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Webkinz, toys described as Beanie Babies on steroids, are following in the footsteps of some fo the great word-of-mouth marketing success stories as they take playgrounds by storm, acccording to AdAge.

The stuffed animals connect young kids to the web using a secret-code tag attached to each one. When kids type in the code at Webkinz.com, they are given a pet avatar that looks like the stuffed one. On the site, kids can play games to earn KinzCash and interact with other pets via "safe" messaging that offers only stock phrases.

Dozens of homemade videos placed on YouTube and other video-sharing sites have been created mostly by young, trend-following fans showing off their collections. Kids 8-11 are the primary buyers of the toys.

Instead of advertising, gift wholesaler Ganz relies on sales reps, retailers, media outlets and devoted young customers to spread the word. Local newspaper stories and bloggers' first-hand accounts made up the majority of the media until the 2006 holiday season, when Webkinz received national exposure on Good Morning America, Regis & Kelly and Rachael Ray.