Webkinz Frog: Cute But Definitely Not Cuddly

A local business I've never shopped in recently had a sidewalk sale. Curious but not really intending to buy anything, I browsed the tables. I immediately fell in love with the Webkinz frog and took it home with me for $5.

I vaguely knew that Webkinz existed before that, but hadn't seen one and vaguely thought them the newest incarnation of Beanie Babies. In a way they are, but they also include codes to unlock items in an online play world.

The physical Webkinz are midsized stuffed animals. This frog is 8.5 inches long and maybe 6 inches high. He looks very much like a frog about to leap with bulging eyes at the top of his head. He has a very soft white velvety fur on his belly and the bottom of his feet (one of which includes the rainbow colored W that's apparently the Webkinz logo) and a coarser thin thread-like coating of green everywhere else. The fabric underneath the thread almost feels like a stretchy elastic and is much, much harsher than the white sections. The only thing missing is a tongue - while this frog has a definite chin and mouth area, it has no defined area for opening and certainly no frog-like tongue.

The Webkinz frog is cute as a button but it's not very cuddly. The green material is too scratchy and harsh for that. That's really disappointing. I was just as interested in hugging and touch as looks in my stuffed animals as a kid and this Webkinz frog would not have held my attention when I was younger. I can appreciate its decorative qualities more now, but would still prefer a better feel.

I'd love to comment on the web aspects of this stuffed animal, but I can't. The site won't load on my Mac in either of two supposedly supported browsers. Obviously there's some other requirement that isn't listed that I don't meet.

I fell in love with the Webkinz frog at first sight and I still think it looks delightful. However, the majority of the surface is coarse and loosely covered with stringy threads which isn't a pleasant tactile experience. If you get stuffed animals primarily as decoration, this is an excellent choice. If you like to cuddle look elsewhere.