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The popular electronic hamsters from Zhu Zhu Pets, by St. Louis-based Cepia, run about $10 in stores, but sellers online are getting twice that.

The Associated Press

The anointed "hot toy" of the 2009 holiday season is a furry, electronic hamster that retails in stores for the relatively modest price of $8 to $10.

But the toy – marketed under the catchy moniker Zhu Zhu Pets – is in very short supply in stores. So people whose kids say they "really, really, really" want Zhu Zhu Pets feel forced to go online and pay double, or more.

It's become an unwanted holiday tradition: The season's hot toy annually sells for more money online because it can't be found in stores. But parents, trying to fill their children's wish lists, grin and bear it as best they can.

Sometimes it's difficult to grin.

"As a parent, it bothers me that the hot toy every year gets bought up by people who sell it for a lot more online, because of the demand," said Michelle Bourne of New Gloucester, who bought four of the hamsters and accessories from Amazon and eBay after coming up empty at local stores. She was searching for the toys for her two daughters, ages 6 and 7. "I had to pay about $23 per hamster, plus shipping, and the accessories were probably double online what they would have been in stores."

Zhu Zhu Pets first gained public attention in May, when St. Louis-based Cepia Inc. test-marketed its new toy at Walmart and Toys R Us locations around Phoenix, Ariz. The little rodents flew off the shelves. From there, Zhu Zhu Pets were a hit at toy shows, ended up on several "hot toy" holiday season lists and were the focus of heavy TV advertising.

The toys are programmed with sound and movement, and reportedly can handle tasks on their own, such as darting through a hamster tunnel or driving a specially-made hamster car. They can be set on various modes, including the "loving" mode for cuddling, where the hamster speaks when petted.

Lines of people looking for the hamsters were reported at toy stores in September, the same month when Linda Moore of Skowhegan said she began looking for Zhu Zhu Pets for her three grandchildren. The toys are sold mostly by major retailers – specifically Walmart, Target and Toys R Us – so Moore checked those stores out, physically and online.

After having no luck and not wanting to wait too long, Moore loaded up on Zhu Zhu Pets and accessories on eBay. She said she bought "almost everything they have" for her three grandchildren, ages 4, 5, and 6. She bought four different hamster models (with names like Mr. Squiggles and Num Nums) for each child, at about $20 per hamster. She also bought accessories like the car they can drive, tunnels, a hamster wheel, an "adventure ball" and more things for the hamsters to use on their own. The total cost was $700.

"All I know is my grandchildren saw this commercial on some cartoon network, and I had never even heard of them," said Moore. "I'm hoping that they like them."

Will Zhu Zhu pets be more readily available than they are now before Christmas? It's hard to tell. Most retailers are telling customers to keep checking back at their local stores, or online, in case new shipments come in. Some toy industry analysts have speculated stores didn't order the amounts of merchandise usually associated with the hot toy for fear the economy would inhibit sales.

"Our goal is to have the toy in stock at our stores, but right now the demand is really outweighing the supply," said Michaela Gleason, a spokesman for Target. "We're working with the vendor to secure more additional product."

Gleason said that right now some Target stores have the toy and some don't. She said customers can ask store staff to direct them to other stores in the area that have it. There are five Target stores in Maine.

Also, she said people can sign up for e-mail notices that will let them know when stores near them have Zhu Zhu pets in stock.

Bourne started looking for Zhu Zhu pets about a month ago, and said she was checking online to see if various models and accessories were in stock. At one point, she found that the Walmart in Windham had two "garage" accessories for the hamsters. So she drove from New Gloucester to Windham. By the time she got there only one was left and a woman in the toy aisle was holding it.

"She told me she was going to sell it on eBay, and I told her that was ridiculous, that it bothered me that she was going to do that," said Bourne. "So she ended up giving it to me. But that was the only (hamster or accessory) I was able to find in a store."

Staff Writer Ray Routhier can be contacted at 791-6454 or at:

rrouthier@pressherald.com