The Great Webkinz Scandal

Okay, it’s not really great great, and it’s hardly a scandal, but in today’s reactionary times, there’s nothing like an incendiary headline. (Brad’s twins were fertilized in vitro. I had to lie down and put a cool cloth on my head after seeing that at the supermarket check out.)

So here’s the deal. If you’re finding that Webkinz are under glass or behind the counter at your favorite toy store lately, it’s because people are stealing the codes. Yes, one of our friends who runs a small toy store actually said he caught a woman nipping off the hangtags with a nail clipper. Of course, if that seems just a little bit too too—oh what’s the word? CRIMINAL, they’re copying down the codes from the hangtags and taking them home and plugging them into the computer.

Well, of course, when that Webkinz is finally sold and taken home to a legitimate and loving family where it will be cherished for a good few hours, the code doesn’t work. In fact, it shows that it’s already been registered, prompting the irate parent to return to the store and demand the money back. Ganz won’t take the product back because the code has been activated. (Indeed, Ganz hasn’t returned our calls for comment on this.) So, who takes it on their little plush chin? The store owners who are stuck with the goods.

Kind of reminds me of my friends in the mortuary business who get stuck, a lot more often than you might imagine, with unclaimed “cremains.” (That’s what’s left over after cremation.) What do you do with all that “inert material?” (You probably don't want to know, but let's just say the forgotten plush toy at the bottom of the toy chest has all the luck.) After all a Webkinz without it’s code is just another plush toy.

I’ve talked to many people about this over the past couple of weeks, and it seems like this is a new kind of development that’s endemic when the economy takes a downturn. Shoplifting goes up, for example.

But, people, this is stealing! There is no justification for it on any level, and it’s not a “victimless crime.” And what a horrible lesson to teach kids. So don’t be surprised to have to ask for Webkinz, and other web-enabled toys in stores over the next few months. It’s a sad commentary, and one wonders who could actually enjoy a toy that they’ve virtually stolen?

Then again, having worked in retail, there isn’t a lot in this vein that surprises me. It’s just too bad.