Zhu Zhu Pets endangered this holiday season
No doubt you’ve heard that the American black bear and the loggerhead sea turtle are endangered species. But I’d like to introduce you to one that perhaps you weren’t aware of yet: Hamsterous Artificialious. Or, by its common name, the Zhu Zhu Pet -- the hottest toy of 2009. If you don't believe me, check out what these toy experts had to say.
The Zhu Zhu pet is a battery-operated hamster that crawls through an elaborate and colorful tunnel system or rolls around in a plastic ball. It is covered in synthetic fur, and it is soft, cuddly and wonderfully playful. But best of all for parents is that it is a plastic and synthetic object that neither eats nor defecates like a real, living, breathing, pungent wood shavings hamster. And it retails for only $9.99.
Although its native habitat -- the vast tundra of shelves at Toys R Us, Target and online retailers -- has not been threatened in any way, the Zhu Zhu remains oddly absent during this retail season. When I approached what I thought was the nesting Zhu behind a blind of Hannah Montana wigs, I found the end cap empty -- only a sign in the place where the backup AA batteries should have been.
LIMIT 4 ZHU ZHU PETS PER CUSTOMER PER DAY.
This confused me since there wasn’t a single one there, let alone my allotted four. I asked a store employee who amidst his laughter told me there was a truck coming in on Saturday, but no one knew if the Zhu squared would grace it.
So my hunt continued through every retailer in central Florida, the Interwebs and some Chinese restaurants that I really don’t want to talk about. All seemed lost and I was about ready to give up when it suddenly dawned on me -- where are more than half of the animal and plant species on this planet located?
It is here where I would finally end my search for the near-extinct Zhu Zhu. I excitedly signed in. I drooled at the “if you order in the next sixteen minutes you can have this item by tomorrow!” I was even contemplating becoming a preferred, elite, platinum, triple bonus club rewards member when I saw the price tag delicately poised at the bottom of my virtual shopping cart. There was a 4 in front of the $9.99 that was the advertised price on other sites. My $10 fake hamster was now $50 before tax, shipping, and desperate mother excise fees.
At this point, the Amazon backs out like a Brazilian bartender after last call on Mardi Gras, and a “third party” dealer steps in. Or should I say, “A LIMIT FOUR PER CUSTOMER PER DAY” dealer.
Yes, there is a black market even in the pretend animal trade, and be prepared to pay if you go there.
As of today, all of the online retailers Web sites still show the toy out of stock, but I’ve been assured that more are on the way. My advice to you if you are looking for the near-extinct hamster and want to pay the reasonable retail price rather than the inflated prices on eBay or Amazon? Keep your eyes on the look out now, and grab one when you see one. Sign up for the email alerts for when the item becomes available on Target.com, eToys, Walmart.com and Toys R Us.com.
Best of luck on your hamster hunt.
-- Tracey Henry, the Suburban Diva
[Zhu Zhu Pets]
Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
Amy Hollyfield is a workaholic mother of two young
daughters, blessed to have a work-at-home husband who makes their life possible. She was born in Detroit and moved around a lot as a kid (read: Air Force brat). She has lived in Florida since the month after she
graduated from Northwestern University. She lives for the yelps, hugs and kisses that greet her on nights that she makes it home before bedtime.
Sherry Robinson was born in the Sunshine State but she feels more comfortable inside a mall than outside at the beach -- thank goodness her husband is the outdoorsy type. He takes their two sons on night hikes, beach runs and bug hunts while Sherry does her best to take care of the homestead -- and find out what is new on the store shelves. A graduate of the University of South Florida in 19noneofyourbusiness, Sherry has been at the Times for nearly 20 years. And with nearly 10 years of parenting experience, Sherry is eager to offer up some great dish on raising kids and keeping your sanity.
Guest blogger Tracey Henry, a.k.a. Suburban Diva, is a frantic, slightly frazzled mother of four. She is a freelance humor writer and author which is the only thing that parenting four children ages 12-1 trains you for, except perhaps court jester and professional bull rider. She and her husband have lived all over the country, but settled in Florida eight years ago because the beachcombing is so much better here than on the banks of the Mississippi. Their family time includes a lot of sport -- both watching and playing -- and fun in the sun and surf. Catch her in Whoa, Momma! and on her site, 
Sherri Day and her husband welcomed their daughter into the world in early 2008. So far, she describes parenthood as exciting, exhausting and exhilarating. A self-described Southern belle with small-town values and big-city idealism, Sherri was born in rural Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Clark Atlanta University and her master's of journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the Brandon bureau chief for the Times. Sherri moved to Tampa from Brooklyn four years ago.
I like the Roomba idea!
Posted by: SharonWynne | November 13, 2009 at 07:50 AM
Christmas gift suggestions:
"To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
Oren Arnold
Posted by: The Real meaning of Christmas - GREED | November 12, 2009 at 08:24 PM
Hard to find a deal on Zhu Zhu Pets so close to christmas, but I'd keep trying.
Posted by: Zhu Zhu Pets | November 11, 2009 at 08:32 PM
Unbelievable...just say no to Chinese import fake hamsters!
Posted by: Karen2104 | November 11, 2009 at 05:22 PM
Buy a Roomba. It runs around just like the fake hamster and at least it's also doing housework. In fact, you could buy a real hamster and a Roomba and the one would clean up after the other. Sort of. Randomly.
Posted by: steve | November 11, 2009 at 10:15 AM
My grand daughter received 2 of these things as a birthday gift. She was briefly amused. They didn't come close to living up to all the hype and they now gather dust. Save your money!!!
Posted by: Diane | November 11, 2009 at 10:14 AM
So...how many live hamsters can you buy for fifty bucks?
Posted by: steve | November 11, 2009 at 10:12 AM