As any parent can attest, children's holiday lists gets more expensive to fulfill as the kids get older. Since the early 80's, those rising costs can be directly related to technology-driven toys and gadgets. Now two- and three-year olds are requesting $250 rideable dinosaurs and $150 animatronic dolls of their favorite television characters. Wouldn't it be nice if you could satisfy your child's technological desires with a gift that isn't going to break the bank? If you're lucky enough to find one, Zhu Zhu Pets just might fit that description.
As one of the most popular battery-operated toys of the 2009 holiday season, Zhu Zhu Pets are flying off shelves nationwide. Costing less than $10 per pet and less than $20 for related accessories, Zhu Zhu Pets are an economical alternative to pricier technology-driven toys in these tough financial times. The appeal of these little hamsters is summed up on their official website – complete with bios on each pet. It is stated that Zhu Zhu Pets are "the best alternative to real live hamsters; they don't poop, die, or stink, but they are still a riot of motion and sound."
Zhu Zhu Pets operate in two play modes: nurturing mode and adventure mode. With ramps, wheels and even a hamster car and garage, kids can interact with the furry creatures to their hearts' content. And the pets' actions aren't 100% predictable. Thanks to the innovative engineers behind the technology that drives the hamsters, Zhu Zhu Pets randomly give their two-legged playmates cues that they need assistance during their explorations, and they also respond to touch.
Zhu Zhu Pets are not only interactive and inexpensive, but they also attract a range of age groups. Clearly, price is not the only factor in this toy's appeal. The driving force behind Cepia LLC – the company that created Zhu Zhu Pets – revolves around the idea that, "Technology that is sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable of magic. Cepia employs technology in such an unobtrusive way, that all of our toys are fun to play with, and often seen as 'wonderful' or 'magical'." That belief is what drives Russell Hornsby, co-founder of Cepia LLC.
As a veteran of the toy industry, Hornsby, who also later worked for decades in his family-run toy company, co-founded Cepia LLC with his two daughters in 2002. Interestingly, as reported in a recent Washington Post article about Hornsby, the inspiration behind these feisty little creatures was the tens of millions of people who are estimated to own living hamsters. While Zhu Zhu Pets are currently marketed to children and their parents, they are definitely a toy that could potentially develop a cult following of adults. There's even a Zhu Zhu Pet iPhone app available for their older fans.
Zhu Zhu Pets are recommended for ages 4 and up, and are available at a variety of retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us.
