St. Louis, Twitter Party, and Misc.

Hello again, Zhu Zhu Fans!

Sorry for the mini-hiatus.. computers issues are now (hopefully) resolved.  Thanks for sticking with me through this and checking back in with the blog!

On Thursday, my Walmart once again had Zhu Zhu Pets™ Babies in stock!  There were three different ones on the pegs (no clothing this time)... I wonder if it will continue to be one case of 6 arriving at a time for awhile still.  Also, the Babies are now listed on Toysrus.com for 6.99.  It has been posted that they are arriving in TRU stores also!

Coincidentally, I just returned from a couple of days in St. Louis, home of Cepia, LLC.  For fun, I typed their address into my GPS and the office was only a 15 minute drive from the friend's home where I was staying!  I would have loved to have taken a photo for you all, but unfortunately I was not driving and we were on a schedule.  *sigh*  Maybe next time.

Last night while looking for a place to eat, we drove by a store that had a very professional sign with the Zhu Zhu Pets™ logo.  It immediatey caught my attention!  (Again, I wish I would have been able to get a photo).  I was able to quickly read the print under the sign, which read "Over 9000 Zhu Zhu Pets™ and Accessories in Stock!".  An entire brick-and-mortar store dedicated to Zhu Zhu Pets™!  I am very curious to the pricing... although I found that Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters and newer accessories were in plentiful supply at Toys R Us and Justice stores in the St. Louis area. 

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As announced on The Official Zhu Zhu Pets™ website, Maria Bailey of MomSelect will be hosting another Zhu Zhu Pets™ Twitter party and giveaway!  This will be tomorrow night in celebration of Mr. Squiggles birthday.  There will be some giveaways, so I hope you will be sure to attend.  I will be there!  (Twitter id: ZhuZhuHunters).  Feel free to shout out to me ☺

 If you haven't done a Twitter party before, they are fun but fast-paced.   The details, as posted on the website, are as follows:

Zhu Zhu Pets™/MomSelect Twitter Party

Date: January 31st, 2010

Time: 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. EST

Location: #MrSquiggles

Host: @MomTalkRadio (Maria Bailey, Founder of MomSelect)



During the jam-packed Zhu Zhu fest, we'll be giving away over 20 Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters, as well as awesome habitrail pieces and accessories. Kids are welcome to tweet alongside Mom!

For those of you new to Twitter, here are some tips on attending:

* If you don't already have a Twitter account, sign up for one at Twitter.com. It's extremely simple and a great way to connect with other moms and Zhu Zhu Pet fans.

* Make sure you are following the party hosts- @momtalkradio, @resourcefulmom

* Follow the instructions tweeted out by the party hosts to enter the contests and participate in the scavenger hunt!

* Keep up with the conversation by searching for the party hashtag (#MrSquiggles) and make sure you include it in your tweets as well.

* It can be helpful to use a site like tweetchat.com to help keep track of the conversation. We also recommend that you check in on the hosts' pages (Twitter.com/momtalkradio and Twitter.com/resourcefulmom) to keep track of the contest information.

* Grab your little ones and chime in to celebrate Mr. Squiggles Birthday!

Zhu Zhu Pets™ in Spain!

Hello, Zhu Zhu Hunters!!

I apologize for the lack of posting lately... unfortunately some computer issues have caused me some problems.  Yesterday I saw something new posted on an eBay auction.  This "Grand Adventure" set includes Patches, the funhouse, slide, wheel, and a carrier.  The seller states it was purchased at a Toys R Us in Spain!  This must be Spain's equivalent to the "Giant Hamster City".

For those of you who have put the city together (over and over again),take look at the photo closely.  Look how they have it put together!  The slide ramp is connected to the wheel, and the wheel's tunnel is connected to nothing!  LOL   You all know it wouldn't work that way at all ☺

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Last Friday morning while I was at Walmart, the Zhu Zhu Pets™ area had been totally expanded!  It was empty except for a few 1st gen. hamsters, but there was a lot of space for new accessories...AND pegs for clothing and babies!!  I went back Friday evening, and sure enough there were 6 baby hamsters on the pegs, one of each style.  At $5 each, I purchased them for my daughters for Valentines/Easter gifts.  I went back Saturday morning, and the outfits were on the shelf then!  There were also 6, one of each style.  I purchased 4 of them, leaving basketball and sailor for another time.  They were also $5 each.  (I had hoped to post some photos, and I will once I get some of the computer issues worked out :P )

I have talked to several people who have gotten lucky with outfits/babies at Walmart in the last week.  It sounds as though they are only getting a case of each to start with.... and each case consists of 1 piece of each style of baby/outfit.  If the pegs are up at your Walmart, it is beneficial to find an employee with a scanner-gun and have them scan the tag on the peg.  Then they can tell you when they will be in.  I had them scan the tag for me last Friday morning, and was told there were 6 in stock waiting to be put on the shelf.  That cued me to check back later that night.

Good luck in your huntings!

Zhu Zhu Pets™ items at "Justice for Girls" Clothing Stores and Online

Hello Zhu Zhu Peeps!

As it was rumored, there is now one more store you can add to your list for Zhu Zhu Hunting... "Justice for Girls"!  You can buy them online here.  They are higher-end retail at 14.90 per hamster... but friends have posted a couple of coupon codes that can get you 40% off of your order.  Use code 818 or 774 at checkout to get the discount.

