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From The Times
August 3, 2007

Pricey Penguin

Patrick Hosking, Business Editor

The customer lifecycle of Club Penguin, the social networking site sold to Disney yesterday, goes like this, if one columnist’s experience is any guide.
Day 1: Son hears of website in playground and logs on.
Day 5: Son begins pestering dad to sign up for paid-for version.
Day 10: Dad capitulates and agrees $5.95-a-month direct debit.
Day 20: Son tires of website.
Day 199: Hopeless dad gets round to cancelling direct debit.

Peer pressure, pester power and parental inertia make for a compelling business model. But $700 million may prove a Dumbo-sized price tag for a bird less than two years old.

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