From the New York Times:

"The MTV Networks unit of Viacom Inc. said yesterday that it had bought the closely held Neopets Inc. for $160 million, adding the youth-oriented Web site to a children's programming lineup that includes SpongeBob SquarePants and Rugrats. Neopets.com lets users create "virtual pets" and receives more than five billion page views a month, Viacom said in a statement."

Okay, say again? Five billion page views a month? I'm speechless. So I decided to check this out. What makes Neopets.com so dang special? Here is my journalistic foray, for your reading pleasure, into the world of virtual pets.

First, I chose my pet's species. It was hard to pick. They're all pretty cute. I finally decided on this little guy:

I like him because he looks like a cross between a squirrel and a rabbit. Also, because "they are very loyal to their friends and are the first ones to break open their food stores and share them with their pals." Well, right on!

Next I got to customize the little bugger. One of the many options was "what does your Neopet enjoy doing?" The drop-down menu gave me a few hard choices, between "bullying others" and "making friends." Huh. Maybe I could do a bit of both...

I'll keep you posted on my pets' progress. Meanwhile, check out some more kid-friendly sites on the Web.