Every year there is a Must Have Toy during the holiday season. It's that one toy that will ruin the holiday if your child doesn't receive it, no matter how many gingerbread houses you built together and despite the hundred or so other exciting toys that do find their way under your tree. This year's big toy are Zhu Zhu Pet hamsters. They're like real hamsters: They cuddle, move, and make noises, but don't need to be fed and don't poop (amazing how far technology has come, right? We can make poopless robotic hamsters but can't cure cancer). Toss in a few batteries and they're set. It should be as easy as fa-la-la, but it's not. Because Zhu Zhu Pets were deemed the It Toy of the Season, they are remarkably hard to find. I should know; I've been hamster hunting since October.
I should throw in a minor disclaimer here: My daughters have no idea what a Zhu Zhu Pet is. They haven't seen a commercial for one, and although a friend of theirs had one (and she lost it, if you can believe it. The nerve!) they weren't particularly moved after witnessing it wiggle across the floor. To be fair, if a Zhu Zhu Pet doesn't make it under our tree they won't know the difference. But I will, and that's the key. I want the damn Zhu Zhu Pet. Mistake #1: Before attempting to find the It Toy, be sure that your kiddo will care if he or she is lucky enough to receive it. While I know my girls would think a Zhu Zhu Pet is cool, they will be far more excited about a Disney Princess doll.
I love a challenge and these hamsters are providing me with one. After reading about them in late September, I decided my children should have one. I figured they would make cute gifts at Christmas and mentally put that on my shopping list. Mistake #2: When deciding upon an It Toy, don't 'mentally' add it to your list. Go out and buy it immediately. By October, when I became concerned about the Zhu Zhus increasing popularity, I began to search for it. It didn't take long to discover I was screwed.
My initial attempts to locate these robot pets were half-hearted. Mistake #3: One must be aggressive and unrelenting when searching for an It Toy. Sporadic phone calls to stores won't cut it. I launched a multi-faceted campaign to find a Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Patches, PipSqueak, or Chunk. I would check online three times a day to see if any were in stock, I would call the stores daily to see if a new supply was in or expected, I would make surprise visits to retailers claiming to sell the Zhu Zhus and check the shelves, and committed several other people to buying me one if they ever came across one. I put more effort into locating this toy than I did getting my family flu shots (incidentally, we never did get those... I was busy with other things, as you can see).
Just as my hopes were all but dashed, a Thanksgiving miracle occurred. After the dishes were tossed into the dishwasher, the pie was split between my husband and I, and the kiddies were in bed, I logged onto the computer. I was checking my email (and Zhu Zhu websites) one last time before bed when I came across an article that said that Toys-R-Us would have 100 Zhu Zhu Pets in stock for the first 100 people in line for Black Friday. A quick glance at the clock told me I had less than two hours to realize my dream. I had to try. Despite my husband's attempt to stop me ("People have probably been lining up since 5pm! And we have two kids but you can only buy ONE hamster! Don't you see how that will create a problem?"), I was out the door within minutes and speeding towards my local Toys-R-Us.
To my delight I discovered the line wasn't that bad. I happily took my place and enjoyed the camaraderie of the moms around me. We all discovered we were here for one the same thing, and while that created a little tension at first, once we realized we were easily guaranteed a spot in the first 100, we became fast friends. We swapped the tales of our personal Zhu Zhu journeys. We shared anecdotes about our kids. We traded tips and secrets about shopping deals. And when we were handed our ticket that stated we would indeed be going home with one Zhu Zhu Pet a piece, we all laughed and jumped up and down. My new BFF's and I wished each other luck as we slowly entered the store and I was happy and content - and then amazed.
You know how on tv you always see parents screaming at one another over toys, pushing and pulling, and crying because someone else got away with a much wanted toy? Yeah, that was Toys-R-Us at 12:01am on Black Friday. Despite the fact that my BFFs and I were getting our beloved Zhu Zhu Pets, I hadn't realized the rush was on to get the accessories and other toys, like the Three Musketeers Barbies or Chuck the Talking Truck. I watched in astonishment as two women yelled over a box of who knows what, one of them in tears. I saw parents push past other parents to get to an aisle and clean it out. It was disheartening, to say the least. To think we had been chatting mere minutes before, happy as can be.
I came home with my very own Pipsqueak Zhu Zhu Pet. Yeah, that's right, I said my own. You think after all that trouble I'm handing over my prize to my kids? It belongs on a shelf, like a trophy, not the floor! They won't appreciate the trials I went through to get that thing but everytime I look at it, I will nod in remembrance. So what if my husband now gives me a 'What is wrong with you?' look whenever I declare that the Zhu Zhu won't end up under the tree? You know, when I think about it, it's really for the best that I keep it for myself. He was right, after all, when he said that there was only one hamster for two kids. I don't want my darling angels crying on Christmas morning! Unless... I can find another Zhu Zhu Pet! Oh, how I love a challenge!
~Michele