Most of you probably remember the Beanie Baby craze that swept over the country about 10 years ago.
Now there's a new toy craze for kids...with a high-tech twist.
Webkinz have hit shelves in a store near you, and they're selling like hotcakes.
KHQA's Rajah Maples asked some young buyers today what all the fuss is about.
Ashley and Brooke Price are twins. Their brother got a Webkinz last January, and now they each have one of their own.
Brooke: "I had a garage sale, and made a lot of money, so I wanted to buy one."
Rajah: "Do you have a pet already?"
Ashley: "No, this is going to be my pet."
They even have names already...
Ashley: "Flicka"
Brooke: "Keets"
Rajah: "How do you spell that?
Brooke: (shrugs and squints) "I don't know!"
Rajah's question: "Is this the new beanie baby?"
Dana Golden: "In my opinion, this is bigger than beanie babies, and if your kids haven't gotten one, they might want to get one now, because it's going to get to the point where they're not going to be found anywhere."
Dana Golden is the manager at Kirlin's Hallmark in the Quincy Mall. The store's carried Webkinz since last year. They're small stuffed animals that come with a code kids can use to log on to the Webkinz Web site. That's where the animals come to virtual life.
Dana Golden: "Webkinz are a great tool for kids who need to learn responsibility. It teaches you to take care of your pet. It's like having a real pet at home but one online that you've got to feed, you've got to make sure it's healthy and happy and make sure it has toys to play with."
Webkinz are not just a hit with kids. Teachers see them as educational tools because they introduce kids to computers...and the Web site provides math games.
Dana Golden: "I've had St. Louis teachers order 20 or 30 because they can't find them in their area, and they want to use them in their classrooms. It's something you're going to see for a very long time."
We've heard from at least one parent who's concerned about buying one for her child in fear of online safety.
We checked into that concern and will show you whether parents can breathe a sigh of relief or not tonight at 10.
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