I have been advised by Character Online that it is now end of the line for the original four Zhu Zhu Hamsters of Chunk, Num Nums, Mr Squiggles and Pipsqueak.

That’s a bit sad because even though their branding has changed, I still think of those four pioneering hamsters as ‘Go Go’ Hamsters, because that’s all the world could talk about in 2009.

It isn’t clear whether Cepia LLC are stopping production, but Character will definitely not be bringing any more into the UK to wholesale to retailers. I suppose that it balanced considerably by the fact that there are 20+ new Zhu Zhu Pets characters coming on stream this year with nearly all being UK bound

Therefore any existing UK stock of Chunk, Num Nums, Pipsqueak and Mr Squiggles will be the last imported and available for retail sale. Therefore, if you were thinking about building up a collection, then do so now as it is likely that prices will rise again with scarcity.

I understand that Character Online have already sold out and they will therefore be removing them from their daily stock update to us.

There are still a number of retailers presently advertising stock (shown below). Beneath the retailers stock, I also show current eBay listings.

Compare prices for the retiring Zhu Zhu Hamsters

	Zhu Zhu Pets Mini Figurine 4 Pack -jilly, Scoodles, Num Nums & Patches (Amazon)	2.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Poster And Frame (plastic) - Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, Jilly, Pipsque (36 X 24 Inches) (Amazon)	29.94
	Zhu Zhu Pets Poster And Frame (wood) - Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, Jilly, Pipsqueak (36 X 24 Inches) (Amazon)	48.98
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Toy Chunk With Clipon Bunny Ears (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Hamsters - Chunk (Amazon)	22.99
	Go Go/zhu Zhu Hamster Giant City Hamster Playset Includes Funhouse, Ball, Excercise Wheel, Garage, Car, Sleepdome And 2 Hamsters (patches And Mr Squiggles) (Amazon)	94.40
	Zhu Zhu Pets Mini Figurine 4 Pack - Chunk, Pipsqueak, Nugget & Num Nums (Amazon)	2.95
	Zhu Zhu Pets - Chunk - Num Nums - Pipsqueak - Special 3 Pack Collector (Amazon)	43.98
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Chunk - White (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Mr. Squiggles - Light Brown (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets Mini Figurine 4 Pack - Winkie, Mr. Squiggles, Pipsqueak, & Yo Yo (Amazon)	2.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Poster And Frame (wood) - Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, Jilly, Pipsqueak (36 X 24 Inches) (Amazon)	48.98
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster 2 Pack - Mr. Squiggles & Chunk (Amazon)	Check!
	Num Nums And The Dessert Disaster (zhu Zhu Pets) (Amazon)	2.55 Used : 0.01
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster (mr Squiggles, Num Nums, Pipsqueak Or Chunk) (Amazon)	9.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Mini Figurine 4 Pack - Scoodles, Mr. Squiggles, Nugget & Jilly (Amazon)	2.99
	Mr. Squiggles' Halloween Party (zhu Zhu Pets) (Amazon)	3.20 Used : 0.01
	Zhu Zhu Pets Poster And Frame (plastic) - Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, Jilly, Pipsque (36 X 24 Inches) (Amazon)	29.94
	Zhu Zhu Pets Poster And Frame (wood) - Mr. Squiggles, Num Nums, Chunk, Jilly, Pipsqueak (36 X 24 Inches) (Amazon)	48.98
	Go Go Pets Hamster / Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Pack - Various - From Chunk, Num Nums, Pipsqueak And Mr Squiggles (Argos)	9.99
	Go Go Pets Hamster / Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Pack - Chunk (Find me a gift)	9.99
	Go Go Pets Hamster / Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Pack - Chunk (Toys R Us)	9.99
	Go Go Pets Hamster / Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Pack - Mr Squiggles (Toys R Us)	9.99
	Go Go Pets Hamster / Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Pack - Pipsqueak (Toys R Us)	9.99
	Go Go Pets Hamster / Zhu Zhu Pets Hamsters Pack - Num Nums (Toys R Us)	9.99

In the meantime, here are some eBay sellers of the Zhu Zhu Pets items. N.B. Offers only show where there are any current items offered for sale.

We are grateful to Jim for keeping an eye out for new Zhu Zhu products appearing on shelves and he beat us to the news that Toys R Us have now started offering the new Nintendo DS Zhu Zhu Pets Game on a pre-order with a choice of Free(?) Zhu Zhu Hamster.

OK, it says free hamster, but the retail price in the US is considerably cheaper even when you consider the poor exchange rates available compared to a year or two ago.

The game has been released in the US, but it is being reported that it works perfectly well on UK DSL, DS and DSi machines and those are now occasionally popping up on eBay.

