Zhu Zhu Pets, robotic hamsters that have become the “it toy” of the season, are selling out in stores across the nation. Like tickle me elmo and beanie babies before them, stores are unable to match demands for the toy. The National Retail Federation has listed Zhu Zhu among the top 10 holiday toys as they appear on ebay for $60-$100, multiples of their $10 price tag. The price point is likely part of the reason for the Zhu Zhu craze, a respite from overpriced toys during tight times. The recession nearly stopped the success of Zhu Zhu pets at their start, with many toy stores unwilling to risk shelling out cash on an unknown product from an unknown brand. Minds were changed; however, after Toys R Us agreed to carry them for a trial two week period and watched them fly off the shelves. Zhu Zhu is a product of a small, St Louis based company called Cepia. 56-year-old founder, Russell Hornsby, began as a designer for Mattel and thought of the idea after watching youtube videos of hamsters and noticing the curiously high number of views. The hamsters are given names, much like Beanie Babies and look lifelike, wiggling their noses and moving like the real deal. Unlike real hamsters though, Zhu Zhu’s appeal to parents and don’t require any fussy clean up.
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