# Webkinz

> Webkinz shortages accompanied a rise to 5.274 million monthly US visitors.

- Owner: Ganz
- Kind: Product
- Sector: Toys & collectibles
- Seed date: 2005-04-29
- Milestone date: By end of 2007
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 43 (Notable, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Scarcity drop, Dupe economy, Controversy

## Summary

Ganz paired plush pets with online codes, and shops ran short as traffic grew. Rival toy makers copied the model. Retailers alleged tied purchases, and a child advocacy group later sought an FTC investigation.

## Timeline

- 2005-04-29 — Ganz (Retail) — Ganz launched plush pets whose codes unlocked virtual versions in Webkinz World.
- 2006-08-18 — Ganz / Susan McVeigh (Retail) — Ganz said sales had passed one million toys after 14 months, with weekly totals above 10,000.
- 2007-04-13 — Specialty retailers interviewed by TDmonthly (Retail) — Only one of nine retailers had Webkinz in stock; sellers alleged forced purchases of other Ganz goods.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/webkinz

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Webkinz.” Case HIS-01354. Spread Score v1.2: 43/100. Updated 2026-10-22. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01354