Webheads Central Baybeeee

>>READ HERE<<

Hi there! My name’s Michael and I made this blog because I took a funny little interest in First Ideas’ Webheads toy line from the early 2000s. They’re a fascinating group of computer and internet themed toys, meant to be monitor companions and photo frames. Now out of active production and circulation and never reaching popularity, the Webheads line has faded into obscurity, and in many cases presents a mystery. What happened? Why is there so little information online about them? Where did they go?

While I’ll be trying to dig up more about them, what I know for now is that there are 16 total dolls listed on the archived iwebheads.com via the wayback machine, several of which have no available photos beyond blurry thumbnails for their bios, and who present both an interesting cast of characters, and a fun look back into the early days of the internet.

These characters are:

Auntie Virus • Baby Boy.com • Baby gURL • Browser the Webhound • Cookie • Cyber Cat and Mouse • Dot e.com • Dr. Disk • E-male • Eve Shopper • Hacker • Melissa LuvBug • Wally Wallstreet • Web Mistress • Webmaster • Web Surfer

Here I’ll be posting the history bits I’m able to find on the Webheads line, the characters’ bios, playlists, headcanons, OCs, art, and more! So if you’d like to stick around and learn about some friendly computer companions that nearly count as lost media, you’re in the right place :-)

I got some fanart to kick this blog off, which is just absolutely gorgeous and shall remain here because it’s very close to my heart.

Tag directory is under cut, and otherwise have an epic day!

HWH CHOSEN TO REPRESENT NEW LINE OF COMPUTER DOLLS

Inventor of the Popular Couch Potato Doll Creates a Presence "On" the Computer and the Net

September 11, 2001- HWH Public Relations/New Media is pleased to announce it has been chosen to represent New York-based First Ideas' latest creation, The WEBHEADS. These adorable, soft plush dolls have heads that are computer monitors with screens that double as picture frames. WEBHEADS, personalized with a favorite photo, are designed to sit atop computers and are sure to become collectables for your "A" list.

First Ideas, as its name implies, has always been in the forefront of market trends with creations such as the hugely successful Couch Potato dolls, which kept millions of television viewers company while engaged in their favorite activity. The premise for the WEBHEADS is similar: colorful, fun, soft-bodied dolls with photos in their computer screen picture-frame heads, that serve as companions through the long days and nights of computer isolation. They'll give you something to smile at when you come up for air.

Transcript and ID:

A screenshot of Websurfer’s bio from the webheads site. It says “Bio for Websurfer” at the top. There is a picture of him below it, showing a doll with a white, bulky computer for a head, and a face of a smiling white guy with pink-lens sunglasses inserted into the picture frame screen. He has a tied up tuft of blonde hair sticking out of his head, and is wearing a blue tank top, swim shorts, and flip flops. His shirt has a design of a computer smiling and surfing on a wave via a computer mouse, and his shorts are patterned with palm trees. His bio reads as follows:

Favorite Phrase: Surfs Up Dude!

Favorite Food: Rubio’s Fish Taco’s

Favorite Website: Likes to Surf between Yahoo.com and AOL.com

Favorite Clothing: Shorts, Hawaiian Shirts, T-shirts and flip-flops

Favorite Hobbies: Hangin’ Ten on his board, Jet Skiing and relaxing with a pair of shades and some sunscreen on the beach

Favorite Song: “Surfin Safari” by The Beach Boys

Perfect for photos of your Buddies, Boyfriend, co-workers, college students and husbands

Transcript and ID:

A screenshot of Webmaster’s bio from the webheads site. It says “Bio for Webmaster” at the top. There is a picture of him below it, showing a doll with a white, bulky computer for a head, and a face of a white man with a blue mask over his eyes inserted into the picture frame screen. He is wearing a red hero suit, with a red cape, blue gloves and blue boots, and a blue belt with a mouse as the belt buckle, the wire wrapping around the left side. His boots have orange wings on each side. He also has a large logo on his chest, showing a blue globe outline overlaid by two yellow lightning bolts forming the initials ‘W’ and ‘M,’ with the words ‘Web’ and ‘Master’ above and below the logo respectively. His bio reads as follows:

Favorite Phrase: “I’ve got the whole world in my hands”

Favorite Food: “The Whopper”

Favorite Website: Britannica.com

Favorite Clothing: anything in a spandex or tights motif

Favorite Hobbies: Saving the universe, flying through the information highway, and directing content globally

Favorite Song: “I am Super Man”—by REM (Poster’s note: this song is actually ‘Superman’ by REM and is mis-titled as one of its lyrics on the site.)

Perfect for photos of your Boss, co-workers, husband, buddies and kids!

No absolutely, and I think it’s really related to the time they came out and how the internet was viewed. There’s some press releases/interview type things I’ve found on the site I plan to post, but I think you’re right ab the market. They were meant for office workers and to jump on the rise in computers being owned by people, but came at a time when the usage of the internet n computers as a whole was not understood how it is now, it was only starting, and there was no way for them to fully expect what it would become. I think they definitely ended up in a limbo as you said, as adults usually aren’t as into cute plush gimmick products, but picture frames being a main piece of the webheads also wouldn’t really appeal to kids. I think maybe if they’d pitched them mainly as funny internet-themed dolls for kid play, like neo pets like you said, that could double as sitting frames, it maybe could’ve been more successful. A kind of “for the kids but can be for the parents too” type thing, maybe incorporating online games or activities.

It feels like a line of toys that came out in the perfectly liminal time to be forgotten. They were trying to capitalize on something they couldn’t conceptualize and as a result who it was pitched to was messy and unclear, and they came out when the internet was still getting its footing and as such documenting and history of a lot of stuff was lost.

Transcript and ID:

A screenshot of Web Mistress’s bio from the webheads site. It says “Bio for Web Mistress” at the top. There is a picture of her below it, showing a doll with a white, bulky computer for a head, and a face of a very pale woman with sharp features smirking inserted into the picture frame screen. She has a bun of brown hair sticking out of her head. She is wearing a long black dress with sheer sleeves and a large red collar patterned with black spiderwebs. The collar creates a V over her chest and goes up around her shoulders. She is also wearing grey tights and black shoes. Her bio reads as follows:

Favorite Phrase: “I Am the Master of My Domain”

Favorite Food: Whatever is caught in her Web

Favorite Website: OneWorld.com

Favorite Clothing: Mysterious Black Lace

Favorite Hobbies: Chatting on the Web during the late late witching hours

Favorite Song: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson

Perfect for photos of your Wife, girlfriend, sister and web girl friends!

Transcript and ID:

A screenshot of Wally Wallstreet’s bio from the webheads site. It says “Bio for Wally Wallstreet” at the top. There is a picture of him below it, but it is somewhat blurry, showing a doll with a white, bulky computer for a head, and a face of a smirking white man inserted into the picture frame screen. He is wearing a suit that seems patterned, likely with money symbols, over a white undershirt, a red tie, and black shoes. His bio reads as follows:

Favorite Phrase: "Buy Buy, Sell Sell Sell!"

Favorite Food: Who has time to eat

Favorite Website: WallStreetJournal.com

Favorite Clothing: Suits, Suits and more Suits

Favorite Hobbies: What is a hobby, a stock market is open somewhere

Favorite Song: “Taking Care of Business” by Bachman-Turner Overdrive

Perfect for photos of your Boss, Co-worker, Friends and Family!