Trends Bends

YPSILANTI, Mich. -- Trends will always be apart of our everyday lives, whether the most “happening” trend out there is a music artist, a specific designer, or a handy appliance -- what better time to introduce a trend than the holidays.

Children are a key target to many businesses all around the world. The holiday season drawing nearer makes finding the items on kids lists harder. Years back every child just had to have a Furby, Hannah Montana and High School Musical merchandise, or a Tickle Me Elmo. This year it’s Zhu Zhu Pets.

Zhu Zhu Pets are said to be the world’s first innovative, realistic, interactive, plush, and artificially intelligent hamsters that not only talk, but move around specially designed play sets. There are four rodents available for sale: Chunk, Pipsqueak, Squiggles, and Numnums, and each has its own unique personality and whimsical sounds.

They also come with two modes of play, loving; which exhibit the toys nurturing needs and will purr and coo. They will also roam around on the floor or their habitats with intelligent audio and mechanical responses to their surroundings in explore mode.

Parents are flocking to department stores to purchase these new age hamsters and are having no luck finding them. Zhu Zhu’s are sold at retailers like Wal-Mart and Toys R Us and cost any where from eight dollars to $32 for a bundle of four. The bundles are only available online and at both stores they are fresh out of Zhu Zhu’s. It appears some parents won’t see smiling faces on Christmas morning…or will they.

Just because they aren’t in stores doesn’t mean they can’t be had. Another trend that isn’t so new anymore but highly respected and recommended are eBay and Amazon. Both online havens have people around the world willing and able to sell a desperate parent in need a Zhu Zhu Pet, a set, or a play set, they just hike up the price.

WCC student Chris Koenig said he had no idea what Zhu Zhu Pets were and thought from the sounds of them they were a waste of hard earned money. He has been shopping around for a toy for his niece.

“I’m not a very trendy person so I try to avoid them at all costs. Don’t get me wrong a good product is a good product, but sometimes you have to say no,” said Koenig.

When it comes to trends this particular student prefers to keep it old school.



“Cabbage Patch dolls. Do you remember them,” he asked. “That’s what I have been looking for this holiday season,” said Chris, “But I can’t find them anywhere!”

What lengths with parents, family, and friends go to, to provide their loved ones with the number one item on Santa’s list? Ashley Perry and Ypsilanti resident said her brother was dying for a Zhu Zhu pet play set and had his heart set on Chunk.

"The prices online are crazy and they are supposed to cost less than $10 in-store,” said Perry, “The play sets are more expensive and those can be found. But I can’t buy my brother a play set he has nothing to put in it.”

She commented that it would be like buying him a cage and supplies for a real hamster and not buying the hamster.

“I thought about getting him a real live hamster, but my mom might not like that and he would have to take care of it. I think the toy is the best idea,” she said, “The problem is I just can’t find them… for a reasonable price that is.”

Ashley heard about ZHU ZHU’s not much before Thanksgiving and Black Friday. She thought they were a bit dull because the child doesn’t have to physically do anything but move around and build these play sets.

“I much rather get my brother something he will have to be active to use, but considering this is what he wants and kids will be in more because of the winter why not let him be one of the “cool kids” at school,” Perry said.


Perhaps trends are appealing to all ages. Perry also commented that she didn’t have a child to buy Tickle Me Elmo doll for. She bought it for herself.

“Elmo is so cute,” she said. “I always loved Elmo. And yes I was one of those crazy people standing in line for hours at Toys R Us, not for my child because I don’t have any, but for myself.”

Perry was so kind to share that she keep him on her dresser, and she feels the least bit poorly squeezes his hand to bring a smile to her face.

Jared Groves an Oakland County resident and employee at AT&T in White Lake hasn’t heard anything about Zhu Zhu Pets. He said he is the middle child and his youngest brother is in high school.

“He’s interested in girls not little hamsters that move around,” said Groves.

When does a child or in this case a young adult become too “mature” for toys and trendy fun?



“I’m not sure if it’s a matter of getting too old,” Groves said, “The standards change. Working at AT&T the I-phone is our latest trend.” “Kids like my brother don’t want toys to play with, they want gadgets they can use and flash around.”

The Blackberry is still a very popular trend, but people tend to have both if not one or the other he said. “At least this year the Hannah Montana and High School Musical phase is out because it was astonishing how many parents were buying their kids ring tones and phone accessories for their phones. But at the end of the day I still got commission,” Jared said.

Groves thinks that Zhu Zhu’s after it was explained to him will abruptly cease to exist and become a vagrant memory, collecting dust on department store shelves, before they are on the clearance rack, and taken off the inventory sheet.

“Products like these just don’t stick around long. It was much like the Furby. It promised to do all these awesome and wonderful things and when you finally got it, it was a huge disappointment,” Groves said.

If posted on eBay or Amazon it would be the phrase every buyer hopes for: Like new, only used once, never opened.

The holiday season is sure to be another end to a great year past, both inviting and saying goodbye to old and new trends of all calibers. Whether you need a new I-Phone, Tickle Me Elmo, latest Hannah Montana album, or a furry artificial pet, they are just a click away. And for buyers like Perry who don’t own computers it can be more challenging, but not impossible.

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A story written by Mitch Lipka about Zhu Zhu's. Take a look.