We all know that the current generation of children are going to have a different view of the world and the role of technology in our lives. My kids already want me to “rewind” the radio or anything not hooked up to a TiVo.

Now enter the newest phenomenon - part Gigapet, part Beanie Babies, part Second Life. They are called Webkinz and they are taking over the world.

What does Webkinz have to do with user experience and online marketing?

Unlike other stuffed animals, Webkinz come with a secret code that you enter online to unlock “a world where you care for your virtual pet, answer trivia, earn KinzCash, and play the best kids games on the net!” And not only does it have it’s own currency system like Second Life, but it has a virtual world where kids can interact with each other.

I think Webkinz is interesting for various reasons. It’s not just a well masterminded plan to suck parents wallets’ dry with another collectable; the site itself is addicting for both kids and parents (my wife tries to earn KinzCash in order to buy more stuff for “Sparkles” room)

While there are lots of great marketing ideas that are pushing the growth of Webkinz, the point of this post is that these types of websites are changing the way even the youngest of kids expect to interact online. My daughter is almost 6 and is already part of an online community! She and my son (4) have also been using websites like Noggin.com and Playhouse Disney for the last couple of years. Not only do these sites have games, but they have tons of video content and rich interactivity.

These types of sites are changing the way the next generation will expect to interact with the web. I fully expect that in a couple years we are going to have a good laugh when they say “Daddy, what’s a web page?”