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!

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!

*UPDATED* New Accessories and Clothing Show Up!

Hello, Zhu Zhu Fanatics!

After a Christmas Day filled with Zhu Zhu Pets™ and all of the playing and assembling of "Hamster City" pieces, I hope you all are finally having a relaxing evening. As many of you know, a lot of the 2010-release accessories, like the red coupe, made an early appearance at CVS pharmacies all over the place. I am finally getting the chance to post the photos that Yesenia sent me several days ago... better late than never!


The stroller and babies (which I will have more posted about later) have been some of the most anticipated of the new accessories. The whole concept is just too cute, and little girls are going to flip for them. Adorable!

The woody wagon with surfboard is another really neat car. After playing with the set yesterday for the first time, in my opinion, the car/garage is the coolest accessory and seems to work most consistently with the hamsters. I believe that the new wagon and red coupe are made to also fit into the garage.

Along with the stroller and woody wagon, Yesenia also found the boat/dock set at CVS. This is one new accessory I was able to get my hands on before Christmas, as TRU.com had it and the single new hamsters in stock last Sunday. It is a hoot! I find it funny when the hamsters hop in the automobiles and drive off on their own.

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It came to my attention today that some of the new release Zhu Zhu Pets™ outfits have made their way into the market! The following photos were taken from eBay (seller jillewright).

Scuba outfit with mask

Hula skirt with flower headband

Sailor outfit with hat

Flower shirt, hat, and sunglasses
There is an auction by another seller for the basketball jersey with orange ball, as well. I am hoping to find out what store these have shown up in to share with you all!
*UPDATE* The seller was nice enough to share that she found these outfits at HALLMARK!!

"November New Releases"? The truth revealed!

Good Afternoon, Zhu Zhu Maniacs!

For the past month or so, I have seen different toy-related websites (and eBay, to a much smaller extent) doing presales on the unreleased new Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters, hamster babies, and clothing. All of them seem to be touting a release/ship date of November. I have continued to wonder where they are getting their information, considering I was told by a Cepia representative that: The new hamsters will not be released before December, and the babies, outfits, and new vehicles will not be released before Spring 2010.

After reading a post this morning from an individual claiming to have found a pink/white Jilly on the shelf at a Walmart today, I decided to reconsult with my Cepia contact. Here is part of her response to me:

"This is highly unlikely. Wal Mart has not even placed their orders for the new hamsters yet and Toys R Us is the ONLY mass retail store that is expected to have the new characters before Christmas. If this woman really did purchase Jilly, the factory made a MAJOR mistake in packing and shipping, but again, it is highly unlikely."

Though I would like to believe that some new releases may have found their way to shelves, I will remain skeptical until I see photographic proof ☺

My real concern in this matter isn't the "he said/she said" of what and when items will be available. It bothers me that individuals may lay out a lot of hard-earned money for these presales in order to get a coveted item before Christmas, and it will be impossible for the seller to deliver on this promise. I suppose I can summarize it in two simple words: "Buyer Beware!".

On a happy note, here is a bit of good news my contact passed along to me today:

" For existing Zhu Zhu Pets goods: They are being shipped. We have over 2 million hamsters on the way that will hit store shelves before Christmas."

Hamster babies, Clothing, and New Accessories

Hello again, Zhu Zhu Hunters!

In my area, this week is showing a definite increase of the individual hamsters available in stores. In one day, I went to 2 Walmarts and 2 Shopkos, and there were anywhere from 1 to 20 hamsters on the shelves. HOWEVER... I did not find even one accessory kit! I am wondering if Cepia has stepped up hamster-shipping due to the demand, and accessories have temporarily taken a back seat while that gets caught up. Very interesting to think about!

Here is last question I asked the friendly people of Cepia, LLC.:

Q: Will the hamster outfits, boat/sports car/van, and additional hamsters and baby hamsters be available to the public before Christmas?

A: The hamster outfits, babies, and new vehicles will be released for Spring 2010... sorry I cannot provide an exact date (Note: As previously posted, I was told that the four new hamsters (Jilly, Scoodles, Nugget, and Winkie) would be available in December. It is speculated that they may become available sooner, considering they are now pictured on Toysrus.com)




You may have seen these pictures on the back of the Zhu Zhu Pets™ packages. What a teaser! Aren't these outfits adorable?? I had hoped these would be available for stocking-stuffers....and who knows? Shipment plans could change. But if all else fails, there are Easter baskets to plan for ☺


If you go to the official blog that the Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters "write" (http://www.zhuzhupetshamsterblog.com/), you will see all sorts of cute little recordings, photos, videos, etc. In the post titled "Interview with Patches", Patches talks about driving around in her new red coupe. In the above picture, notice that there looks to be a boat-dock behind the boat, probably an attachment to the Hamster City!

Also on the blog, there is a little skit/video entitled "Sunday Drive". You MUST watch this one. You will see the new boat, car, and station wagon in action! In this photo, it appears that the surfboard will actually attach to the roof. Plus, in the video it shows that TWO hamsters will be able to ride in this vehicle. COOL!

Although I am not holding my breath, there is always the potential that these accessories could be released sooner, to take advantage of the holiday craze. But if not, just relax and wait to see what Spring 2010 has in store for us!