Playing on ZooKazoo: Getting Started
What is a Zelf?
A Zelf is the avatar or character you choose to represent yourself while in ZooKazoo.
How do I pick a Zelf?
During registration you will choose your first Zelf and give it a name. You can pick a different Zelf as many times as you wish in the Pick Your Zelf after you register.
What happens when I log in?
At first you will see only a flying ship with a sail. During this time Zookazoo is loading. Please wait a few seconds and you will land in the WherePort Lobby.
How do I start?
When you first enter ZooKazoo you will land in the WherePort lobby. Use your mouse to move the cursor (arrow) where you want to go and click that spot. Or, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move from place to place.
After arriving in the WherePort, you can go to the Pick Your Zelf room to change your Zelf or create your “brain.”
Go to the Lobby Post Office to send postcards or drop a suggestion to ZooKazoo.
Use the Zapper to transport to another world such as Jungaloo or Hiphopolis. You can also lower the upper tool bar by clicking on it, then click on the map tool and use it to quickly jump wherever you want to go in either world.
How do I make my Zelf move?
Use your mouse to move the cursor (arrow) where you want to go and click the spot. Or, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move from place to place.
How do I change my Zelf?
Go to the Pick Your Zelf room to the left of the WherePort Lobby. There you can change your Zelf, the information that shows up in your Zelf brain (like your favorite color, school subject, or type of music).
What is a Zelf “brain”?
A Zelf’s brain is information about you. Zelf brains will enable you, for example, to find other kids in ZooKazoo with the same interests or help you find clubs you might want to join within ZooKazoo.
Adding information to the brain is optional, and it can be put in or changed at anytime.
What information does a Zelf brain contain?
The first two items in the brain ask you to tell whether you are a boy or girl and what year you were born. For your own safety, it is important to be honest about your age.
In addition, you are given the opportunity in the Pick Your Zelf room to answer questions about the state and country where you live and about some of your favorite things: food, color, sport, school subject, hobby, TV show, movie, or style of music.
What is “Zelf Disclosure”?
Your own Zelf Disclosure. When you click on your own Zelf, a panel opens that gives you the ability to see how you answered the questions when you made your brain. You can see the awards you have won. You can see your buddy list. You can send suggestions directly to the ZooKazoo staff. And you can get help to discover how to do lots of things in ZooKazoo. Just click on the icons at the top of your Zelf Disclosure panel to move from view to view.
Another person's Zelf Disclosure. When you click on other players' Zelfs, their Zelf Disclosure panels open. You can see their brains. You can click their buddy buttons to ask them to be your buddy (That click will automatically send that person a Zmail with your request). You can also see the awards they have won.
In another player's Zelf Disclosure panel, you can also Report that person for misbehavior or choose the Ignore button to make them disappear from your screen if that person is making you feel uncomfortable.
How do I make a buddy?
Making buddies is fun and easy. By making someone your buddy, you will be able to easily locate them in ZooKazoo, join them and send them Zmail.
To make someone your buddy, click on their Zelf (avatar) and open their Zelf Disclosure.
Click on the Buddy icon (the handshake). When you are asked if you want to make them your buddy, click Yes.
This will automatically send a Zmail to the person. When they open their Message Center, they will see your buddy request.
Once they click Yes, you will become buddies and they will appear on your buddy list and you will appear on theirs.
Playing on ZooKazoo: Getting Around
How do I make my Zelf move?
Use your mouse to move the cursor (arrow) where you want to go and click that spot. Or, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move from place to place.
How do I travel around the worlds?
From WherePort you can enter the Zapper. You will see two screens: one that shows what goes on in each world (like a travel guide) and the other a map. Click either Hiphopolis or Jungaloo on the map and you will be zapped there.
You can move from one world (or room) to another by using the map in the upper right Toolbar. Just click the map icon and the map will unroll to show the ZooKazoo worlds. Click where you want to go.
How do I enter and leave rooms?
Roll your cursor (arrow) over any doorway. You will see it light up, then click. Your Zelf will walk to and through that doorway. Click the doorway again to go back out.
