Video Game Hoaxes Wiki

The Webkinz Killer (TWK) was a rumor that emerged in mid to early 2007 about a character that would supposedly murder a player's Webkinz. The rumor spread rapidly around the site and playgrounds, with players going so far as to say that it would infect others with destructive malware. The rumor gained enough controversy that Ganz denounced the rumor in August 2008, stating that "Nothing in Webkinz World would ever hurt your Webkinz pets", effectively proving it as false.


It was rumored that the Webkinz Killer was added to the game by a developer at a competing website or a disgruntled ex-employee at Ganz. There were a variety of methods of "assassination" that were spread, with some saying that the killer was a virus that appeared as a black penguin with red eyes. This virus would wipe the player's hard drive and BIOS (on Windows 9x systems), rendering the computer unusable.

Dr Quacks Webkinz Killer

A supposed screenshot of the Webkinz Killer, proven false

Another rumor was that a colored box (commonly black) would randomly appear in a player's room. Players would be instructed by others to leave as quickly as possible - if the box was clicked on, something would pop out and chop decapitate their pet. It was also stated that a Webkinz Host could send players letters containing bombs or other explosive devices. If these letters were opened, the player's house would be destroyed and their Webkinz would be killed. The black letter was a primary source for said malware.Frequently, the Webkinz Killer is identified as Dr. Quack or as other Webkinz pets. Some users also blame the killing on Neopets, a popular competing site. Dr. Quack also had specific rumors surrounding his clinic, with one stating that if a player clicked the eyesight testing poster too many times (at least 50 times) he would become upset and kill their pets. It was also rumored that he could give pets poisonous pills which would kill them.