What were you doing three years ago?

For some of us here at zwINK, we were pulling our hair out.

In the days leading up to the official launch of Zwinky, we kept finding little technical bugs and glitches that would delay our launch anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of days.

Zwinky back in the day

And throughout all of this, the weather outside was SOOoooo nice. It was difficult working through our lunch hour day-after-day, trying to make all the fixes to the site while some of our co-workers were outside taunting us by eating ice cream, getting a tan, and playing Daniel Powter's "Had A Bad Day" in an endless loop. I still cringe every time I hear that song. (Although it has nothing to do with Zwinky.)

It's amazing how far we've come in just three years – over 20 million Zwinksters have been part of the magic in that time, and we've experienced and attended so many great events together: from amazing proms, music listening parties, themed parties, Zwinchester boutique launches, special quests, not to mention Mr. Foxtrot's first dance recital.

In the world outside of Zwinktopia, we've experienced as a community historic changes in leadership in the U.S., a renewed (and urgent) focus on environmental change worldwide, and some cautionary news about our global economy and the importance of saving for a rainy day.

It's funny to think back and remember that when Zwinky launched, there was no Zwinktopia. No dorm rooms. No virtual shark. All you got was a limited wardrobe, some code that allowed you to stick your Zwinky avatar on a blog or MySpace page, and that was it. And yet... you loved it! And the more you asked us to create for you, the more ideas that popped into our heads.

This week we look back and remember the past 36 months together, three years of fun that have kept those of us here at zwINK busy while giving you a place to visit friends, play games, and be anyone you want with thousands of amazing fashion options.

Help us celebrate our third birthday by:

Visiting our special Zwinky 3rd Anniversary Profile page (Zwinky gifts ARE accepted, and we love reading your comments)

Taking part in our 5-day beach party in Zwinktopia.

Grabbing some exclusive Zwinky birthday gear over the next 5 days as part of our Daily Keepsake feature. Like every daily keepsake, each item is free the day it's introduced. (And for birthday gear, only 3 Zbucks if you want to buy them at a later date!)

Have fun, be safe, and spread the Zwinky love to friends who haven't yet discovered our virtual world. And, as always...

Stay snacktastic.

(FYI – Looking ahead, we're planning new feaures, as well – including ways to better add your Zwinky to more places and in more ways!)