The fantastic
online "virtual pet" community, Neopets at
neopets.com, is so popular that a merchandise line is now
available. Even Hasbro and Thinkway Toys are producing Neopet toys. There's
plenty to do at the site, and best of all, it's free! We show you
what Neopets.com has to offer.
What Are Neo Pets?
NeoPets are virtual pets that kids access online. Children feed their pets, offer them toys, collect Neopoints (the Neopia currency), trade with others in the community, play games, and more. The basic idea is to keep your Neopets happy and healthy, but there are many "other" things to do at the site.
How Do You Get Started?
Kids need to sign up and create an account at the Neopets site (neopets.com). It's free and requires an email address. First off, they pick their age and create a user ID. (NeoPets has over 40 million users to date, so choosing a good name, like choosing a great domain name, is difficult).
After
activating their account (by confirming your email address), kids
choose their first pet's species (such as "Chia" - see
screenshot at right). Note that children can "own" no
more than four pets at a time, which is a good thing because the
pets can be hard to keep track of, and hard to keep happy, when
there are too many. After this, the pet can be personalized by
choosing its color, gender, personality (for example, how does it
greet strangers?), and name. Finally, kids are brought to a screen
that randomly generates their Neopet's stats that show its
strengths, weaknesses, and size.
The Fun Begins...
Once a NeoPet is created, kids enter Neopia. They'll want to keep their Neopet(s) happy and healthy by offering them food and toys, but these pets don't always like the food they're offered! They might find a toy "boring" as well.
Kids can buy new items in shops, and they can even haggle with shopkeepers. In fact, over time, they can create their own shops.
Then there are the games...puzzles, action games, chance games, and so on. Some are educational (such as a math game that requires rapidly entering answers to math equations), and others are just for fun. Kids earn NeoPoints when they succeed at the games -- these are flash games that are decent quality. The games can take a little time to download with slower internet connections.
Other things to do include battling in the Battledome ("weapons" are rather tame, such as the cookie dough bomb), chat with other players, join clubs, explore new lands, and even trade stocks. We liked the fact that kids can open up a bank account and earn interest on their NeoPoints. Another feature that (kind of) teaches kids some real-world skills is the Auctions option. Kids can bid on items that are up for auction and/or put their own items up.
There are random surprises here and there, plenty of newsletters that keep children up to speed on the latest happenings in the community, and more. The site seems to be well-monitored and supported.
NeoPets News - First Ever Console Game
The first-ever console game starring Neopets is set to be released in September 2005. Neopets: The Darkest Faerie for the PlayStation 2 will allow players to guide a knight named Tor and his sorceress partner Roberta (switching between the two characters) on a quest to defeat the Darkest Faerie, set in familiar Neopets lands such as the Haunted Woods and Meridell. There will even be PetPets to take care of in this much-anticipated video game for the PS2.
NeoPet Toys
Thinkway Toys
has released a new line of voice-activated Neopets toys. These
cute toys are about four inches high, and they respond to children
in different ways, depending on which Neopet it is. For example,
the adorable little blue Kacheek (pictured at left) features light-up cheeks,
wiggling ears, and a nodding head--all activated by a child's
voice--and the Kougra "kneads" the ground with its paws
while Uni flaps its wings. These toys respond to kids' voices with
sound, voice, and lights. Their moods change depending on the tone
of voice used to speak to them! See our full review
of these toys.
A
board game that allows
kids to play some familiar Neopets mini-games offline, and with
their friends or siblings. Neopets Game
features game pieces, a spinner, cards, and a board. Children have fun in Neopia
in a totally different way. Parents will appreciate the idea that
kids are enjoying their favorite characters without tying up the
family computer quite as much. Our kid testers thoroughly enjoy
playing Adventures in Neopia, the board game.
Neopets Interactive Plushies from Thinkway are available to buy. These soft toys are voice-activated pets. They are approximately 9 inches tall, and they respond to children's voices with lights, sound, and chatter. They interact with other interactive Neopet plushies as well--in fact they recognize other Petpets by name and have unique reponses to each! Each Petpet responds to yes/no questions. Some sample phrases include Shoyru's "Could you rub my tummy?" and Uni's "Can you brush my mane?"
Neopets Plushies with less interactivity are also available. These Petpets feature light-up cheeks and some sound effects.
Here are the NeoPets toys currently available at Toys R Us online. We've arranged them in order of popularity. Click on a link to find more information about the product, or to buy:
The Neopets Trading Card Game (TCG)
See our review of the collectible, playable card game starring Neopets here.
NEW - Neopets Collectables - Neopets now has their own eBay store:
The people at Neopets now have an eBay store called NeopetsCollectables, where they sell Limited Edition plushies. All plushies available through the Neopets Ebay store are authentic Neopets products. Currently available in the store:
The Neopets Magazine
Neopets Magazine Subscription. (affiliate link)
Subscribers get 6 issues of the official Neopets magazine over 12 months.
Each magazine offers fans information about their favorite Neopets characters and areas of Neopia. Reviews and previews of Neopets products and the trading card game are included, as well as games, articles that teach kids how to draw Neopets, contests, exclusive Neopets tips and tricks, and each magazine includes a special Neopets poster.
McDonald's Neopets Plushies
If you missed
some (or all) of the Neopets Plushies offered in McDonald's Happy
Meals in June (the promotion ended June 24th), you can certainly find sets and individual Neopets
on ebay.
It's a great way to find the Neopets toys your kids missed (and
really want).
McDonald's 2005 Neopets Plushies: There were 12 plushies in 7 different colors. The promotion ended August 4, 2005.
| #1
Bruce #2 Kiko #3 Flotsam #4 Kacheek #5 Poogle #6 Kougra |
#7 Gelert #8 Mynci #9 Kyril #10 Meecra #11 Grarrl #12 Pteri |
McDonald's 2004 Neopets Plushies come in an assortment of colors. (This promotion ended June 24th, 2004). The basic varieties are:
| #1
Scorchio #2 Lupe #3 Aisha #4 Chomby #5 JubJub #6 Blumaroo #7 Moehog #8 Neopian Mystery Item (Magic Nova, Paintbrush, Speckled Egg, Ultra Nova) |
#9
Ixi #10 Techo #11 Wocky #12 Quiggle #13 Shoyru #14 Grundo #15 Uni #16 Yurble |
In other words, there are 15 Neopets and 4 Neopian Mystery Items, for a total of 19 unique plushies. For super collectors, there are 109 toys in all, which include all 19 varieties in every color available.
Search for NeoPets toys at Amazon.com:
Neopets Toys (affiliiate link)
