webkinz next is fully capable of scratching a very particular itch. i know i give it a hard time in this video, but if you dig it, don't let me take away your enjoyment of it. i love you and i hope you're doing okay patreon.com/clue
love u too kk! webkinz next is almost better than classic on mobile😭 sure, it doesn’t look the same, but the amount of features it has makes me satisfied on ipad, you can’t even access the town on webkinz classic… the glitches aren’t that bad for me, but there are still glitches
I agree that the plushes being Beanie Boo bootlegs is so much more unappealing. The style of the original plushes was simplistic but so versatile so you could have both an extremely realistic bobcat and a colorful puppy and they'd look cute. That was the fun of the originals: There was something for everyone who wanted a Webkinz plush. The new ones don't have that same positive. Yes, they could be more appealing to kids, but Beanie Boos are already an option and the Webkinz ones look more...Soulless and kinda scary? And this is coming from someone who likes big eyes on a toy/plush. Maybe future plushes could be improved by giving them more features, like a mouth, but idk if that will ever happen.
even though the older webkinz plush have smaller eyes than the new ones, i would never feel like the old plush have 'beady' eyes. the new ones somehow have very beady eyes.
I really wish the old style would come back, but from what I’ve been told the new style is cheaper to make which benefits Ganz as they’re not raking in as much cash as they did during Webkinz’ prime. It makes me so sad they look so so ugly though
Man, hearing you can only spark x amount of times PER PET FOREVER is so sad. You think they'd just have a timer attached to it. The idea of semi-randomly-generated dog frogs filling up your house seems so fun. And it goes without saying, but I miss when plushes looked purposefully toy-like. I had an adorable blue hippo Webkins with cute little sack-shaped feet that was fun to wiggle around or sit up at odd angles. New Webkins are like... figurines but soft.
that's been a trend with plushies in general i think my first Build-a-Bear was all floppy and i still sleep with him, every other Build-a-Bear i've gotten since is all stiff and uncomfortable to cuddle, just setpieces i imagine it's cheaper but it's a real shame
Yeah. I still collect the old Webkinz (whatever ones I find, when I go to a thrift store). But the new ones look...Bad Can't speak about Build a Bear, because I never really had them. But I do have a Pikachu plush, that is basically a soft figurine (set pose, can't really move joints)
i know this probably isnt what you had in mind but the concept of an adults marketed webkinz is so funny, could you imagine if one of the hangout spots was a proper bar where your little character could get a beer, or if ms birdy said Fuck a single time and never again
i would give this all my money. honestly their demographic is now mostly teens and young adults anyway, i feel like gen alpha kids arent rlly playing webkinz
there's this brand of plushes I stumbled onto recently while passing by a tourist shop in my city. they're called "Palm Pals" and they're just round chubby little guys and all the animals with tails have these short stubby little tails and I absolutely adore them. I got the forest fox, it's so soft, and the design is nice because while they're homogenous in size and shape (designed with their little feet pointing forward so they sit, hence the name, they're designed to sit in the palm of your hand easily) the different animals actually have a very nice variation to them. They are generally too pricy for my tastes, this shop actually sold them very cheap compared to Amazon. But I'm just obsessed with the design of them and love my little fox so much. Companies NEED to learn that most people will prefer Little Guys over bug eyed soulless abominations. that unicorn looks like it would murder me in my sleep
btw for anyone looking to buy, in case you can't find them they're sold by the brand aurora; palm pals is the name of the "collection" also i have a pumpkin one and it has silly little legs and everyone needs one
As a 19 year old classic player that has been playing for literally as long as I can remember, I wish they would lean into us more. There is such a large and thriving adult webkinz fandom, and leaning into nostalgia or even bringing back the old style of pets would be such a good move.
to be fair with regards to the purposeless empty rooms, that was also something in the original game. you were just supposed to pick a hangout spot you liked the aesthetic of so you could chat with your friends online. that concept is a lot less novel now than it was then, though, so i’m not exactly in favor of it. plus, the original at least did have more rooms with purpose than the new game does.
