Bakugan (pronounced BACK-oo-gon), which means "exploding sphere" in Japanese, has indeed exploded onto the toy scene in the United States since it was introduced in January. Its Toronto-based manufacturer, Spin Master, expects to sell $100 million worth of the games, cards, and characters in the United States this year. The company estimates it will produce 40 million Bakugan spheres in 2008. Last year, it was one of the best-selling toys in Canada, where it was introduced in the summer.
The game combines the shooting strategy of marbles with the spirit and looks of Pokémon and the shape-shifting ability of the Transformers robots. Bakugans are invading homes, backpacks, day care centers, and desktops nationwide. A cartoon series of the same name premiered on the Cartoon Network in February, fueling the Bakugan buzz among children, especially boys ages 6 to 11, who are dipping into their allowances to buy the characters and cards required to play the game.
Toy industry specialists believe Bakugan has the potential to be another Pokémon. "It's a combination of things," said Jim Silver, editor in chief of Toy Wishes magazine and Toy and Family Entertainment magazine. "It has the great elements of past successes. With the battling and the cards, it reminds me of the Pokémon. The other part is the collectibility to it. You want to collect different ones that have different powers. The key to a great game is that they are very simple to play but [with] a lot of strategy, and Bakugan has those elements."
