Game maker Electronic Arts will partner with toymaker Hasbro to create a new virtual world for the latter’s line of “Littlest Pet Shop” dolls, the pair announced last month.

The “Littlest Pet Shop Online” world, aimed at the same pre-teen girls who are the target market for the two-inch animal toys, will launch at http://www.lpso.com sometime this fall, the companies said. The pre-launch site says the world will allow its members to play with their favorite pets from the line of collectible animal dolls. Girls will be able to create and customize their virtual pets, outfitting their wardrobes and decorating their homes.

Members will also have the chance to socialize online in a safe, moderated environment, and to take part in daily events, games and adventures.

Hasbro said in a statement that it has sold more than 200 million pets worldwide in the “Littlest Pet Shop” line since its debut in 2005, and that the product’s Web site, www.littlestpetshop.com, is one of its top performing brand sites with more than 1.8 million girls creating and tracking online pet collections.

Hasbro already offers a virtual world on that brand site where registered users can care for and play with their “virtual interactive pets” or VIPs. It was not immediately clear how the new world will differ from or integrate with the existing one. There’s also the possibility that actual Littlest Pet Shop toys could be integrated into the virtual world, perhaps with a Webkinz-style access code that unlocks virtual features.

“Building on its success of creating ‘Littlest Pet Shop’ digital experiences that were braced by legions of fans, EA is once again set to re-invent the ‘Littlest Pet Shop’ play experience, but on a much larger scale—the Internet,” said March Blecher, general manager of digital gaming and media at Hasbro. “Millions of girls globally will now have a place where they can come together to connect, collect and share on LPS fun.”

Numerous virtual worlds linked to toy lines are taking aim at the female tween market, including those from Webkinz and Disney’s Pixie Hollow. The virtual world built around Mattel’s iconic Barbie doll now has 18 million registered users, according to the company.

Build-a-Bear Workshops launched its Build-a-Bearville virtual world in December 2007, and McDonald’s created a virtual space called “McWorld” in September 2008 with numerous games and spaces that are designed, like half its Happy Meal toy tie-ins, to appeal specifically to young girls.

Disney is also reported to be working on creating a virtual world for boys built around the Pixar animated film “Cars.”

EA has an existing relationship with the popular Hasbro animal-toy line, having created and released five “Littlest Pet Shop” video games in 2008 for the Wii console, the PC and the Nintendo DS handheld player. Those games sold 2.8 million worldwide. In fact, the company will release “Littlest Pet Shop Spring,” a new game expansion pack for the Nintendo DS, later this month

Game maker Electronic Arts will partner with toymaker Hasbro to create a new virtual world for the latter’s line of “Littlest Pet Shop” dolls, the pair announced last month.

The “Littlest Pet Shop Online” world, aimed at the same pre-teen girls who are the target market for the two-inch animal toys, will launch at http://www.lpso.com sometime this fall, the companies said. The pre-launch site says the world will allow its members to play with their favorite pets from the line of collectible animal dolls. Girls will be able to create and customize their virtual pets, outfitting their wardrobes and decorating their homes.

Members will also have the chance to socialize online in a safe, moderated environment, and to take part in daily events, games and adventures.

Hasbro said in a statement that it has sold more than 200 million pets worldwide in the “Littlest Pet Shop” line since its debut in 2005, and that the product’s Web site, www.littlestpetshop.com, is one of its top performing brand sites with more than 1.8 million girls creating and tracking online pet collections.

Hasbro already offers a virtual world on that brand site where registered users can care for and play with their “virtual interactive pets” or VIPs. It was not immediately clear how the new world will differ from or integrate with the existing one. There’s also the possibility that actual Littlest Pet Shop toys could be integrated into the virtual world, perhaps with a Webkinz-style access code that unlocks virtual features.

“Building on its success of creating ‘Littlest Pet Shop’ digital experiences that were braced by legions of fans, EA is once again set to re-invent the ‘Littlest Pet Shop’ play experience, but on a much larger scale—the Internet,” said March Blecher, general manager of digital gaming and media at Hasbro. “Millions of girls globally will now have a place where they can come together to connect, collect and share on LPS fun.”

Numerous virtual worlds linked to toy lines are taking aim at the female tween market, including those from Webkinz and Disney’s Pixie Hollow. The virtual world built around Mattel’s iconic Barbie doll now has 18 million registered users, according to the company.

Build-a-Bear Workshops launched its Build-a-Bearville virtual world in December 2007, and McDonald’s created a virtual space called “McWorld” in September 2008 with numerous games and spaces that are designed, like half its Happy Meal toy tie-ins, to appeal specifically to young girls.

Disney is also reported to be working on creating a virtual world for boys built around the Pixar animated film “Cars.”

EA has an existing relationship with the popular Hasbro animal-toy line, having created and released five “Littlest Pet Shop” video games in 2008 for the Wii console, the PC and the Nintendo DS handheld player. Those games sold 2.8 million worldwide. In fact, the company will release “Littlest Pet Shop Spring,” a new game expansion pack for the Nintendo DS, later this month