Webkinz - Yea or Nay?

For years, people have argued whether Webkinz are a good thing for kids or not. For a while last year, no one could get any and we fielded 30-50 calls a day from people looking for the little plush toys with an online code on them. All of the sudden, we got a ton of them in - just like everyone else and they sat on the shelves. They certainly sold OK, but not at the rate they did when they were scarce.

Anyhoo, the argument basically runs from the pro-Webkinz (they offer educational games online, computer skills, time away from the TV) to the anti-Webkinz (you call those educational games?, I don't want my kid online, how hard can it be for a kid to learn to mouse?). I've been in the middle. Many of them are cute enough, and they're not ludicrously expensive and while the online don't seem too educational to me, they're innocent and fun enough.

Check out this article in Slate (perhaps the best website in history) about Webkinz.