For a single Christmas, the Zhu Zhu pets were the hot item to have. Nearly every child seemed to want one. For their retail pricing, they were a relatively cheap toy to acquire. That was until the stores shelves were emptied. Since then, the shelves have been restocked and new kits have been added for the Zhu Zhu pets to have their fun in. But are they still worth buying for your child?
If your child is into motorized propulsion and hamsters, then this toy is a solid yes. Otherwise, in about ten minutes of playtime, the novelty of these hamsters will quickly wear off. It really depends on how well your child will like playing with these toys.
They do have some problems that parents should be aware of before purchasing. The first is that they will work on hard floors only. The free-wheeling hamsters won’t spin their wheels on carpet. Unless you enclose them in one of their play zones, don’t expect much movement on wall-to-wall carpeting.
Another minor problem comes in with pets. These little hamsters can activate the prey drive in some dogs and cats. Which means pets will pounce on these mechanized hamsters. This can cause damage to the Zhu Zhu pets.
Don’t expect them to hold up to the rough play of a three-year old. They aren’t that durable and can easily break if dropped.
The major problem is that they can easily grab hair. The spinning wheels grab the hair and keep spinning. There is a package warning. Parents should be careful if they have young children with long hair.
Zhu Zhu pets aren’t all bad. In fact, they can be rather fun for children older than three years old. Children can have a blast chasing them around or watching them in their play zones.
It doesn’t cost a lot to replace them if they do become broken. Now that they are no longer a hot Christmas toy, you can get them for a very reasonable price. In fact, if you are planning on making them a future Christmas present, you should pick them and their sets up now while they are still fairly low-priced and still in stock.
There is a variety of hamsters and play zones to choose from. The newest Zhu Zhu items to come out are the Kung Zhu ones.
The bottom line is that Zhu Zhu pets are an iffy toy to buy. They have a few problems but are relatively cheap to buy. Just don’t expect to get a long-lasting durable toy. In fact, they are probably more of a collector’s item than something that will bring tons of entertainment.