February and March 2013 Webkinz Pets

For February, we have...
 The Brown Boston Terrier, Longhorn Steer, Signature Arctic Hare, and the 2013 Valentine's Day pet: the Candy Heart Pup! In addition, the Springbok is February's Pet of the Month. Not the South African Springbok, which is an eStore only pet--just the Springbok. The difference is pointed out in the picture below.
 

For March, we have...
 The Hyena, Rainbow Pegasus, Peace N' Love Puppy, the Signature Miniature Dachshund, and the Rockerz Fox! March's Pet of the Month is the Bull Terrier.

Go review the Zodiac page on Wikipedia; that ought to explain the whole Zodiac sign thing better than I can.

Webkinz Friends Recieves an Update

For those of you who were noting that Webkinz Friends was too easy, well, now the difficulty has been increased! Which, needless to say, has left many a Webkinz fan very unhappy.

-Energy, formerly taking 3 minutes to regenerate, now takes 5 minutes.
-Certain resources now take longer to grow. (for example, Spaghetti Plant now takes 6 hours instead of 1)
-You can now see certain resources and items that you need to complete a quest to unlock
-For some bizarre reason, it now takes 81 hours to collect from the Curio Shop (the heck happened there?)
-A few of the quests are finally realizing that I've asked friends for things, which is most certainly a bonus. 
-One thing that they admittedly messed up pretty badly: the food-to-time ratio. Carrots still take 5 minutes for 5 units of food, but the rest turned out a little wrong.
Food-Units-Time to grow
Strawberry-9-10 minutes
Sushi-25-2 hours
Tomato-14-45 minutes
Ice Cream Tree-35-3 hours
Zucchini Plant-22-1 hour
Spaghetti Plant-42-6 hours
Cupcake Tree-60-7 hours

-Certain decorations now cost Facebook credits.
Pool=20 Credits
Lovebird Lake=35 Credits (but it gives 900+ town quality)
Hand Sculpted Statue=35 Credits

There's probably a lot more than what I've mentioned, so leave a comment to tell me if I've missed anything. 

I really don't see what everybody's so mad about! Is it so bad that a little handful of items aren't free anymore? And is it really so terrible to have to wait a few more minutes or hours? The nice thing about Webkinz Friends is that, since things run in real time, you don't have to have the page open or even have your computer running for things to grow and regenerate. So you could be spending that extra time doing something else! Ride your bike around the yard, go watch cartoons from the 90's, read that book you really should be reading, practice that song you really need to be practicing, draw something for Drawing Day which happens to be today...

Webkinz World Spring Celebration to Return in 2012!

From March 31 to April 8, 2012, the Spring Celebration will run in Webkinz World! Every day this event takes place, log into your Webkinz World account to receive 1 Milk Chocolate Egg. And when you feed that egg to your pet, there is an 80% chance that you will be given an exclusive Spring Celebration object or clothing article! You can get another egg from the "Today's Activities" page, you can get a White Chocolate Egg from Webkinz Newz, and you can even buy them from the eStore (both the website and the one in Webkinz World).

Plus, on April 8, log into your WW account to get a Spring Celebration Gift Basket, which contains exclusive items as well!

The Spring Celebration is Webkinz World's way of celebrating Easter. Gift baskets have been given out to players who log in on Easter Sunday since 2006. Easter items have been added to the eStore since 2009. Virtual only pets have also been sold in the eStore for this event--the Spring Celebration Bunny was introduced in 2009, and then we've had Easter Triplets for each year since then: the Blue, Yellow, and Purple Springtime Chicks (2010), the Purple, Pink, and Blue Lambs (2011), and the Purple, Green, and Blue Lil' Piglets (2012).
There are Springtime seasonal pets, too, of course:
2007: Sherbet Bunny (retired the next year)
2008: Duck (became the POTM for March 2012)
2009: Lamb, Lil'Kinz Lamb, Cotton Candy Bunny
2010: Marshmallow Bunny
2011: Shimmer Bunny
2012: Dreamy Sheep
There have even been Easter accessories for Webkinz! In 2009, there was the Powder Puff Carrier, which one could use to tote around a single Webkinz. Also in 2009 was the Bunny Hoody Outfit. For plushies, this hasn't been around since 2009, but it can be purchased anytime from Persephone's shop.
There's also an Easter Mazin' Hamster (Carrots) and a KinzKlip (a Lamb, sold as a set with a Webkinz Lamb plushie).

Keep Kinzville Clean Challenge Information

Challenge 1: Keep Kinzville Clean!

Somebody has been littering in the Kinzville Park!

• Pick up 3 pieces of trash at the Kinzville Park
• Plant any 5 packs of Growing Gardens seeds in your pet's yard
• Earn a total of 30 KinzCash playing Flutterbugged at the Arcade

Prize: Zodiac Earth Costume Shoes [previously from a Click-To-Win at Webkinz Newz]

 

Challenge 2: Clean up the Park!

Clear the air by planting trees

•  Pick up 5 pieces of trash at the Kinzville Park
• Achieve a score of 600 points or higher playing Color Storm at the Arcade
• Plant a Cherry Blossom Tree in your pet's yard (if you already own one, just put it in your dock and put it back in the yard; it still counts)

Prize: Zodiac Earth Costume Hat

 

Challenge 3: Fresh air!

Enjoy the outdoors

• Pick up 10 pieces of trash at the Kinzville Park
• Buy any three items from the Outdoors section of the W-Shop
• Earn a total of 20 KinzCash playing Tulip Troubles 2 at the Arcade

Prize: Zodiac Earth Costume Top; Zodiac Earth Costume Bottom 

A Picnic with Cowabelle Challenge Information

 This challenge only has 2 sets of tasks, instead of the usual 3.