In some places you will see faint arrows on the floor, ground, or background. If you roll your cursor over the faint arrow, it will turn red. Click that red arrow and you will exit that space.
How do I stop and get out of a game?
If you are playing a game, you’ll see an icon that says “Leave” in the lower left corner of the game. Click it and you will step out of the game and back to the place you were right before you played the game.
How do I leave ZooKazoo all together?
Unless you are playing a game, you will always see a button on the left end of the Lower Toolbar that says “Quit.” Click it to exit ZooKazoo all together. You will return to www.ZooKazoo.com.
How do I use the Upper Toolbar?
This Toolbar can be lowered and raised. Its Tool Tab is in the upper right hand corner of the ZooKazoo window. Click it and The Toolbar descends to reveal 5 icons. (If you click “Tools” again, the Toolbar will raise up again.) The icons available on the tool bar are:
The Mailbox. The top most button is your message center. You will be able to receive Zmails from anyone on your buddy list, from ZooKazoo headquarters (announcements and tips), and requests to be buddies with someone. You might also receive special invitations to special events, if you are a Premium Member.
The Treasure Chest. When you want to view the things you have purchased with Kazoobits, click the treasure chest icon. It will open and reveal all of the clothing, gear, or furniture you currently own. You will also use this panel to change your Zelf's clothes and gear.
The Handshake. Click the buddy icon to see who is currently in your list of friends or use the same panel to add new friends. You can have as many buddies as you wish. You will be able to see when your buddies are logged in at the same time you are. Pick your buddy and click the Join button and you will instantly join them wherever he or she is in the world.
The Bank. Click the coin icon to see the state of your wealth in ZooKazoo. Here you can find out how many Kazoobits are in your account. You can also see how much you have spent on your dwellings, stuff, and charities.
The Map. Click the map icon to open it. You will see the entire ZooKazoo universe. Click any of the worlds that are open. A more detailed map of that single world will appear. Click any location on the map to instantly go there. This is also a good place to see all of the places you can go in any world.
How do I use the Lower Toolbar?
The Lower Toolbar is always present at the bottom of the screen unless you are playing a ZooKazoo game. If you cannot see it in its entirety, you must reset the resolution for your computer’s screen to a minimum of 1024 X 768. The Lower Toolbar has a number of important items on it. From left to right, they are:
Quit. Clicking quit will end your session in ZooKazoo and return you to the www.ZooKazoo.com home page.
Chat Log. Clicking this small rectangle will open a chat log window on your screen that may be dragged to any position you would like. It captures all chat entries that are made while you are in any room.
Zmail. Clicking the Zmail icon will open a Zmail form on the screen in which you can write a message, address it, and send it to anyone on your buddy list. When you click Send, your note will briefly appear on the screen and everyone can see it. Then it zips off to your friend's message center. Your friend will find your note the next time he or she checks the mail.
Type Chat Field. Clicking in this white rectangular field will set a cursor blinking at which point you may type a message of up to 100 characters. Hitting the Return key on your keyboard or clicking the green Post icon to the right will publish your message in a chat bubble above your Zelf’s head. Anyone in the room will see your message. If you cannot type in this field, your account is set to "Menu Chat Only". Your parent or guardian set this when he or she activted your account. They can also change this setting whenever they want.
Menu Chat. Inside the left end of the Type Chat Field is a small blue icon. Click it and the Chat Menu will appear on your screen. You can choose any phrase in the Menu by clicking on it. Hitting Return or clicking the green Post icon will publish your message in a chat bubble above your Zelf’s head. Anyone in the room will see your message.
Post. If you have entered text in the Type Chat Field, clicking the green Post icon will place that text in a chat bubble above your Zelf’s head.
Help Button. Click this button to bring up the help center when you are in any ZooKazoo world.
Audio Speaker. At the far right end of the Lower Tool bar, you will see a small circular icon with an audio speaker symbol. Click it once and you will silence the audio in ZooKazoo. Click it again and it will turn your audio back on.
Playing on ZooKazoo: Communicating
What can I do with other Zelfs?
Chat. Meet friends. Make new friends (even from other countries!). Play games. Travel around the site together. Join clubs or interest groups. Share art or music. Submit or watch videos made by you or other kids.
