A little while back, I was offered the chance by Mom Select to host a “ZhuZhu Pets” Party.  My girls are always game for a party so I said sure, send me what I need for the party.  Much to my surprise, a very large box arrived containing some adorable little critters who have now been nominated Toy of the Year and are hot, Hot, HOT!

In case you have been in some hole under the Polar ice cap and have yet to hear about the ZhuZhu Pets, let me enlighten you.:)

The best alternatives to real live hamsters, Zhu Zhu Pets™ hamsters don’t poop, die, or stink, but they are still a riot of motion and sound. Darting around in their hamster tubes, busily scurrying from room to room, you never know where they’ll go next! Simply pet the hamster’s back, set him down, and watch him Zhu Zhu Zhu-oom! Zhu Zhu Pets™ like to be picked up and snuggled too! Pet them gently on the nose, and they’ll squeak with contentment. These hamsters have over 40 different sound effects, depending on the unique environment they encounter.  Zhu Zhu Pets are the world’s first innovative, realistic, interactive, plush, and artificially intelligent hamsters that talk and move around in their own playsets.  Zhu Zhu Pets include two play modes: nurturing mode where the hamsters coo and purr, and adventure mode where the hamsters explore their habitat with intelligent audio and mechanical responses to various habitat stimuli. Over a dozen add-ons can be purchased to build an ever-evolving hamster world for your hamsters to play in and explore.

Look at Hammie Go!

These critters are cute, let me tell you. They could make even the crustiest of curmudgeons smile. Let me introduce you to who has now joined our family:  There is Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, and Pipsqueak who make up the primary crew.  There is even a very mysterious and elusive one named Patches.  Of course, my children have all since renamed them to various names of their choosing, i.e. Hammie.:)

The day we held the party, I thought we would never finish unwrapping them all but we did.  Set up was simple enough although I would say that adult assistance is required.  Thankfully, they do not chew through batteries like some toys do which I find a real plus.  And all of their squeaks, chirps and squeals are soft enough that they do not grate on the nerves.  (You know what I mean…I saw you smiling!)  We had so many hamsters that we sent each child home with at least one and still have enough for each of us.

Since the party a little time has passed and I was afraid that this would be another one of those toys that the kids played with at first but once the novelty had worn off, they would just take up space. Not so!  The girls still love to get them out, especially P2 & P3, on a regular basis.  They talk to them, let them run around and just have fun.  I have to say they are well made too since they are standing the test of time with my 3 year old.

There is also a fun website and blog that you and your children can access to stay up on your ZhuZhu news plus play fun games online and more.

I would not be surprised to see these show up on many a child’s Wish List this Holiday Season so should you be looking for them, they can be found at places like Walmart, Toys r Us, Target, and Amazon.com.   They retail from about $8 and up.

Thanks to MomSelect and Cepia for arranging this review. No compensation beyond the product itself was received
and the opinions expressed here are entirely my own.