"You could just toss the pet," Avery said. "What you really want is that code to get onto the net."

And now the Webkinz line includes more than just the original stuffed animal. Local toy stores also sell outfits for the pets, Webkinz lip glosses and Webkinz book marks. Every Webkinz product comes with code that can be redeemed online.

For example, when children buy an outfit for their stuffed animal, the code will give the stuffed animal that same outfit in the online Webkinz world. The lip glosses come with a code for a piece of furniture in the pet's home and the book mark's code gets the pet a book from the online library.

But Webkinz, which sell for about $10-14 are about more than just consumerism, vendors say.

"They're not just a stuffed animal, they're very educational," said Brown, whose two children, ages 4 and 7, love to play with Webkinz.

The toys teach children practical life skills, Brown said. Children have to take care of their Webkinz pet online, feeding it, playing with it and even taking it to the doctor when it gets sick.

It teaches them responsibility without having to buy them a real pet, Brown said. Some teachers even buy a Webkinz to have as a classroom pet, she said.

Webkinz also teaches children about money. Kids can play computer games with their pets to earn money, then use that money to buy things for their pets. When they run out of money, they have to go earn more, Brown said.

Angel agreed the Web site teaches kids important skills.

"Because they have to take care of the pet, they have to nurture it," she said. "It really goes a long way I think in teaching the kids some basic life skills."

It may be educational, but the Ganz company, which makes Webkinz, has figured out how to turn its pets into a cash cow.

Most kids who play with Webkinz don't have just one. The company has built in incentives to buy more. The company is constantly coming up with new Webkinz pets and accessories.

The pet-of-the-month program offers bonuses to users who buy the specific pet of the month and redeem the code online that month. Also, users' online Webkinz accounts expire after one year unless they buy another pet.

Other brands have launched similar real/online pets, but none have achieved the popularity of Webkinz.

"It was a brand new concept," Avery said of Webkinz. "No one had ever had a pet that was interactive on the Internet."