When I was a kid, I LOVED beanie boos. I thought they were the cutest darn thing ever. But those new Webkinz pets are a bit unsettling, and even my kid self would have thought that
Wild that after like 3 years that's all the game has to offer. Though sparking is a neat concept at the very least. It really strikes me as they need a UI person though jeez.
Slight correction, the Ganz eStore was not a replacement for the plush pets being discontinued. The eStore has been around since 2010 and has always offered virtual pets for sale.
I’m new to this channel, so I’m probably late to the party on this, but the live-action footage being filmed in 4:3 on a lower-quality camera against a backdrop decked out exclusively in 2000’s gaming paraphernalia has convinced me that this man is a magical time-traveler and it’s amazing.
I think Ganz made the right choice in keeping both games playable, but Next needs so much work it’s kind of unrealistic to expect players to want to switch from the classic version. Webkinz Classic has SO much content. I’ve played it on and off for years. They really could do something cool for the anniversary with a throwback collection of plushies or something.
my first webkinz plush was a pink duck looking fella called a "googles", I believe i named him Gary... it's probably been over a decade now, and I still have him! Some years ago I also got a smaller white googles who is now his son :) I was too small and dumb to fully understand the webkinz site as a kid, but I still hold so much nostalgia for the plushies, sad to learn they arent really making those anymore D: But that just how it be 😔
I love Googles! I have two Lil'Kinz Googles named Moogles and Byloogles, a pink one named Shezoogles, and a blue one named Perroogles. As well as digital only white Googles named Wizoogles and a candy one named Mary Soogle :3
the limit on sparking is a HUGE missed opportunity. i would literally play webkinz next as a mad science sim if i could just breed my pets and create mutants all day. sad!
It's funny you mention Toontown Rewritten because I've actually been getting into its sister game, Toontown Corporate Clash, which keeps the Toontown formula, but it has more of a plot and adds a lot of new features that I think is awesome for those who like playing toontown but also want something new
Aw man I LOVE TTCC! I just got into it recently too from watching JelloApocalypse play with his friends. I never played the OG as a kid like I played Webkinz, but I totally get the nostalgia and LOVE all the new stuff the TTCC team is doing!
I was gonna joke about how the Webkins Next plushes feel like an unholy fusion of Webkins and Funko Pops with the giant void eyes but then my brain derailed and imagined a world where Funko Pops had their own 2000’s toy-based online game 😰
I always loved beanie boos, I loved collecting them, I have like 60 rn, but honestly I agree that the new Webkinz pets are just uncanny and souless. The old Webkinz pets designs were so perfect!! Why do this to them?
I completely agree with you with just about every single opinion you have! This video was a blast to watch and I actually laughed out loud several times, One detail I like is that the doggos wag their tails, I think that’s a cute detail, but it’s a shame how mediocre most of the models are. I’d loveee to see a Toontown x Webkinz crossover someday, Toontown and Webkinz were both very important childhood games to me and them combining would be awesome!
I had so many of the Classic Webkinz growing up, and you hit right on the nail with how creative their designs were and how much they appealed to kids. I had a Midnight Monster plush named Perfect, which is one of the derpiest looking creatures out there. His whole body was lumpy, he had a huge nose and mismatched patterns, and I loved him to bits. Slept with him every night because I struggled with nightmares and believed he'd help keep me safe. I can't believe that this company who created such beautiful plushes have now been making Beanie Boo knockoffs. There's no personality behind those eyes.
as someone who never really stepped away from webkinz classic and still plays on a regular basis, i loved your last video on the topic, and agree with everything you said here. awesome coverage, interesting insight, and thanks for sacrificing your brain to play webkinz next for more than 10 minutes hahaha
What really holds me back from these kinds of games, is them turning virtual goods into limited content FOMO opportunities. I'm a collector, so i'm not gonna get invested into a game that's going to A) Punish me for either, coming in too late, to possibly own everything at some point, or B) Missing out on time-limited content because i have a life.
