neopets      chia

The Chia is a lovable little character who is full of joy. Chias love exploring the land and making new friends.

They look like sack-shaped blobs with pudgy, little arms and legs along with a tuft of hair on its head.

The very first Neopet, Thyassa the Chia, was "born" on November 14, 1999 (the day before the site was officially opened). Chias appear to be favorites with Neopets staff (Donna has stated that the Chia is her favorite because it's so easy to draw).

They are available in a wide array of variations which are not available to any other pet species. These variations make them look like fruits and vegetables (for example, the Orange Chia looks like an actual orange instead of simply being orange in color.) Chias are well known for being the food of Lupes, and perhaps that accounts for the many colors, or rather, flavors, of Chias.

Famous chias are Thyassa, Florg, the Jelly Chia, the Chia Clown, Hubrid Nox and the Highland Chia. In the Neopets TCG, the Chia is represented by special Villain characters.

Despite their popularity with the original creators, no recent merchandise based on the Chia has ever been made available. However, when Neopets merchandise was just starting to be released, there were Yellow Chia plushies and Purple Chia plushies. Lack of new merchandise may be due to a legal dispute over the use of the name "Chia". Joseph Enterprises, the company that made Chia Pets, sued Neopets for using the name "Chia" as a species. The lawsuit never got anywhere.

The Chia, while being the first Neopet, is not the most common. As of June 2007, the Chia is ranked 27th out of 50+ species. Over 2.87 million have been created. February 18th is Chocolate Chia Day (Chia Day).