School's not out yet, but the shelves at toy stores are already buckling under the weight of toys stockpiled for those long dog days of summer.
Expect to see a lot of "Speed Racer," "Iron Man" and "Indiana Jones" merchandise, tied in with the upcoming blockbuster movies. But parents, don't be surprised if your kids start talking about something called "Bakugan."
In addition to the anime-style cartoon on the Cartoon Network, the Bakugan game combines collectible action figures, cards, a board game and a game of marbles -- blending several decades of boys' toys into one seamless world. The little Bakugan marbles transform into little monster action figures, and there are 100 different Bakugans to choose from. The toys are recommended for ages 4-9.
"It kind of perfectly taps into what boys want in a toy," says Bakugan spokesman Dale Gago. " It's not a tech toy. It's not electric. It's not a video game. It doesn't need batteries. You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on a Playstation 3. Kids can go to the store and buy a $4 booster pack instead of a $70 video game." SPONSORS!WWW.INTERNATIONALDRIVE.COM WWW.NATHANHALE.COM
