Activision adopts Zhu Zhu Pets

Activision today announced that it has found something parents everywhere are desperately looking for this holiday season, Zhu Zhu Pets. The gaming giant has struck a deal with toy maker Cepia and fellow publisher GameMill to sell titles based on the trendy line of inexpensive robotic hamsters.

The first Zhu Zhu Pets game will arrive on the DS next spring. The game is being made by Black Lantern Studios, the developer behind the Wii and DS games based on Iron Chef America and the ping-pong comedy Balls of Fury.

The Zhu Zhu deal bolsters Activision's family-friendly portfolio, which took a blow earlier this month. That's when THQ nabbed the rights to make games of DreamWorks Animation projects like the Kung Fu Panda sequel and spin-offs to Madagascar and Shrek. DreamWorks Animation has long been a partner of Activision, which made the first Kung Fu Panda game and is working on a game for Shrek Forever After.