Bakugan Mania is here and my kids are already buzzing.

So what is Bakugan?

Well mix an anime cartoon, action figures and cards, add a games of marbles twist — and that is Bakugan. The animated cartoon series started the first of 2008, however the tiny Bakugan brawlers are already popular in Japan and Canada.

There are 100 Bakugan action figure warriors tucked into plastic balls that pop open when they’re rolled onto a magnetic game card, where they gather points. “Boys want to throw things, collect things, trade things, battle  and, of course, win,” Matt Wexler, executive producer of the television show and head of global licensing, said in an e-mail.

My kids are telling me that Bakugan Starter Packs are apparently the game all our 4-12 yr old kiddos want. Strategy is key in this game as the players have to place their metal Gate Cards with intent as each card affects the battle differently. Plus it is cool how my kids must learn marble shooting skills to roll their Bakugan into battle.

The good news is the relative inexpensiveness of the game. The sets get you going and then most of the required pieces, such as the action cards, are under $10, and the Bakugan Battle Arena runs about $30. These things and the Bakugan Launcher do not come with the sets. However, you can use the tried and true launcher, your thumb!

Bakugan brawlers are selected at random when shipped. The Bakugan Starter Pack includes: 3 – Bakugan Morphing Marbles 3 – Metal Cards. You can upgrade if you want a fuller set to the Bakugan Battle pack which comes with 6 Bakugan Brawlers and 8 Metal cards. This seems to be a good deal.

I have read in Time Magazine and Newsday that this is one of the hottest must-have Christmas toys. Still, with a hundred different spheres and dozens of different cards up for grabs, as well as some of the items already being tagged as “rare,” I think  buying early can save us a nagging holiday headache.

This just in! These items are extremely hard to get! However, you can find them at right now! There are lots of them you just have to bid!