There's not much doubt that Zhu Zhu Pets - the family of five robotic hamsters which feature artificial intelligence which allows them to interact with children and their environment - are the must have toy for Christmas 2009. They are in such high demand that Toys R Us have not listed them in their Christmas 2009 catalog in order to avoid disappointing prospective buyers.
The five hamsters are named Num Nums, Mr. Squiggles, Chunk, Patches and Pipsqueak. Apart from the individual hamsters, there is a huge selection of toys and accessories (tracks, tubes, wheels, cars, skateboards etc.) available for the kids to arrange in different combinations.
Children in the age bracket of 4 to 10 years old are the target audience. It seems as if the Zhu Zhu Pets appeal to both boys and girls - but they are not suitable for very young children due to the fact that they contain batteries and small moving parts.
Cepia, the manufacturers, are St. Louis based, and were established in 2004. They launched the Zhu Zhu Pets in August 2009 and have shipped six million units since then. A further six million sales are expected between now and Christmas. Currently, the shelf life of a Zhu Zhu hamster is - on average - less than three minutes.
Demand is outstripping supply right now and prices are beginning to creep upwards - for both the hamsters and their accessories. Sellers on eBay are already cashing in and you can expect to see more of this the closer we get to Christmas.
Cepia are predicting sales of between $ 300 and $ 400 million over the next twelve months. This will be from not only the Zhu Zhu hamsters - they intend to expand their range to include hedgehogs, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. Presumably any small, cute and furry woodland animal which children would find appealing could make it onto their list in future. - 30320
The five hamsters are named Num Nums, Mr. Squiggles, Chunk, Patches and Pipsqueak. Apart from the individual hamsters, there is a huge selection of toys and accessories (tracks, tubes, wheels, cars, skateboards etc.) available for the kids to arrange in different combinations.
Children in the age bracket of 4 to 10 years old are the target audience. It seems as if the Zhu Zhu Pets appeal to both boys and girls - but they are not suitable for very young children due to the fact that they contain batteries and small moving parts.
Cepia, the manufacturers, are St. Louis based, and were established in 2004. They launched the Zhu Zhu Pets in August 2009 and have shipped six million units since then. A further six million sales are expected between now and Christmas. Currently, the shelf life of a Zhu Zhu hamster is - on average - less than three minutes.
Demand is outstripping supply right now and prices are beginning to creep upwards - for both the hamsters and their accessories. Sellers on eBay are already cashing in and you can expect to see more of this the closer we get to Christmas.
Cepia are predicting sales of between $ 300 and $ 400 million over the next twelve months. This will be from not only the Zhu Zhu hamsters - they intend to expand their range to include hedgehogs, squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. Presumably any small, cute and furry woodland animal which children would find appealing could make it onto their list in future. - 30320
