The Perfect Pet? Zhu Zhu Hamsters a Hit

(CBS)  They were all Olivia Mondesando wanted for her birthday.

"Well, I felt really excited to get Zhu Zhu petsbecause I just love them," Olivia said. "Because of their little cute faces. How they talk."

Zhu Zhu
Toys R Us
Walmart
Target

They have names like "Chunk," "Pipsqueek," and "Num Nums." CBS News business correspondent Anthony Mason reports these robotic rodents suddenly top every little girl's holiday wish list.

Olivia's mother Deb said, "it's the toy that everyone wants that you can't find."

Melissa Post has been on a hamster hunt for weeks now for her daughter Jessica.

"I called every Toys R Us,Walmartand Target within two hours of my home."

Zhu Zhu pets retail for only $8 -- if you can find one. But on the Internet, they're going for much more.

The hottest holiday toy doesn't come from one of the mega toy makers. It's made by the little St. Louis-based Cepiacompany.

Cepia's Web site

"In our world wide network we have 16 people here in St. Louis, Mo.," said Natalie Hornsby, director of brand development and marketing strategies. "We have about 25 people in Shenzhen, China."

Cepia came up with the toy hamster idea only a year ago. Toys R Us helped test market them in Phoenix.

"We couldn't believe the numbers," said Jerry Storch, CEO of Toys R Us. "When we first looked at them we thought there was something wrong with the computer."

Now fans are filling YouTube with their Zhu Zhu videos. One analyst projects holiday sales of $50,000,000. Cepia has cranked up three more factories in China to try to keep up with demand.

Electronic hamsters. Who knew? This little company in St. Louis, that's who.

[stunt911]

i love zhu zhu pets !! best way to get them for retail price is through amazon and i use this free tool to help me, it lets me know when amazon has them in stock , checks amazon stock every 5 seconds!!

http://bestazgrabber.com/

[mrguyhp]

The company who released the report has affiliate links to amazon and others for buying the product. It the product is so bad, why are they linking to it and making money if you do buy it.

The whole thing was a PR stunt to drive traffic to their site so they could get in on the profits being made from these and the media just ate it up without checking any of the facts.

[LisaGreenhouse]

I have 3 grandchildren and I finally got the little cute toys. Don't be fooled into buying them for so expensive, you can use a tracker to find them. I recommend ZhuTracker.com because it is easy to use and you can get email alerts.

[Plantastic]

Meet the TickleMe Plant - The Green alternative to the Zhu Zhu
You and your child will never look at plants in the same way ..gift a Tickle Me Plant. It MOVES when you Tickle It!

The Pet Tickle Me Plant is now easy to grow indoors. The leaves suddenly fold up and the branches droop when you tickle It!

It?s more like a pet then a plant
1. No batteries required
2. Packaged in the USA
3. Guaranteed to Grow and move when you Tickle It!
It may even teach your child to be more sensitive to plants and nature. You can just search the net or go to

Http://*******/Ticklemeplant

[wantedxao]

Here is a link to a great seller on ebay, who has been selling them between $20 & $30!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260516518425&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

[peskime]

If these had been made in the USA, I would have gotten on the zhu zhu bandwagon. Cheap rubbish from China?
No thanks.

[gadgetgeek1]

i am using a tool recommended by a friend, http://www.FrontLineGrabber.com to track ********** stock so when the zhu zhu pet becomes available again in-stock at Retail price i will be the first one to know about it and grab mine.

i hope to get mine for my kids at retail price, resell prices are too high

[P58iXv7v]

Buy ZHU ZHU pet hamster at Best Store http://astore.**********/zhu-zhu-pet-hamsters-store-20 This Store have more package of ZHU ZHU ,You can find Zhu Zhu Go Go Pets Hamster Funhouse or Zhu Zhu Pets Add On Hamster Wheel at this Store.

[HowToGetZhuZhuPetsRetail]

I know parents are freaking out trying to get zhu zhu pets this year so I made this short video showing how you can get them at the retail price at amazon and not have to pay those rip off prices some people are charging. I hope this helps out some folks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGOQGLRu8Mk

[beck105]

If your looking for any of the hard to find Zhu Zhu Pets, you have to check this out http://depot4.com . I just bought the Pipsqueek - Yellow and Num Nums from Amazon for $9.99 each. This little piece of software will save you time, money and alot of frustration, it's free and really simple to use. Don't pay those outrageous prices that you see at Amazon ($45.99 up to $57.99). You will know immediately when Amazon gets the one you are looking for in stock and can buy it at right then at retail price ($9.99).