I wonder if I’m the only one who’d love to watch a separate video of the captured footage with the live reactions. Or perhaps a super cut of the most interesting bits?
there are literally independent creators with a more polished game after 3 years than an entire company that has been running for 20 years. that's really sad. i hope they can make some legit improvements or else i foresee them going bust pretty soon.
these new webkinz plushes look like prototype beanie boos, honestly- love your videos kk, specially when i got a yummy dessert to eat while watching :D
if webkinz catered to the adults they would be so rich. It couldve basically been the plushy/virtual world equivalent of Warhammer 40K. Same with toon town...
delighted to see a new update video for this! i revisit the old one every now and then, and this one was just as good as the last one. but also i am sorry to now be in the comments also asking what the outro song was cause it was a genuine bop 🙏🙏
I really love the clips of you just messing around and testing the limits of the game its awesome :) especially the end where you just said "i have to pee" its very sillay
i'm so glad to see you coming back and making another video on next! it's such a surreal and strange game that i share your criticisms on but i can't help but love. i play it every day myself - i feel there are just enough features to keep me interested (and daily play gets you free diamonds/premium currency and i'm a cheapskate) but it's so barren of features at the same time that i don't feel like it's this huge task to get all the daily stuff done. for anyone else who reads the comments for extra insight on topics you're fascinated in like me, i love telling people how weird this game is, so keep reading if you're interested... the bad controls and glitches honestly play into the game's lacking accessibility too. the buttons can be so tiny and there is no UI scaling option i'm aware of - makes it really hard to play when my hands are especially shaky and even on good days i'm using the corner of my finger to tap certain buttons when playing mobile. kids can struggle with controls like this that require extremely precise fine motor movement more than adults, too, which is weird in a game designed for children. i've actually taken this issue up with the developers during an in-game meet and greet session and they seemed receptive when i told them the tiny buttons and precise controls can be a barrier, but this was many months ago and they haven't done much for it. sadly some devs don't really think it's a big deal when some people have trouble playing their games. i have hope though because the voice commands are new and can help the game be more accessible. anyway, certain controls in minigames can be unplayable on one platform but fine on another too. it's very weird to need to swap from pc to mobile or vice versa to play a minigame you need for the seasons checklist. the glitches are one of the things that make this game so surreal and enjoyable to me at the same time. the devs and people who speak to them personally have all brought up the claim that they needed to make a new game and stop majorly developing webkinz classic because that game's code is from 2005 and very hard to rework. i honestly doubt that it's impossible but would probably just be a lot of work for not much turnover in profit, and that's okay. it's just that their new game is even more plagued by glitches than the old one. i remember once a couple years ago i introduced some friends to the game, and one somehow found a secret jetski out of bounds, and the other jumped on it and IMMEDIATELY was banned for a week. i have a strike on my account because i found a glitch that gave infinite premium currency and i half-thought it was intentional because i was seeing so many OTHER glitches. one time i sparked a baby webkinz and she disappeared into the ether. normal functioning game yknow. the graphics have honestly started to become a bit more refined. this new pet called the pixie tiger came out recently and it looks pretty normal, not crusty or with scary eyes or anything at all. i got so excited about a pet that didn't look scary that i got one. there was also a post on their twitter announcing the pig character at the farmer's market would be getting a makeover and asking fans what they think made him look so creepy. hopefully their 3D modeler just has gotten more experience and they're thinking of going through and redoing some creepy models. it seems like they really do listen to fan criticism, just very very very slowly. that's kind of the ganz way. this was a really fun video to watch as someone who's gotten almost every glitch that showed up here. i really wouldn't call webkinz next a good time but i would say it's a fun time if you're willing to accept it's kind of barren and more of something you check in on a little each day. if you're also hesitant like clue about giving money to such a buggy and insecure game, and you're willing to pull a long con, you can build up diamonds over time by getting the daily reward, completing the monthly seasons checklist, doing new player quests, and OCCASIONALLY finding some in the mines or by random rewards. there's so much more i could talk about but alas i'm not also a youtuber and it's also almost 4 in the morning. you don't even know about limited edition babies.