Challenge 1: A Picnic With Cowabelle

 Help Cowabelle prepare for a picnic!

• Achieve a score of 1,500 points or higher playing Hungry Hog at the Arcade
• Make a snack using the stove, sandwich maker, or blender
• Feed your pet 3 Jumbleberries from Jumbleberry Fields

Prize: Cheese & Tomato Sandwich (recipe); Goo-Goo Berry Juice Box (Recess lunch)

Challenge 2: It's Picnic Time!

Enjoy some fresh Watermelon.

• Earn a total of 50 KinzCash playing Picnic at the Arcade
• Feed your pet 5 Farm Fresh Watermelons
• Earn a total of 1,200 points playing Ant Mania at the Arcade

Prize: Picnic Time Basket  [otherwise obtained from entering the feature code for a Picnic Time Charcoal Cat Series 2 Figurine]

Keep Kinzville Clean Challenge

Challenge 1: Keep Kinzville Clean!

Somebody has been littering in the Kinzville Park!

• Pick up 3 pieces of trash at the Kinzville Park
• Plant any 5 packs of Growing Gardens seeds in your pet's yard
• Earn a total of 30 KinzCash playing Flutterbugged at the Arcade

Prize: Zodiac Earth Costume Shoes [previously from a Click-To-Win at Webkinz Newz]

 

Challenge 2: Clean up the Park!

Clear the air by planting trees

•  Pick up 5 pieces of trash at the Kinzville Park
• Achieve a score of 600 points or higher playing Color Storm at the Arcade
• Plant a Cherry Blossom Tree in your pet's yard (if you already own one, just put it in your dock and put it back in the yard; it still counts)

Prize: Zodiac Earth Costume Hat

UPDATED Shopping Spree Challenge Information

Challenge 1: Shopping Spree

Make your way to the mall!

• Earn a total of 30 KinzCash playing Webkinz Rally in the Arcade
• Play SPREE! and roll the dice 3 times
• Spin the Wheel of WOW 3 times

Prize: 100 KinzCash

Challenge 2: Keep Shopping

Spend some KinzCash!

• Spend 300 KinzCash in the W-Shop or KinzStyle Outlet
• Land on any Shopping Bag space during a game of SPREE!
• Buy a souvenir from Sheldon's Souvenir Shack during your next Tropical Island Vacation

Prize: Spree Standee [otherwise found at the SPREE! mall]

   

Challenge 3: Shop 'Til You Drop 
Keep shopping!

•   Spend 400 KinzCash in the W-Shop for KinzStyle Outlet
• Draw a card from the deck during a game of SPREE!
• Buy an item from Arte at the Curio Shop

Prize: Shopaholic Wallpaper; Shopaholic Flooring (eStore items) 

Countdown to Christmas Event Information

Today marks the start of the annual search for Ms. Birdy at the Clubhouse! This event will keep going from today, December 14, to December 26. Below, you will find some more information on this fun event...

• Ms. Birdy stays in the Santakinz Room all day, not moving to other rooms as she has in the past. This should make this event a breeze for those without much Webkinz World playing time, or those with lots of accounts. 
• There is a different prize each day. If you miss a day, you will not get the prize for the day you missed. 
• Holders of Deluxe accounts are supposed to be able to have full account benefits as long as their Deluxe account is active. However, Deluxe account holders who have not adopted a pet in 12 months are having this feature ignored by Ms. Birdy, who is telling them that they cannot participate in this event. It is hoped by many that this is merely a glitch, and, according to many customer service representatives, programmers are looking into this issue and should have it corrected promptly. 
• For visiting Ms. Birdy on all 12 days, and getting all 12 prizes, you are rewarded with a special badge for your My Page. 

Have fun!

Halloween Arrives in Webkinz World!

Players logging into their accounts today should find their Halloween gifts waiting for them in their docks. 

Unless you have an Asian account; if this is the case, Halloween was yesterday. 

I won't post pictures of the Halloween Gifts until tomorrow, so nobody has the surprise ruined for them. 

Now, for more details on Halloween in Webkinz World...

• The Halloween Theme will be available until November 7, 2011. After that date, all items in the theme will disappear until next Halloween. As with any seasonal theme, there is no way to tell what will return next year and what won't, so stock up now!
• The Halloween Mission continues until November 5.
• The Clubhouse Ghost will cease to appear after today, so if you don't have your Jack-O'-Lantern yet, go and get the rest of the candy. The time has been shortened to a 1 hour wait between candies, so if you already got a few candies, then it shouldn't take too long. 
• For some reason, the Super Wheel, which has appeared in previous Halloweens since 2009, decided not to show up this year. Alas. 

More Hoppy Little Rocket Information

After playing a round of Hoppy Little Rocket, the newest Arcade game in WW, I have discovered the following things about it:

• Whatever pet you're playing as will appear in the window of the rocket ship. 
• At the start of the game, you move by using little floating Turkeys and Chickens as trampolines. Turkeys can be used many times, but Chickens will disappear after one use. Somewhere around 3,800 points, there will be Blufadoodles that move up and down and Pinktastic Peacocks that move from side to side. 
• If you don't have a lot of patience, then do not play this game. It took me over 30 minutes just to earn 48 KinzCash.
• Adding to the previous note, if you prefer games where you can make KinzCash easily, do not play this game.
• And if you do not like games where you're constantly questioning where physics come into effect, do not play this game. How are the birds flying in place? How can they fly that high in the air? How is your Webkinz able to survive the vacuum of space, let alone breathe? Why are there so many birds in one place? How are you able to steer the rocket? How do you safely return to Earth? Wouldn't your cardboard rocket ship immediately burn up upon reentry? Why is gravity at the same strength no matter how high in the sky you get? Where did they get so many birds willing to participate in this game?

...they did not exaggerate when they said this is one wacky game.