Register A Zing section of the Journal on AmazingWorld.com and unlock AMAZING 3D worlds of fun!

AMAZING WORLD is a FUN, NEW 3D game for all types of gamers. Adventure-lovers can embark on exciting quests and explore the beautiful landscapes of Amazing World while social butterflies might prefer to just chat with friends and play games.

You may find MAZIN’ Hamsters, Amazing World Zings and so much more at eStore!

Did you know that a Webkinz HOPE MAZIN’ Hamster Feature
Code will unlock three different ways to play?

That’s right!

One HOPE Mazin’ Hamster feature code unlocks:
• One Hope Hamster for use in your Pet’s room in Webkinz World
• One 3D Hope Hamster for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters within Webkinz World
• One Hope Hamster Ball and Tube Design also for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters
• One Hope 3D Hamster for use on Amazing World.com

Register Online-only MAZIN’ Hamster Feature Codes in the Code Shop on Webkinz.com and in the Register A Zing section of the Journal on AmazingWorld.com and unlock AMAZING 3D worlds of fun!

AMAZING WORLD is a FUN, NEW 3D game for all types of gamers. Adventure-lovers can embark on exciting quests and explore the beautiful landscapes of Amazing World while social butterflies might prefer to just chat with friends and play games.

You may find MAZIN’ Hamsters, Amazing World Zings and so much more at eStore!

Did you know that a Webkinz NICK MAZIN’ Hamster Feature
Code will unlock three different ways to play?

That’s right!

One NICK Mazin’ Hamster feature code unlocks:
• One Nick Hamster for use in your Pet’s room in Webkinz World
• One 3D Nick Hamster for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters within Webkinz World
• One Nick Hamster Ball and Tube Design also for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters
• One Nick 3D Hamster for use on Amazing World.com

Register Online-only MAZIN’ Hamster Feature Codes in the Code Shop on Webkinz.com and in the Register A Zing section of the Journal on AmazingWorld.com and unlock AMAZING 3D worlds of fun!

AMAZING WORLD is a FUN, NEW 3D game for all types of gamers. Adventure-lovers can embark on exciting quests and explore the beautiful landscapes of Amazing World while social butterflies might prefer to just chat with friends and play games.

You may find MAZIN’ Hamsters, Amazing World Zings and so much more at eStore!

Did you know that a Webkinz Midnight MAZIN’ Hamster Feature
Code will unlock three different ways to play?

That’s right!

One Midnight Mazin’ Hamster feature code unlocks:
• One Midnight Hamster for use in your Pet’s room in Webkinz World
• One 3D Midnight Hamster for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters within Webkinz World
• One Midnight Hamster Ball and Tube Design also for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters
• One Midnight 3D Hamster for use on Amazing World.com

Register Online-only MAZIN’ Hamster Feature Codes in the Code Shop on Webkinz.com and in the Register A Zing section of the Journal on AmazingWorld.com and unlock AMAZING 3D worlds of fun!

AMAZING WORLD is a FUN, NEW 3D game for all types of gamers. Adventure-lovers can embark on exciting quests and explore the beautiful landscapes of Amazing World while social butterflies might prefer to just chat with friends and play games.

You may find MAZIN’ Hamsters, Amazing World Zings and so much more at eStore!

Did you know that a Webkinz Shuffles MAZIN’ Hamster Feature
Code will unlock three different ways to play?

That’s right!

One Shuffles Mazin’ Hamster feature code unlocks:
• One Shuffles Hamster for use in your Pet’s room in Webkinz World
• One 3D Shuffles Hamster for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters within Webkinz World
• One Shuffles Hamster Ball and Tube Design also for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters
• One Shuffles 3D Hamster for use on Amazing World.com

Register Online-only MAZIN’ Hamster Feature Codes in the Code Shop on Webkinz.com and in the Register A Zing section of the Journal on AmazingWorld.com and unlock AMAZING 3D worlds of fun!

AMAZING WORLD is a FUN, NEW 3D game for all types of gamers. Adventure-lovers can embark on exciting quests and explore the beautiful landscapes of Amazing World while social butterflies might prefer to just chat with friends and play games.

You may find MAZIN’ Hamsters, Amazing World Zings and so much more at eStore!

Twilight Hamster & Toonya Zing Bundle special offer available!

The bundled feature codes from Ganz eStore unlocks:
• One Twilight Hamster for use in your Pet’s room in Webkinz World
• One 3D Twilight Hamster for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters within Webkinz World
• One Twilight Hamster Ball and Tube Design also for use in MAZIN’ Hamsters
• One Twilight 3D Hamster for use on Amazing World.com
• One BONUS Toonya Zing for use on AmazingWorld.com FREE!!

Register Online-only MAZIN’ Hamster Feature Codes in the Code Shop on Webkinz.com and in the Register A Zing section of the Journal on AmazingWorld.com and unlock AMAZING 3D worlds of fun!

AMAZING WORLD is a FUN, NEW 3D game for all types of gamers. Adventure-lovers can embark on exciting quests and explore the beautiful landscapes of Amazing World while social butterflies might prefer to just chat with friends and play games.

You may find MAZIN’ Hamsters, Amazing World Zings and so much more at eStore!