I went to go play Webkinz Classic again after watching this video, and I managed to get stuck since it wants me to change my password (it's 6 characters, 8 is now minimum) but the change password forum requires me to know the names of my pets... which I haven't known for over 10 years. Sigh.
That sucks :( have you tried contacting support? I lost my childhood account (did not log in for 10 years and it was erased) but picked webkinz back up a few years ago on a new account and it's still enjoyable. I wish I had my old pets and house but the nostalgia is still there even without them. If support can't help and you still want to play, a new account is always an option!
This video is my same opinion, I play a game called animal jam and it handles a new 3d game way better. They had a beta for the new version so by the time it released it already had loads to do, and they recently gave the aj classic community and update by ringing back an old building aka club geoz, just shows how much better ajhhq handles their community (just my opinion tho)
great video! 👍 I really appreciate that you didn't linger on the things you personally didn't like and instead mostly focused on the larger more general problems!
oh my god i made that meme you put up about what plush companies think is cute i just got jumpscared so hard that image haunts me /lh i like your videos btw x,)
To be fair, the culture of MMORPGs and the internet in general has completely changed from 15, even 20 years ago. Children do not reach for these types of online interactions anymore when there is TikTok and Instagram so easily accessible, where you can SEE and hear real life people rather than relying on paid aesthetics and avatars. Those barren rooms with no features is a relic from its predecessors, where players would gather just to chat or roleplay. Its difficult to recreate that if your game peaks at 40 online players. Its also difficult to garner a playerbase for a dying game genre.
MMOs aren't dying, just look at some of the best right now like FFXIV and Guild Wars 2 but Browser/Children MMOs definately aren't doing great out of the lot of them, Straight blogs and chat rooms barely appeal to a younger audience anymore, and making a glorified version of that isn't gonna pull anyone
They'd appeal a lot more if they stuck to customization. Kids love making weird OCs and there's no game out there that capitalized on.childrens desires to make the most sparkly of sparkle dogs
This video is golden. you said everything id been thinking. been playing webkinz regularly since 2008. i feel like theyve been ignoring the actual fans.
I actually like the new ones TBH. I own Pride Lion, Boston Terrier, and Cocker Spaniel. While I don't play Next much, they are adorable in Classic and have such high quality plushies IRL If you like classic pets, there's still new with tag toys on reseller sites for the same price as the new ones. Both are good to me.
15:25 they should just make some kind of egg system where players can slowly make their way to earn smth to spark with. it could be anything (egg, gem, heart) and the first one would be given for free. and then just add a cap to how many webkins can be out in the world/in inventory.
If they made figures of all the webkinz guinea pigs and sold them at like a stupid high price, I would 100% still go for them. webkinz guinea pigs were my collecting goal (tm) as a kid.
This was a good video, I enjoyed it, but I couldn't stop looking at your shelf in the background. Please do a shelf tour in the future, I can see some cool stuff there and would love to hear how you got some items or found them/got into it.
Hearing about amazing world still makes me so mad. I played that game so much because of a Game Grumps episode and now it’s literally lost media beyond some RU-vid and probably some forum content. I will say, the biggest downside was even with the game muted, it would still blast out your headphones which was so funny.
Funny that you mention Beanie Boos, they always give me the strangely creepy-not-creepy sense they stare into me with the way their eyes are and sometimes the- *Ooh! Creepy Smiles!*. And it is funky that I seen to find them a lot more over the original-likes with their lil' black dot eyes and fun shaped noses. Maybe it is just me wanting more cuddly Beanie Babies because one of them is a beloved childhood plush of mine I just call Puppy, but I surely would love to buy that fox I seen in the video. It is like a snow fennec! Yet I believe I might have seen them before, unless I did I was probably shy to ask and buy for one heh.
