Hasbro’s newest addition to the Littlest Pet Shop Familyhas arrived at LittlestPetShop.com! Introducing Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s!. Hasbro gave me the opportunity to try a Littlest Pet Shop VIP for free so I gave these a whirl - and I liked what I saw.

What are the Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s?
For starters, VIP stands for “Virtual Interactive Pet”. You get to play with it online. The Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s are cuddly stuffed animals that come with a secret code on their collar. After you purchase the stuffed animal, you log on to LittlestPetShop.com, create an account, and register your secret code. Now your cute stuffed animal has come life online.

What is the Littlest Pet Shop VIP virtual world like?

The Littlest Pet Shop VIP virtual world is a fun place to be. The best part, of course, is the games. Choices include

• Flying High Hang Gliding,
• Super Sundae Maker,
• Leaping Lily Pads,
• Wildest Water Tubing, and
• Sporty Skateboarding.

Just to name a few - there are many more that I have not mentioned. And it appears that even more games are going to be added soon.

The games are fun for older kids, yet simple enough for younger children to have success with.

When you play a game you earn virtual dollars so your pet can go shopping. As of now the shops include:

• Supermart (here you can buy food to feed your pet),
• Pet Boutique (purchase the latest clothing and accessories for your pet), and
• Department Store (selling furnishings for your pet’s home).

These shops are located in the Village area of the Littlest Pet Shop VIP world. The VIP world is divided into six areas:

• Village,
• Get Better Center
• Playground
• Adoption Center
• Forest and
• Your House

Each area has lots of activities to do. Navigating around the Littlest Pet Shop VIP world is easy. At the bottom of the screen there are icons to help you during your visit. There is an interactive map that shows you where you are and allows you to jump from place to place. There is also an icon with a list of the shops and games, so you can click to go directly to any activity.

Social Interaction and Internet Safety
At this point your pet is the only pet in your Littlest Pet Shop VIP world.

In the interest of internet safety (very important!) Hasbro does not include the option to interact with other people’s pets. Most parents will appreciate this feature. However you can register more than one pet on each account.

There are also a few creatures that come with the Littlest Pet Shop VIP world that your pet can interact with. These are computer generated. For example there is one creature that will play a scavenger hunt with your pet.

Give it a Try - FREE
Still not sure if this is right for you? You can try out the Littlest Pet Shop VIP virtual world for FREE. Just create an account at LittlestPetShop.com, and in the adoption center click on Borrow. You will be given the opportunity to take the dalmation through the Littlest Pet Shop VIP world and play the games. I love this “try before you buy” feature.

I have to stress that the online world is NOT the only part of the Littlest Pet Shop VIP experience. Actually owning the stuffed animal is just as much fun. My son (who is 7) loves his stuffed penguin and actually takes it to school in his backpack everyday! And my 9 year old son is coveting the turtle (maybe a holiday gift?). Obviously, it’s not just for girls.

How do the Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s compare to Webkinz?
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Webkinz. After all, the two seem very similar. But it truly is comparing apples and oranges - they are not the same. Webkinz has been around for a while so the online interface is more mature. But the Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s are from the wildly popular Littlest Pet Shop line, so the stuffed toy itself is a cool toy. If you are already a Littlest Pet Shop fan then the VIP’s are a must have. If you are new to Littlest Pet Shop, then the VIP’s are a good place to start. They are fresh, they are fun, and they are not as common as Webkinz.

Where Can I Buy Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s?
The VIP’s are available at HasbroToyShop.com and Amazon.com and at major toy retailers in New York City. After the new year they will be in major toy retailers around the country.

The Littlest Pet Shop VIP world at LittlestPetShop.com is a fun, safe place for kids to play online. It appeals to all ages - from kindergartners (even some tech savvy preschoolers) through tweens. Just in time for the holidays, Littlest Pet Shop VIP’s will be turning up in stockings everywhere!

If you have kids in elementary school, you have probably heard of Webkinz.

You buy the stuffed animals at specialty stores and use the attached secret code at their website. (they are not available at large chain stores but rather at smaller specialty stores - there is a store locator tool at www.webkinz.com) The secret code gives you access to the web version of the stuffed animal for one year - after this you have to pay a renewal fee if you want to continue for another year.

Once online, your web animal comes with a room, a few starter furnishings, and some virtual Kinzcash. You then play arcade style games to earn more Kinzcash, which your pet can use to buy virtual food, clothing, furnishings etc. You can play games against, chat with, and invite other Webkinz over to your room. However, the chat is limited to canned, preset phrases and only Webkinz that you have placed on your friends list can come over - you can also kick them out at any time.

There are also daily events which your pet can do once a day - among these is our favorite, the gem hunt. Every day your pet gets three chances to mine a gem. Once you acquire all of the available gems you get “the legendary crown of wonder”.

My kids each have one pet but many of their friends have several.

When toy ideas like this take off, I wonder how the project got started. Globeandmail.com has a good article on the background of Webkinz.

And families.com has a unique idea on how long distance family members can use Webkinz to keep in touch and stay involved in each others lives.

How many of your kids play Webkinz, and what are your thoughts about this virtual playground?