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Because my children aren't young anymore, the whole Webkinz frenzy escaped my radar the first few years of their existence.

I probably saw them in racks and bins but did not pay them any mind.

I began to hear about Webkinz in earnest late last winter from some online friends. They were commenting about how interested their kids and grandkids are in them. I began to ask questions and pick up bits of information on them.

Webkinz are stuffed animals that come with a special code attached to the pet. When the code is entered at www.webkinz.com, you gain access to a virtual world where your pet comes alive.

As a mother of two -- who survived the Beanie Babies craze of the '90s with her then 6- and 8-year-olds -- I proceeded with caution.

My kids and I decided it might be fun to get "just one." We wanted to gain access to Webkinz World to see for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

My family bought me a Webkinz American Cocker Spaniel for Mother's Day at For All Occasions in Burlington.

I registered my account and adopted "Bella." Part of the fun was the ability to choose the name I wanted her to be called in the virtual world.

I soon entered Webkinz World for the first time and saw my cute virtual pet, Bella, standing in her new room framed by balloons and streamers as she was welcomed to her new home. A message on the computer screen told me that there was a gift box in my dock, the section on the screen that holds your pet's items and food until you use them or store them away.

Each newly adopted pet comes with 2,000 Kinzcash, a medium size room, and a gift box that holds that pet's special item and food.

Adoptions past your 10th pet give you even better prizes and additional Kinzcash. The Kinzcash you receive can be spent in the W-Store or Curio Shop on anything from virtual clothing, furniture and decorations to food that your virtual pet can use.

Kinzcash can also be used to take your adopted virtual pet to virtual school within the Web site. Classes range from painting to learning to flip pancakes on a virtual griddle.

You can earn more Kinzcash by playing games in Webkinz World.

You can also make Kinzcash by doing a job within Webkinz World, which is equivalent to playing a game. There are special activities on the hour between 4 and 10 p.m. every day that give you opportunities to earn more Kinzcash and prizes.

From the start, it was easy for my kids and me to see what a big business these stuffed animals had become. To adopt one pet was fun, but there were so many other pets out there that had neat personal items and needed homes as well.

Quickly, you see the whole line of real-life clothing, trading cards (three series to date), the body spritz, lip gloss, the bookmarks and pet carriers. Each item comes with its own special code that gives you a virtual item to play with in Webkinz World.

You could easily spend thousands of dollars on stuffed toys and their many accessories.

I have fallen headlong into Webkinz World with my kids. Both of my teenagers wanted a Webkinz of their own shortly after Mother's Day.

It seems once you begin to collect them, you cannot help yourself from becoming addicted to its fun, innocent qualities. I have heard many adults speak about how happy they are to have Webkinz because it gives them something fun they can do with their kids as they relate to one another.

Once upon a time, when I was young, a stuffed toy was just a stuffed toy. It sat on your bed and you snuggled with it at night.

Anymore, a stuffed animal is a gateway into a virtual world that can be enjoyed by all who are young at heart.

Though I will not reveal how many pets I now own, I will say that Bella is no longer lonely and is the reigning princess puppy over all her virtual friends that have come to live in her house online.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.