How do I find my friends?
In ZooKazoo, you can ask someone to be your friend by clicking on the handshake icon in the Zelf Disclosure panel. (Each person has the option to say yes or no to an invitation.)
It is easy to find any of your friends if they are logged onto ZooKazoo. An orange dot will light next to their name and the click Join. You will zzzzaaap to the last room your friend was in.
How can I communicate with my friends?
Chat online. Send Zmail or send special postcards from any of the post offices.
How do I chat?
Talking with friends is easy. Just click on the blank Type Chat Field at the bottom of the screen, type your comments, and hit Return or click the Post button. Your message will appear above your Zelf.
In ZooKazoo, there are 2 kinds of chat: Type Chat (like that we just described) and Menu Chat. The choice of which system to use is up to your parents.
What is Type Chat?
Type Chat is free chat. Just click on the blank Type Chat Field at the bottom of the screen, type your comments, and hit Return or click the Post button. Your message will appear above your Zelf.
If you type anything that breaks ZooKazoo's rules, you will be told that we can't post that message. If you use inappropriate language or behave inappropriately, you can lose your chat ability for a set amount of time or even be suspended from ZooKazoo.
What is Menu Chat?
Menu Chat is an option that provides only pre-typed phrases and sentences. You pick a phrase, question, or answer out of the Chat Menu and then hit Return or click the Post button.
The purpose of Menu Chat is to help prevent players from revealing personal information. It can also make ZooKazoo easier to use for those who have a difficult time with spelling or typing.
The choice between Type Chat or Menu Chat is up to your parents or guardians. The decision is first made during registration but can be changed by your parents or guardians at any time.
If your parent or guardian does not choose Menu Chat, you will be able to use Menu Chat but you will also be able to type and post messages that you write yourself.
What is a Chat Log?
Another feature of ZooKazoo is the Chat Log. This option is available to keep track of all the fast conversations going on in any room where you are playing. You can access this feature by clicking the Chat Log icon on the Lower Toolbar.
How do I send postcards?
Postcards are a special feature found in any of the ZooKazoo Post Offices in any of the worlds. Pick a postcard and send it to a friend's email address. We also recommend that you address the postcard to your own email address, and send it to yourself. It arrives in your regular email box. From there, you can forward it to anyone for whom you have a regular email address. This might help your postcard escape your friend's spam filter. You can also send special event postcards for holidays and even send birthday cards.
What is Zmail?
Zmail lets you send mail to any of your ZooKazoo friends INSIDE the world of ZooKazoo. You CANNOT exchange regular email with people outside of the world, ever, from ZooKazoo. You access your Zmail by using the mailbox icon in the Upper Toolbar.
How do I send Zmail?
To write and send a Zmail, click the Zmail icon on the Lower Toolbar. A piece of Zmail stationary will open. Just type your note to your friend (up to 100 characters), find their name in the address drop down, and then click Send. At that point, your note will briefly be visible on the screen to everyone in the room before it zaps off to be delivered. Zmail text is screened by the same filters that ZooKazoo uses in its chat feature. Remember, there is no such thing as a private message of any kind in ZooKazoo. This is for the protection of every player.
Playing on ZooKazoo: Games
Where are the games?
Each ZooKazoo world has several places to find games. Jungaloo, for example, has the Game Temple. Once you find the temple, go into each of the caves to play the games. Hiphopolis has the Arcade. Go into the Arcade and walk into the various game machines to launch and play the games.
Pop Up Games can be found anywhere by clicking on items in ZooKazoo scenes, but you’ll have to discover them on your own.
Major world games have special entrances in ZooKazoo. For example, the Jungaloo River Adventure begins in the River cave found on the right side of the Jungaloo island.
What kinds of games are in ZooKazoo?
ZooKazoo offers a variety of games which continuously change and expand. Playing these games allows you to earn Kazoobits, with which you can “buy” things in ZooKazoo shops or donate to real-life charities. The games challenge your skill and cleverness as well as introduce you to important facts about real-world issues. For example:
Single player games. You will find puzzles, memory games, and games that are part of the worlds you are in. For example, in Jungaloo a chimpanzee must run, leap, swing, and eat his way to the end of the game while avoiding the predators chimpanzees actully face in the wild today. In Hiphopolis, you might compete for the top Model Moment! There are dozens of games in all AND in each world, there is a Hall of Fame where the very best scores for each game are displayed.
