Not even our Zhu Zhu Pet is safe . . .

I walked into the playroom today and saw it. I had to hold back a tear. There he was, our Zhu Zhu Pet thrown into the “nothingness”. The “nothingness” is how I refer to the nine cubicle bookshelf from Target that holds countless amounts of unused toys. If you end up in the “nothingness” you can kiss all hopes of playtime good-bye. You have no chance of being invited to Barbie’s tea party and don’t even think about getting packed for a trip to the beach. If our daughter (Sutton) puts you into the “nothingness”, your goose is cooked.

Sadly, our poor mechanical pet stared up at me from the pit of doom. His black little eyes practical begging me to throw him a line. I felt bad for the thing, his ride on the “favorite toy train” was short lived. It feels like only yesterday when our daughter would talk about nothing but a Zhu Zhu pet. She talked about Zhu Zhu Pets for three solid months, which in toddler years is just shy of a lifetime. Apparently, “everyone” had one (no shocker here as you can find them everywhere and I do mean, EVERYWHERE). I saw one being sold at a dentist office (which makes me reconsider my choice of dentists, but I digress).

Honestly, I blame myself. I should have seen this coming. What would a girl who claims to be the sixth Disney princess want with a mechanical hamster? They aren’t sparkly, I’ve never seen one wearing a tiara, and the only thing pink on them is their “made in China” nose. The darn thing never even stood a chance. Yet, she begged for one! She NEEDED to have a Zhu Zhu Pet and all those stupid plastic accessories that are sold to go with them. Who is the evil genius that created the concept of hotels, strollers, and my personal favorite, battlegrounds for faux pets? Brilliant, really. I’m sure they are laughing all the way to the bank . . .

Clearly, I had no intention of buying one of these “mini mice” for my daughter. But she pulled out the “big guns” and asked Santa. The silly elf fell for this nonsense and the Zhu Zhu Pet appeared under the tree. There was screaming, there was jubilation, there was rejoicing.

The nine days we spent together were magical. I will never forget tripping over him as he made his way throughout our house squeaking everywhere. Who could ever forget the time I had to free him from our fireplace while I used words that they don’t teach in preschool? The memories sting.

And yet there he was. Stuck in the nothingness. I asked Sutton why he was there and she responded, “I’’m not using him right now”. Yeah right. It’s all over and he knows it. Tonight as I flipped off the light in the playroom, I swear I saw him warning The American Girl Doll. You could just barely hear him whisper the words, “watch your back.”

Few toys have made it successfully out of the “nothingness”. Sure there was the legendary 2009 escape of the McDonald’s Strawberry Shortcake Doll, but she was pink and that was in her favor. Frankly, I’m pulling for the rat, I really am. But, only time will tell.

Smarties, don’t forget to vote for your FAVES in our first-ever 2011 CSP Awards!