Once we have more details of the game, we will provide details here. In the meantime, here is a brief rundown taken from sears.com :

“Zhu Zhu Pets is set to capture the hearts of pre-existing Zhu Zhu fans and those new to the craze! Half virtual pet simulation and half high-speed action adventure game, Zhu Zhu Pets is an enjoyable balance between care-taking and adventure. Race your Hamsters in the ‘high speed’ obstacle course, cuddle and nurture your pets, and collect and play with them all!Zhu Zhu Pets is set to capture the hearts of pre-existing Zhu Zhu fans and those new to the craze! Half virtual pet simulation and half high-speed action adventure game, Zhu Zhu Pets is an enjoyable balance between care-taking and adventure. Race your Hamsters in the ‘high speed’ obstacle course, cuddle and nurture your pets, and collect and play with them all! Includes Limited Edition Baby Zhu Zhu Hamster”

Toys R Us will be releasing the game on 23rd April.

Compare prices for Zhu Zhu Hamster DS Game from Retailers

	Activision Toys Kung Zhu For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Princess: Carriages & Castles (nintendo Ds) (Amazon)	19.99 Used : 15.99
	Zhu Zhu Nintendo Ds Game (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Puppies - Game Only (nintendo Ds) (Amazon)	14.64
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu With Gift For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets 2 Featuring The Wild Bunch (nintendo Ds) (Amazon)	11.43 Used : 9.98
	Zhu Zhu Pets For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu (nintendo Ds) (Amazon)	8.59 Used : 9.70
	Activision Toys Kung Zhu With Tull Hamster For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	19.95
	Nintendo Dsi Xl Console - Yellow + Zhu Zhu Pets - The Wild Bunch [ds] (Amazon)	218.09
	Nintendo Dsi Xl Console - Green + Zhu Zhu Pets - The Wild Bunch [ds] (Amazon)	217.70
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Wild Bunch For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Wild Bunch For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Activision Toys Zhu Zhu Pets: Wild Bunch With Nutters Hamster For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Princess For Nintendo Ds (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets (nintendo Ds) (Amazon)	13.63 Used : 12.98
	Zhu Zhu Pets Featuring The Wild Bunch - Nintendo Ds Game (Argos)	26.99
	Pre-owned: Zhu Zhu Pets Feat. The Wild Bunch - Nintendo Ds (Argos)	18.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets - Nintendo Ds Game (Argos)	26.99
	Pre-owned: Zhu Zhu Pets - Nintendo Ds Game (Argos)	17.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	13.19
	Zhu Zhu Babies (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	16.99
	Zhu Zhu Princess: Carriages & Castles (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	17.79
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	13.19
	Zhu Zhu Puppies (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	17.79
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Wild Bunch (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	13.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets (nintendo Ds) (Base.com)	13.69
	Zhu Zhu Pets: Kung Zhu (nintendo Ds) (CD WOW)	14.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets - Featuring The Wild Bunch (nintendo Ds) (My Memory)	15.95
	Kung Zhu (nintendo Ds) (My Memory)	19.00
	Zhu Zhu Pets - Featuring The Wild Bunch (nintendo Ds) (MyMemory)	15.95
	Kung Zhu (nintendo Ds) (MyMemory)	19.00
	Activision Zhu Zhu Pets - The Wild Bunch (nintendo Ds) (Saverstore)	16.02
	Nintendo Ds Zhu Zhu Pets Puppies With Limited Edition Puppy (Toys R Us)	19.99
	Nintendo Ds Zhu Zhu Pets (Toys R Us)	19.99
	Nintendo Ds Quest For Zhu (Toys R Us)	19.99
	Nintendo Ds Zhu Zhu Princess: Carriages And Castles (Toys R Us)	19.99
	Nintendo Ds Zhu Zhu Princess (very.co.uk)	17.00

In the meantime, here are some eBay sellers of the new Nintendo DS Zhu Zhu Pets Game. N.B. Offers only show where there are any current items offered for sale.

We have now started a Coming Soon section on our site – you can see it on the menu at the top of this page.

Around 20 new pets are already known about that will be introduced into the UK during 2010 introducing something new for everyone.

For boys, there will be the Zhu Zhu Ninja Hamsters (watch out for our new dedicated site there) and for the Rock Chicks within us, there will be the Zhu Zhu Rock Star Hamsters and for those envoronmentalists or other wild animal lovers, there are four new creatures joining the Zhu Zhu Pets stable under the Zhu Zhu Wild Bunch umbrella label.

If you just find the original pets adorable, then a new set of hamsters will also be introduced mid-year.

As ever, these are likely to get their first appearance on UK Shores via eBay as people import them for a profit ahead of the official launch.

There will also be new accessories to collect, not just for the playest extensions, but macho new Ninja outfits to kit out the the new Zhu Zhu Ninja Hamsters.

We will of course continue to add the new products as they appear and help you identify stockists.

Just a little taster, but we have learned that the Zhu Zhu Pets range will be extended considerably during 2010 and it seems like the UK will not be left behind when we get around to the Autumn.

