Ganz will sometimes retire a product or feature, most notably pets, meaning it is either no longer being produced, distributed, or digitally supported due to limited supply, limited offers, unpopularity, becoming outdated, or other reasons. When pets are retired, their PSI (pet specific item) and PSF (pet specific food) are retired with them. Other things that can be retired are other items such as prizes or rewards, games, merchandise, characters, locations, and entire room themes.
This doesn't mean that retired pets or items can't be used in Webkinz World, or that they are no longer unattainable through other means. Items retired from the W-Shop, such as room theme items, can still be found at the Curio Shop, hence becoming exclusive items. Some retired items can be traded. Some pets can even be returned as strictly digital pets and become available in the Ganz eStore.
Some retired pets and merchandise can still be purchased through websites such as eBay and Amazon, though sales from third-party sources have been known to charge high prices for pets, especially for Signatures. Purchasing a retired Webkinz with its code still sealed and attached will still register onto your account without any issue.
Newspaper Announcement[]
"Webkinz World is over a year old, so we decided it was time to retire some of our older items from the W-Shop. Out with the old and in with the new items! Not to worry, though, because occasionally you will still be able to find the retired items in the Curio Shop!
We’ve been so impressed with the number of trophies everyone has won from Wacky Zingoz! Because we have given out thousands of trophies, we decided that it was time to retire the Wacky Zingoz trophy…for now! You never know when it might return…
Lots of people have been wondering about the Cheeky Dog and Cheeky Cat. The rumors are true: these two Webkinz pets have been retired. When a pet is retired, that means that we’re not making any more of them. If you can find a Cheeky Dog or Cat in the store, it can be adopted. If you’ve already adopted a Cheeky Dog or Cat, you can continue to play with it. If you want to adopt one of these cool critters, visit your local gift shop soon; it won’t be long before they’ll be gone!"
- -The Newspaper, 2006.