Social games. These are games that will encourage you to meet other members of the ZooKazoo community and carry out activities together.
Adventure quests. In one of the Quests, your participation will help ZooKazoo actually buy and protect acres of rainforest. In another quest, you may be able to help rescue lost pets in big cities across the U.S.
Art Spaces. Very soon, you will find rooms in which you can draw, work with your photos, make music, and upload your own videos in ZooKazoo. you will even be able to enter them in contests.
Contests. ZooKazoo will announce competitions from time to time in which you may submit art, stories, videos, songs (what other ideas do YOU have?) to add to the ZooKazoo site.
What is a “Kazoobit”?
A Kazoobit is the coin of the realm in ZooKazoo. Kazoobits are used as a form of online currency or money.
How do I earn Kazoobits?
You earn Kazoobits by playing games. The more you play and the harder the game is, the more Kazoobits you earn. You can also be awarded Kazoobits for being a good citizen, contributing a winning suggestion to ZooKazoo, and creating jokes, a story, music, or a video that is used on the ZooKazoo site.
What can I do with Kazoobits?
All players can earn Kazoobits, but you must be a Premium Member in order to spend your Kazoobits. You can use your Kazoobits to:
“Buy” clothing and gear at ZooKazoo “shops.”
“Buy” condos or tree huts or additional rooms.
“Buy” furnishings for your Jungaloo treehouse or Hiphopolis condo.
Donate Kazoobits to a real-world charity. Based on choices YOU make, ZooKazoo will donate real money to groups or issues that YOU choose to help. For example, ZooKazoo has already donated funds to preserve 100 acres of rainforest.
Will ZooKazoo sponsor special events?
We envision a variety of special events, such as contests in which you contribute original ideas, art, stories, videos, songs—you name it!—to the ZooKazoo site.
Playing on ZooKazoo: Safety Features
What safety features does ZooKazoo have?
The safety and happiness of kids on this site is extremely important to ZooKazoo. We have instituted a variety of measures to minimize potential problems. First is our set of 3 basic rules:
Respect other players and treat them the way you would want to be treated.
Do not use offensive language or discuss offensive topics.
Never, under any circumstances, share your real name, address, phone number, mail address or password with anyone on the site.
Registration, even for non-paying players, requires the approval of a parent or guardian.
Several screening methods (technological and human) are used to filter inappropriate language.
The Menu Chat feature allows parents to restrict the words their children may use and avoid any chance of inadvertently sharing personal family information.
NO private conversations are allowed on the site. Any chat can be seen by anyone else in the room and by site monitors.
Each player has easily accessed tools for reporting problems. There is even a button that allows each Zelf, in effect, to ignore or remove another player.
NO direct contact through outside email systems is allowed. All participants on the site must be registered and can only communicate through public chats.
What happens if I break the rules?
The staff at ZooKazoo will review your activity and decide what should be done. Options could include losing chat privileges or being temporarily banned from the site. If the offense is very serious, ZooKazoo will permanently cancel your account.
What can I do if another Zelf breaks the rules or bothers me?
Ignore them (with help).
Click on the bothersome Zelf to open his or her Zelf Disclosure panel. Then click the Ignore icon. That Zelf will simply disappear from your screen and won’t be able to bother you anymore while you are logged in. (Really!)
Report them (easily).
If another Zelf is breaking ZooKazoo rules, that behavior is serious and could be harmful to them or to others. You can report the Zelf to the ZooKazoo Monitors. To do this, click on the offending Zelf to open the Zelf Disclosure panel, then click on the Report icon. Click on the reason for reporting them (Bad Language, Rude Behavior, or Sharing Personal Information). The staff at ZooKazoo will review that Zelf’s activities and decide what should be done.
Trust your instincts. If somebody is asking you a question or trying to carry on a conversation that makes you uncomfortable, use the Ignore button to stop that activity.