As well as 4 new hamsters in the ‘normal’ hamster range (Capucchino, Jinx, Patches LTD (silver) and Peachy), there will be 4 Longhaired ‘Rock Stars’ and 4 new woodland creatures (we already heard of Zu Zu the Hedgehog ).

Of course, the hamsters have been heavily marketed to Girls as that is where there appeal naturally lies.

But this year, addressing boys affinity with superheroes and suchlike, Zhu Zhu Pets will be launching a range to appeal to the boys …. the Zhu Zhu Ninja Hamsters, with costumes and weapons to match. Remember Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? … this could be the 2010 equivalent.

Perhaps the most exciting part of all the development is the following :

• Zhu Zhu Pets will have birthdates, collectors number and individual names. We don’t know for sure, but maybe this will open up an online Zhu Zhu Pets experience?
• Playsets will be even bigger, better and more interchangeable – the Zhu Zhu Pets World will be able to have up to three levels with even a Zhu Zhu Pets Elevator arriving this year!

More to follow when we know more ourselves.

We don’t have  too much in the way of detail at present, but still worth flagging up that Modern Publishing were displaying some Zhu Zhu Hamster spin off story books when they were displaying at Toy Fair 2010 last month.

Quite what age groups and the form of the books is, we don’t know at present, but they are likely to be popular gifts from those that gane Hamsters and Playsets as Christmas Presents last year.

Due for release (in the US only?) is a Nintendo DS spinoff from the extremely populat Zhu Zhu Hamsters.

It isn’t clear whether the game will make its way officially into the UK, but eBay is now carrying some listings.

We will keep our eyes and ears open and provide stock updates via our separate Zhu Zhu Pets Game – Nintendo DS product page.

If you are considering buying via eBay, then here are some listings :

Those of you who have been watching the site since last year will notice a marked difference now in the look of the site. In the past we focussed on checking stock live with the merchants … that was important when everyone was chasing down the elusive hamsters, but times have changed now.

With the new animals being introduced (have you seen the Zhu Zhu Bunny Rabbit or Zu Zu the Zhu Zhu Hedgehog or the upcoming rockstars and wild bunch?) it was difficult to find enough hours in the day. Now we will now focus on capturing daily stock updates from those merchants who can provide those  new stock updates.

The Swap Forum has now gone (it wasn’t a good one anyway) and the front page will focus on capturing and bringing you newsworthy Zhu Zhu Pets articles. We will see if we can get a better forum or similar to get a more structured interaction between the visitors.

If you are missing the front page comments from visitors about stock, then you will find them at Go Go / Zhu Zhu Hamsters in Stock.

Cepia LLC has now released a new line of electronic motorized toys manufacture. Series 3 includes four new hamsters: Moo, Spottie, Tex and Rocky. Two of them are more girly pets – Moo and Spottie wheras the other two have been given boys names – Tex and Rocky.

Moo has a white coat with lots of black spots on her coat. She looks like the moo cow minus the udder, because of the pattern … or maybe a dalmatian dog?

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Spottie is another girly hamster with more than a passing resemblance to a koala. She has beautiful gray velvety fur. Also she has black paws, ears and face completing the koala look. Black eyes are rounded off with a white rim to make them stand out.

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Tex is a brown boy hamster – is he the cowboy in the pack? His colouringfur consists from dark and light brown with his back predominantly dark brown in color and the sides light brown.

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Rocky is almost a negative of Spottie – still made from black and grey fur but this time he has grey ears, paws and face.

All the new series 3 pets are rounded off with the usual motorised wheels, their own unique sounds and of course a cute little pink nose.

When will they be out in the UK? Who knows?To be sure, they will be available via eBay before they come through official retailers.

	Giochi Preziosi Zhu Zhu Pets 2812 Interactive Pet Hamster Tex Light And Dark Brown (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pet Hamster Tex Series 3 [toy] (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets ~ Rocky Hamster Series 3 [toy] [toy] (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets ~ Moo Hamster Series 3 [toy] (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Hamster Toy Moo (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets ~ Spottie Hamster Series 3 [toy] [toy] (Amazon)	Check!
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster - Rocky (Toys R Us)	9.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster - Moo (Toys R Us)	9.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster - Spottie (Toys R Us)	9.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster - Tex (Toys R Us)	9.99

Cepia LLC previously announced plans to have additional pets in the Zhu Zhu Pets range.

Now, just in time for Easter, rabbits have started to appear. Keeping to the established base model format, Cepia has manufactured Easter bunnies.

So far we have only seen these available in Tesco stores; perhaps others will follow :

	Zhu Zhu Baby Outfit Sailor And Bunny (Amazon)	4.99
	Zhu Zhu Pets Hamster Toy Chunk With Clipon Bunny Ears (Amazon)	Check!