From Webkinz to Girlz

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Mar 312007
 

I surmise that the other folks on the MMOs Past Present and Future panel who disbelieved that media companies are coming into virtual worlds in a big way also probably discount the toy companies. Well, as QBlog points out, they shouldn’t.

  13 Responses to “From Webkinz to Girlz”

  1. Darniaq says:
    April 1, 2007 at 3:07 am

    No, they shouldn’t 😉

    Nor the cereal companies (Postopia, Millsberry, etc)

    Nor NASA (as you’ve noted).

    The point isn’t which other specific industry is coming to persistent virtual worlds. It’s that the format and methodologies are becoming to well-defined that anyone could come. Media companies, NASA, other government bodies, eventually I’m sure pharmaceuticals (should be interesting) and really, any company that wants to try and sell something that ships to a bunch of people. We could see an OPEC MMORTS one of these days 😉

  2. Craig Huber says:
    April 1, 2007 at 4:42 am

    Channel surfed on to Nickelodeon (Jimmy Neutron was on!) during my workout yestrday… saw three ads in less than an hour for different Webkinz-type toys. There was a toy horse with secret code, online stable to furnish, etc., etc. Also some generic dress-up doll that I kind of tuned out, and another virtual pet brand I’d never heard of.

    It’s becoming almost passe. “You mean you _don’t_ have a online space for your toy? How quaint…”

    It’s interesting that much of this in the toy space is tailored to what have traditionally been considered “girl” toys… dolls, toy animals. Has Matchbox or Tyco done anything along these lines?

  3. Steven Davis says:
    April 1, 2007 at 8:25 am

    Basically every entertainment / IP business is looking to add an online game – why not? the cost is in developing the IP in the first place, you might as well get as much out of it as possible.

    The more interesting trend that has yet to really develop is to build a suite of games (not a series with sequels, but multiple independent games) that build on an IP. The beginnings of this are the CCGs – after all, if there is a World of Warcraft CCG, why not an online WoW CCG… but this is really only the beginning. If one could re-purpose art assets and animations for war games, fighting games, multiple casual games, etc…. the benefits are certainly there.

  4. csven says:
    April 1, 2007 at 8:27 am

    Natural fit, imo.

  5. Raph says:
    April 1, 2007 at 9:21 am

    Hot Wheels launched what could well be considered an MMO for their toy cars around 5 years ago, Craig. It was web-based. Track building, car pimping, then racing.

  6. Sean Bulger says:
    April 1, 2007 at 6:15 pm

    Well, I can’t say Hot Wheels doing something like t hat would be terribly surprising.

    I was surprised to hear those statements at the panel, but after poking around the net a bit more to discover these games, I’m not particularly surprised by this link anymore. It makes quite a bit of sense.

  7. Michael Chui says:
    April 1, 2007 at 7:58 pm

    eventually I’m sure pharmaceuticals (should be interesting)

    ZOMG! Dr. Mario Online!

  8. Allen Sligar says:
    April 2, 2007 at 11:42 am

    @Steven

    “…..that build on an IP.”

    Interesting point.

    Theres a lot of “noise” now in this space. Going to be neat to watch how fast this becomes the norm.

  9. Andy Havens says:
    April 2, 2007 at 1:23 pm

    Awhile ago… not sure when it happened, but it was after I started playing WoW (December 2004) but before the SL 1 million mark, I had a realization that, possibly, might help here. If it’s quaint and “duh,” and I’m just figuring out something for myself that everyone else already grokked, well… my apologies. But when it came to me, it made much more sense out of the scene.

    Virtual worlds, including MMOs, aren’t just another manifestation of a current medium — ie, they aren’t “online” versions of pen-and-paper RPGs, or “massive” versions of small-group online activities, or 3D versions of previously 2D or text-based activities. They represent an entirely new medium. Yes… I know. Not that big a deal. Where’s the “a-ha!” Havens? Wait for it… I’m almost there.

    What finally struck me about Second Life, after having played SL first (in its very early days), and then WoW, and then back into SL, was that these spaces are primarily a communications medium that is entertaining, not an entertainment medium that allows for some communication.

    And when you start thinking about all VW’s as a whole — including all the game-y ones and world-y ones and toy-y ones and research-y ones put together — and conceive of that combined space as a communications medium, it not only makes sense that any/every product might have a spot on the grid… even asking the question “Why are they here?” starts to sound, well… odd.

    In a game-y world like WoW, the preponderance of communication is about the game. Yes. We meet in WoW to kill stuff. Yawp. In a world-y world like SL, the commz are about, well… other stuff. Woot.

    But just like “TV” isn’t about what’s on one channel at any given moment — it’s about the entire medium — I don’t think MMOs/VW’s are about games anymore. They started there, sure. They had to start somewhere. TV started somewhere, too. And now we’ve got three golf channels on my cable line-up. Yeesh.

    So saying, “This MMO/VW is an odd choice,” may make sense from the point of view of someone who has always engaged only in game-like behavior. But that’s because the features they’re used to aren’t present. Not because the function of the medium is that much different. A great episode of “24” or “Sex in the City” have very little to do with an infomercial for a George Foreman Grill. But they’re both in the same medium.

    It’s a bigger place than we thought. Here’s the fun question: what shows will be coming to our box next? 🙂

  10. Amaranthar says:
    April 3, 2007 at 1:44 am

    Most of this stuff is pretty simple, isn’t it? It’s by-product, waste, and recyclables. But it has a place, just like that plastic park bench.

  11. Allen Sligar says:
    April 3, 2007 at 10:13 am

    @Andy

    Invert your question, some people are working on that 🙂

  12. Andy Havens says:
    April 4, 2007 at 12:44 pm

    @Allen: Indeed. New skins, new wine. Good times.

  13. Jennifer Alverson says:
    April 7, 2007 at 10:24 pm

    My kids have had so much fun with their Webkinz stuffed animals (they now have 12), that we have started a website http://www.everythingwebkinz.com so that parents and kids who love webkinz can share information about the Webkinz animals and Webkinz world.

    Please join our webiste (no charge) so that you can share your Webkinz knowledge and learn a few things about Webkinz world.

    http://www.everythingwebkinz.com

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