When you participate in a chat or you write a Zmail, everyone in the community can see what you wrote. This allows everyone to help ZooKazoo staff spot individuals who are breaking the rules. If you see someone write something offensive or disturbing, click on their Zelf and then click on the Report button. We’ll take it from there.
Help keep ZooKazoo safe by using the Report button when you need to, but please use it responsibly!
Managing Your Account
How do I create an account?
To become a member you will need to know your parent’s email address. Follow the directions on the screen to complete your account creation. Remember to write down your username and password in a safe place. Never share this information with anyone but your parents.
There are 2 types of accounts: Guest Member (which is free) and Premium Member ($5.95 a month). You must register as a Guest before you can complete registration as a Premium Member.
What is a Guest Member?
Guest Members can play on the site for free. Many activities are available to Guest Members, but some—such as the ability to spend points (Kazoobits) and participate in contests—are not.
What is a Premium Member?
Premium Members pay a monthly subscription fee and have access to all ZooKazoo activities.
What do I get with a Premium Membership?
You have access to special avatars (Zelfs).
You can use your Kazoobits to “buy” clothing, gear, or furnishings for your house.
Or, you may donate your Kazoobits to a real-world charity that YOU help select.
You can participate in special Premium-Member-Only events.
You can compete in ZooKazoo contests.
How do I upgrade from a Guest account to a Premium Member account?
Click on the "Members" button at the bottom of the www.ZooKazoo.com homepage. Click on any of the Premium Membership options and follow the simple directions on the screens that follow.
Or click on the "Let's Play" button on the home page; then click on the "Join Now" button in the Premium Membership section. Remember, you must be registered as a guest before you are able to step up to a Premium Account.
How do I change my password?
When you first registered for a guest account on ZooKazoo, your parent received an activation email. When he or she activated your account, a personal parent page was created for your parent. Your parent can return to that page. The means for changing your password are on that special Parent page.
How do I cancel my account?
You may cancel your Guest or Premium Member account at any time by logging into the Parent Portal, selecting the account you wish to cancel, and clicking the Cancel button near the bottom of the page.
If I close my account, can I rejoin and retrieve all of the points and goodies I had when I closed my account?
Yes. You can be fully reinstated at any time by re-registering using your original username and password. This is true for both Guest and Premium Member accounts.
How do I get my money refunded if I choose to cancel my account?
There are no refunds for cancelled accounts. If you cancel an account that is automatically charged for the next month, cancelling up to three days before the end of the month (billing cycle) will ensure that you will not be charged for an additional month.
If my account is cancelled by ZooKazoo because I broke the ZooKazoo rules, can I get my money back?
If your account was terminated because you broke any of the ZooKazoo rules or violated ZooKazoo’s Terms of Use, you are not entitled to a refund of any sort.
If my account is cancelled by ZooKazoo and I disagree that I broke the rules, can my account be reinstated?
You may appeal the termination of your account by emailing ZooKazoo and explaining why you believe your account should not be terminated. If ZooKazoo agrees, your account will be reinstated.
Technology Basics
What kind of technology do I need to use ZooKazoo?
What kind of computer do I need?
A Mac or Windows-based computer will work equally well when playing on ZooKazoo. Computers that are no more than 2 years old will work best.
Whether on a Mac or a Windows-based computer, you must be able to set your screen resolution to no less than 1064 X 768.
What kind of connectivity do I need?
You should have a DSL or cable modem in order to really enjoy ZooKazoo.
What kind of software do I need?
ZooKazoo will run on the following Web browsers. You can just click on the icons to download whichever browser you need for free.
Internet Explorer 7.0 or newer
Safari 2.0 or newer
FireFox 2.0 or newer
You will also need to have the latest version of the Flash Player. You can download the latest Flash Player plug-in for free by clicking the Flash Player button below
When I try to login to ZooKazoo, I never get past the picture of WherePort. What’s wrong?
ZooKazoo may not work if you are using a computer that is protected by a firewall.
ZooKazoo will not load properly if pop up windows are disabled in your browser.
ZooKazoo will not load unless you have the most recent version of Flash installed on your computer.
