The good news is that kids are not just sitting in front of their PC screens in isolation anymore. They’re involved with networks of friends as the Internet has become a social meeting place. This season many Internet sites will require the purchase an offline toy–a stuffed animal or doll—to gain access to the web world.
The way most of these sites work is that you buy a “thing” that has a code that unlocks content on the web. The notion of mixing the tangible world of toys with the virtual world of the Internet is a powerful one. Kids will buy a tangible thing–a plush toy, plastic doll, or trading card–rather than having to pay for content on the web. Things have a perceived value that web content does not.

Here’s a list of some of the more interesting offline/online games I’ve seen in the past few weeks:

Bella Sara: A trading card game for girls with an online component. Made to engage girls 5-12, the message of the Bella Sara game is “believe in yourself.” It’s the virtual world teaches self esteem. A $1.99 pack of cards includes the rules, five horses (that unlock the various virtual worlds), and special energy cards to help care for the horses. The game was brought to the U.S. from Denmark by Peter Adkinson, the force behind Magic and Pokemon.

Kookeys: A plush toy animal (for $15, the quality of these animals are quite remarkable) unlocks a very different sort of virtual world. You can meet other pets and play games, but you can decide what kind of world you want to go visit and explore. The worlds carefully cater to both genders. In Kookey College kids can also gain points by answering educational questions based on the national standards. Still plenty of games, but this stretch to the world of education makes it a very interesting toy. Available Oct. 15th.

Myepets.com is ‘Lil Tykes vision of the offline online connection and it’s all about dogs. You get a real life pet that you then take online to nurture and care for. You win points playing games and spend those points on vets, spas, and arcades.

Karito Kids: Think American Girls meets the international world. Karito Kids are collector’s item-quality dolls that represent girls from around the world. Each has their own passions and personality. A storybook accompanies each girl. On the web site girls can learn to have fun while they help others. Joining the web site immediately activates a donation to a charitable effort. Kids can then play games to earn World Change points that convert to contributions as well.