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Beanie Babies 2.0 (http://www.beaniebabies20.com)

common sense media says

Lack of stuff to do makes safe pet site boring.

parents & educators say
See all 6 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that kids have to buy a real-life Beanie Baby to get a code to play online. The colorful site has little substance -- especially since there's little to do for younger kids who aren't reading well and won't be interested in the chat. And, there's constant pressure from Beanieland's mayor to "make friends." On the plus side: Freestyle and prescripted chat options have lots of safety features (no bad words, numbers, commonplace names, etc.).

Educational value: It's a stretch to call this site educational. Most games are arcade-style simple. The most challenging game may be a Beanie Baby trivia game where you have to know all about the products to win (see commercialism warning above).
Positive messages: In an odd new twist to the term "peer pressure," the mayor bear character in Beanieland constantly asks kids if they've made any friends yet. And he repeatedly reminds how to "make friends" and where to chat. This is may be just annoying, or a deal breaker for parents of young kids who do not want their children to use the chat features.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: Inappropriate words as well as numbers and commonplace names are restricted on this site, even in the freestyle chat. That's not to say, however, that some users won't get creative and find ways around the filter. In that event, there's a "report user" icon in each freestyle chat room.
Consumerism: When you buy a Beanie Baby for around $6, you're instructed to log into ty.com, the parent site of Beanie Babies, which also conveniently has many other online ty.com-related product sites. At Beaniebabies.com, kids find their one Beanie Baby quite lonely without any other Beanie Babies in the "family pod." Guess kids (or more aptly parents) will have to go buy another one to put into the family pod!
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
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More on Beanie Babies 2.0

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about chat etiquette, Internet safety, and virtual worlds. What's the best way to approach a new person online? Why would someone be mean to someone he or she never met? What can you say or do if another member (or real-life person) is mean to you? What social behaviors is a virtual world teaching? Do you think networking sites help build good relationships? Why or why not? How would you make friends offline? Families can talk about the pros and cons of computer play. How can you balance computer play with playing in the "real" world?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
Beanie Babies 2.0 doesn't hold its own among other more well-developed, buy-a-product-to-play sites. What little is here is strictly for fun, not educational purposes. There are a number of good safety features, like prescripted chats and a parent approval-only freestyle chat with a limited dictionary, but there's not enough quality content to keep kids who don't chat interested for long -- even though the site is described as a Web experience that "will unfold like a never-ending story." Also, it may be nearly impossible for most kids to withstand the social networking pressure here: Beanieland's mayor bear character's tinny voice makes plenty of reminders to kids to "make friends" and "build up your friends meter." Overall, Beanie Babies 2.0's chat, games, and simple rooms for kids to house their Beanie Babies in online just doesn't stand up to the hype. Kids would fare better just buying a regular Beanie Baby and making up their own games offline.
This review was written by Dana Villamagna
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

robomonkeyfan
teen, 16 years old
 
Not Good
I've only been on this site once, and it is sooo boring! The houses aren't good, all you can do to customize them is buy another pet or should I say "beanie", which just adds another place in this "beanstalk home" to move left and right in, and you can't interact with the furniture! The games are not all that good. The Mayor ticks us all off, and BEGS you to make friends, use chat, and buy MORE beanies! If you use this site, TURN THE MAYOR OFF! The places you can explore are REALLY SMALL! You can't do ANYTHING with the pets exept move around and feed them the "beans" you find. And when you win the "gold prize" on games, you win NOTHING! What a rip-off! Plus, you can't name your pets! I got a Littlest Pet Shop V.I.P. today, and I like it WAY more than my Beanie Baby 2.0. PLEASE get a Littlest Pet Shop V.I.P. instead of a Beanie Baby 2.0! I also got a normal Beanie Baby the same day I got my 2.0, and I even like my normal one better! I might ask my mom for a cardboard box and stuff to make beanie-sized furniture to make a house for my normal beanies to play in, and I'd have WAY more fun with it than my 2.0! Maybe that's what people that want a 2.0 should do. Maybe it's what I should've done in the first place...I also have more fun with Littlest Pet Shop and Calico Critters toys.
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pokemonlover234
kid, 13 years old
7
 
Great Site!
I really like this site! So many fun games! They've recently done many updates, and now there is no Mayor and nobody asks about friends. It is a great place with fun games and cool items and the pets look awesome in 3-D. I don't usnderstand why people don't like it! I do and so do my friends. I think you shouldn't listen to the reveiws that say it is bad and try it out for yourself. No Mayor that asks about friends, almost nobody uses inappropriate content with the available words, and it is safe 100%! Why do all those people seem like they want to destroy the site? It is a match even for webkinz*. It is awesome!!!!!!!
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beanie ...
kid, 9 years old
4
 
the best
this is the best:)
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Yoshi Lover
kid, 11 years old
10
 
Soooooooooooo cute but sooooooooooooooo boring!!!
I use to play it untill I was 10 (whitch is what common sense says is "on" for 10+) There is nothing to do and it is anoying!!! I haven't been out for 1 year and I bet it's more anoying now!!! the toys are sooooo cute but the website, not good. Ty went to far with it!
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Dragonsrox1000
kid, 13 years old
12
 
A sad and slow copycat of webkinz
It's boring, slow to load, and the games aren't that good. Webkinz is better because it loads faster, has better games, and you can do more. Although webkinz cost more, it's way better. The mayor has an annoying voice. I got 1 for my b-day a while ago and it's not that fun. It's bacically a really sad and slow copycat of webkinz.
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macken01
kid, 8 years old
4
 
nothing can happen if someone says theres bad things like drugs and language and mating there wrong its not a bad website
nothing bad i think you can't even swear or any thing else im 8 and i play animal jam a little more but i still love this game a little boring not as much people on only on my birthday when i terned 5 i got my firsed beanie baby lots of people where on now the population is low so its like 4 and up
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