Anyone else out there in a world of Bakugan obsession?

It all started with a simple birthday present – what appeared to be ordinary balls soon proved to be so much more. Bakugan Balls, from the Cartoon Network series, Bakugan Battle Brawlers, are now all the rage in our house.
What they are: the best way to describe them is as a ball-shaped transformer. The kids can transform them with their hands, or even more fun, roll them onto something magnetic (they come with magnetic cards) and if they hit the right spot on the ball, they pop open. There’s a whole game involved – the Battle Brawlers Arena can be purchased and you get different points for how they roll, and what level of “card” you play. At 5, my son doesn’t actually play the game but my kids pretty much spend the entire day playing with these balls.
These things were impossible to find around the holiday season. After his birthday gift, I was on a frantic search to find more as it’s ALL he was asking Santa for. The aisles in local toy stores were totally picked over, Amazon and other stores online had jacked up prices.
I’m happy to report that supply seems to be meeting demand now and the prices are back to retail. I was just in Target today and saw their shelves were stocked – and you can get them on Amazon at small sale prices. If you’re looking for a boy present or toy for boys ages 5+, this is definitely worth checking out (although be warned: they will get sucked in!). Starter packs are $9.99 – here’s one for $9.80 on Amazon.
Note: they’re tiny – a little smaller than a golf ball, so be careful if you have babies or toddlers who like to stick things in their mouth in the house. They do sell bigger Bakugan balls and these are a good option for houses with babies – the larger ones retail for $9.99 for one and are about the size of a tennis ball.