Zhu Zhu Zoo at Toys "R" Us

I’ll admit that I do a lot of unconventional and weird things: convincing myself I have a natural sense of direction when riding the subway and refusing to look at subway maps even when I’m clearly lost, lysoling my room twice a day, but more recently, making my cousins wait in line with me for five hours outside of Toys ‘R’ Us in the middle of Times Square to get my little sister these things called Zhu Zhu Pets on Black Friday.

Remember the whole Furbie fiasco and Tickle Me Elmo ruckus during your childhood? Yup, it’s hit again this season, this time with little life-like hamsters Mr.Squiggles, Num Nums and Chunk. My little sister has the entire hamster family, with the exception of Patches. The Zhu Zhu Pets have been nearly impossible to find since September and since it’s the only items my little sister put on her Christmas list to Santa, I had to ensure she got them somehow.

After picking up two of my cousins at Penn Station, going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, and stuffing our faces at Ulysses’ downtown restaurant for a holiday smorgasbord, we walked over to Toys ‘R’ Us to ride the ferris wheel and to scope out for Zhu Zhu Pets accessories. After reading online that Toys ‘R’ Us will be receiving shipments of the Zhu Zhu’s on Black Friday, I asked an associate who told me that the store would be closing at 7pm and a shipment of the hamsters would be available to purchase at midnight.

After a quick run to the Charmin bathrooms in Times Square (very awesome! I definitely recommend it for the ultimate bathroom experience!), we hurried back to Toys ‘R’ Us and got in line to ensure we’d be one of the first to get Zhu Zhu’s.

Pretty soon, all of us in line started being filmed and interviewed by major news stations, including CNN Money, NY1, The Daily News, etc.

My cousins and I snagged three Zhu Zhu Pets, none of which were Patches; however, we did get the hamster mobile/ garage and the hamster slide.

My friends insist I’m crazy for doing this, but my little sister thinks I’m awesome and famous. She’s going to be one happy camper come Christmas time.

Watch video footage of the Zhu Zhu madness!