Other friends have found the hamsters, stroller, and baby hamsters in store!!  They said that the babies were 9.90, but with the printable 40% off coupon they were much more reasonable.  Print the 40% off in-store coupon at this link! 

Thanks to all of the Zoolert/Facebook peeps for the info and the coupon codes!

Amazing DIY Zhu Zhu Pets™ Cupcakes!!

Good Morning, Zhu Zhu Fans!

This morning I came across the link to this amazing cupcake tutorial, and I had to share it with all of you.  Many of you are planning ZZP-themed birthday parties, and these little cakes are the perfect thing!

Visit "The Party Animal" blog for ingredients and step-by-step instructions.  The materials are really simple, and you will find the tips helpful in getting the perfectly Zhu Zhu-colored frosting!

Zhu Zhu Pets™ Hamster Price-DROP at Walmart!!!

Good afternoon, Zhu Zhu Fans!

I just returned from a shopping trip at my local Walmart... what a surprise!  As usual, I had to check the toy dept. for any signs of new ZZP accessories/babies.  I was a bit startled to see 18 of the original 4 hamsters, as well a a bunch of beds/carriers, on the shelf!  I walked to a different part of the toy dept and found another 31 original hamsters sitting near the Furreal Friends area... a total of 49 hamsters on the shelf!  This is the first time I have seen ZZP hamsters at retail since early October.

The biggest shock was that the price has been reduced from $8 to $7.44 for each hamster!  My Walmart is here in Southeast Iowa, but it seems that many/most stores generally follow suit.  Can our wallets give a tiny sigh of relief for future purchases now?  ☺

New Zhu Zhu Pets™ BABIES Commercial!

Hey, Zhu Zhu Peeps!

Today I am feeling pretty wiped out after a 24-hour bout of stomach flu.  Thanks to RJN for the heads-up about the newest Zhu Zhu Pets™ commercial featuring the Hamster Babies!  Apparently it must have been released today....though I have been watching Nick Jr. all morning and haven't seen it yet ;)  It made its way to YouTube in pretty short order.  I am happy for the little pick-me-up.

The babies seem quite a bit larger than I had thought they would be.  If you thought you were done, you better not let your kids see this!

Pictures of Zhu Zhu Fun Kit Contents

Hello, Zhu Zhu Fanatics!

My friend Lori's family found the new Zhu Zhu Pets™ Super Fun Kit at a Walmart in Columbia, Maryland.  They said it was on an end-cap display in the toy department and retailed at $10.

Seems there are a lot of cute stickers...

Some photo frame/mats...

...and a cute poster!  There are also tattoos and markers and other papery things to color and decorate!  Lori says there is probably enough for a craft party for a couple of kids, but you would need more kits if you were planning a birthday party, etc.

The kit has also been spotted in-store at Toys R Us.

New Commercial... Interesting Articles!

Good Morning, Zhu Zhu Hunters!

Many of us are getting back into the daily routine today, with kids going back to school from the Christmas/New Year holidays.  I hope you all have a good day and a smooth transition. Cepia recently added a new 2010 Zhu Zhu Pets™ commercial to their homepage featuring the newest vehicles, outfits, and hamsters.  I just saw it on Nickelodeon for the first time, so hopefully it means that these newer items will be more widely-distributed soon!

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Obviously, the Zhu Zhu Pets™ craze generated a large amount of publicity during the Christmas season.  Recently I came across a couple of very interesting articles that go beyond the run-of-the-mill info:

Not child's play: Missouri attorneys counsel the maker of this year's hot toy : An interesting, behind the scenes interview with the lawyer who represents Cepia, LLC.

Rumble Robots inventor does it again: Probably one of my favorite articles to date (thanks Laura!).  You get a peek into the father-daughter(s) team of Cepia, LLC. and some background on how Zhu Zhu Pets™ came to be!

Zhu Zhu Pets™ Video Game Available for Preorder!

Good evening, Zhu Zhu Fans!

Thanks to RJN for giving me the heads-up that the new Zhu Zhu Pets™ game for Nintendo DS is listed and available for preorder through Amazon!  The release date is scheduled for March 23, 2010.

"Zhu Zhu Pets DS will capture the hearts of pre-existing Zhu Zhu fans and those new to the franchise through its addicting and enjoyable balance between care-taking and adventure! Half virtual pet simulation, and half high-speed action-adventure game, Zhu Zhu Pets DS will charm children everywhere with its engaging gameplay! "

What a great gift this will be, just in time to be delivered by the Zhu Zhu Easter bunny!  I imagine this may be a very difficult game to get a hold of once it is released! 

Happy "Zhu" Year!

Back in September, I searched for websites where I could chat with other lovers about Zhu Zhu Pets™... where to find them, what was coming out, rumors, and that sort of thing. However, it seemed that the few sites around at that time were just disguises leading you to someone's eBay or Amazon listings. My answer to that was to create my own blog,and it has been so fun!

Three months later, I am pleased that the Zhu Zhu Pets™ Hunters blog has over 20,000 hits from unique visitors! The friendships I have made via the blog (as well as the Twitter and Facebook pages and Zoolert forums) give me joy each day. Additionally, I have had the opportunity to interact with Cepia LLC, a hometown company that has become very near to my heart. I feel blessed to have so much fun and to have an excuse to play with toys!

Here's to a great 2010 and all of the Zhu Zhu-related surprises to come this year!

♥Randi