Webkinz is coming back to browsers
Plus, my thoughts on Instagram's new "Blend" feature.
I’m working on a special PHONE TIME edition focused on YouTube: April 23 marked 20 years since the first video was uploaded to the platform. But I realized I had missed another major milestone—Webkinz celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 29.
Mayor Arte Fact—yes, the dog from the Curio Shop who was elected mayor in 2024—commemorated the day in a post on the Ganz World Newz Blog (not to be confused with the in-game Kinzville Times, which I discussed in a previous issue).
The Webkinz World team also announced that Webkinz Classic will be returning to the web in 2025.
“Back in 2005, we launched Webkinz as one of the first fully featured Flash web sites. Flash wasn’t just an animated element, or a game embedded in the page, it WAS the game. We had created a virtual world for you and your pet to immerse into… in a browser,” the team wrote.
When Adobe Flash was discontinued in 2020, the browser-based version of Webkinz was also shut down, requiring users to play via either the Mac or PC application or mobile apps on iOS and Android. Internally, the team noted, “we always had the idea that one day we could return to browsers like Chrome and Safari and have our game playable anywhere, on any device.”
Webkinz also announced the return of Kinz Tunes—songs about various Webkinz animals—with a preview of a new track. The team stated that all Kinz Tunes would be uploaded to platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube Music. Previously, an album of Kinz Tunes highlights was released on Spotify and Apple Music in 2010, and the song “I Dream in Pink” followed in 2011. The new uploads include songs that were not previously available on streaming platforms.
Even as many of the original Webkinz players have grown up and moved on, a robust community of fans has developed on platforms like Reddit, X, Instagram, and Tumblr, where users show their collections, share memes, and discuss updates.
In recent years, the community has been frustrated by the focus on the 3D Webkinz Next, rather than updating and maintaining Webkinz Classic. In 2019, Webkinz discontinued the “first generation” plush toys.
So it’s no surprise that the announcement of Webkinz Classic’s return to web browsers—with added features and fixes—was met with celebration. The team is hoping for a Q4 release, according to the announcement.
The Webkinz community celebrated the day by baking real-life versions of Webkinz cakes, creating art, and livestreaming.
The return to browsers “is just one of the many steps that we will be taking to ensure that the next 20 years provides even more joy and fun to all our players, new and old alike,” the Webkinz team wrote.
My analysis of Refinery29’s 29Rooms Road Trip…so far
Several issues back, I wrote about “Instagram museums,” particularly the revival of Refinery29’s 29Rooms. After a 2023 pop-up in Singapore, 29Rooms returned to the U.S. for the first time since 2019. The 29Rooms Road Trip kicked off with “The Lunar Lounge” in Palm Springs from April 12 to 13, coinciding with the first weekend of Coachella.
Refinery29 has not yet updated its website about subsequent stops, but Adweek reported back in March that there are activations planned for the U.S. Open in New York and Art Basel in Miami.
A video posted on Refinery29’s Instagram shows a bar, makeup and hair stations, flash tattoo station, and tarot readings, along with plenty of Insta-worthy backdrops. I will say that, based on content from Refinery29 and influencers who attended, nothing stood out to me as significantly different from other Coachella brand activations like Revolve Festival. Given 29Rooms pioneering role in the world of Instagram museums, I think it would be a missed opportunity not to experiment and go bolder in future pop-ups.
Do more friend homework with Instagram’s “Blend” feature
In April, Instagram introduced a feature called “Blend,” which lets users create a shared Reels feed within direct messages. You can request to create a Blend with someone, once they accept, you’ll receive a feed that combines both of your suggested Reels.
I tried it out with a friend I frequently share Reels with and found it more entertaining than I anticipated.
Over the years, sharing short-form video content—along with memes and posts more broadly—has become a major way people connect online, even as we lament the unwatched TikToks and Instagram Reels piling up in our messages. In my most viral tweet ever, posted in August 2022, I wrote, “when you get sent tiktoks to watch it’s like friend homework.”
Business Insider did a story that December about this kind of friendship homework. “Scrolling through an endless feed of dance trends, funny skits, or how-to videos also requires nothing from us. You don't need to craft a witty response, take a stance, or make a thoughtful analysis; All you need to do is sit back and enjoy,” Rameeza Ahmad wrote. Friendship homework entails “instead of sending an endless stream of texts back and forth, you simply send your friends your favorite video links.”
Blend, to me, feels like an attempt to encourage the friend homework experience, although in this case it’s more like a virtual playdate. It’s a fun thing to try with someone you don’t mind seeing all your weird suggested Reels.
It also strikes me as a roundabout attempt to bring back some of the friend-focused features that defined Instagram’s early days. I think many social platforms, Instagram and Facebook included, have dug themselves into holes by layering on too many features that end up being distracting. Now, they’re trying to reverse-engineer the magic of their original experiences. Facebook, for instance, brought back the “friends” tab and even considered deleting everyone’s friends and making them start over. But I think we’re too far down the rabbit hole.
Updates in Pinterestland
In a blog post on April 30, Pinterest announced it would begin labeling AI-generated or AI-modified content, with an appeals process available. The company also announced an experimental feature that would enable users to see fewer pins generated by AI.
Meanwhile, Pinterest users have been reporting getting banned from their accounts without clear reason. Pinterest posted a statement on X that was ultimately unsatisfying to users, many of whom have pointed the finger at the new AI moderation system.
Niche internet corners
Webkinz Guide is the ultimate wiki for all your Webkinz archival research needs, with entries on places, characters, traditions, pets, items, and more. Recent additions include pages for pet emotions and pet side views.
I’ve also been enjoying a satirical news Instagram account, named the Kinzville Times, like the real in-game publication within Webkinz World.
Using the Wayback Machine, I found Crafty Critters, a section for crafts, recipes, and party ideas on the Webkinz site. There’s also a gallery of photos of Webkinz-related crafts others have made.
Memes of the day (follow my Instagram for more)
your webkinz content never misses <3