Typically, a consumer purchases a toy (e.g., a stuffed plush animal or other creature, etc.) as a gift for a child, for example, and that child then uses the toy for imaginative activities. However, the toy manufacturer relationship with the toy does not typically continue until the next toy is purchased.
This lack of continuity represents a lost opportunity to take advantage of the fact that the child or other toy owner likely wants to create a whole imaginative world for the toy for play purposes. A means of creating a such an imaginative world using modern computer tools, such as a personal computer connected to the internet, wherein the toy can be utilized in a computer generated “virtual world” for various games and activities, given a name and a history, and taken care of, would allow the owner a more varied and interactive means of playing with the toy.
Further, such a virtual world could be used to maintain the relationship between the toy owner and the toy manufacturer (or, alternatively a retailer or service provider), allowing new toys, accessories, and services of the manufacturer, retailer, or other provider to be offered to the toy owner, thereby increasing the potential market for the manufacturer and increasing the usage of the toy by the user. Such a virtual world could also provide many educational and gaming scenarios that would engage a child or adult with many hours of play.
Furthermore, such a virtual world could increase the attachment that the toy owner feels for the toy, and thus increase the likelihood that additional toy or accessory purchases would occur, and also increasing the satisfaction the owner feels with the toy, thus extending the relationship between the toy manufacture and the toy owner.
Finally, by engaging the toy owner in the virtual world, advertising and other marketing advantages would likely occur because of the additional satisfaction that the toy would provide, hence leading to potential word-of-mouth and other means of marketing the toy and the website.
Accordingly, a system for creating such a virtual world to take advantage of such marketing potential might provide some or all of the listed benefits.