Mommyblogging: In search of Bakugan
I was offline this afternoon doing a little shopping for my son’s birthday. There are many industries hurting out there. But I’ll tell you: The makers of “Bakugan” are doing just fine. The entire aisle of Bakugan merchandise at Toys ‘R Us was cleared out. Wiped. Gone. The clerk told me they can’t keep them in stock.
Looks like the phenomenon is nationwide:
Young boys across the country have the fever, Bakagun fever, as one of the hottest toys of the season has become one of the hardest toys of the season to find.
Following in the footsteps of Cabbage Patch Dolls, Furby, and Tickle Me Elmo, the Bakagun Battle Brawlers craze is in full swing and making matters worse, stores can’t keep them in stock.
Spin Master’s action-figure warriors are part marble, part Transformer robot with just a hint of Pokemon thrown in. The small marble-like spheres pop open into monsters when rolled onto the games metallic Gate Cards.
But so far, the demand has outdistanced the supply. Many parents are finding nothing but empty shelves at toy stores and other retailers who try to stock the popular toy. When deliveries do arrive, they’re gone within a matter of hours…
…According to company analysts, 2.5 Bakugan are sold every second in the U.S., and if you lined up everything sold end to end, by December, it is expected to span the length of more than 120,000 football fields, according to MacNeil.
I was able to scrounge up a “Battle Brawler arena,” but couldn’t find the marble thingies anywhere. Finally ended up ordering them on Amazon, where they’re still in stock. For now.
I’m also on the hook for a cake. Last year, it was Spiderman. This year? Pikachu, of course. Wilton discontinued the cake mold, so I had to buy one from an eBay seller in Seattle. Thank goodness for the Internet.
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I am so glad that my kids aren’t at the age where they have to have the most popular toy out there. But my time is coming I know.
Your kids have a great mom.
Yeah, there’s always the yearly toy/console that everyone wants. Here’s what you do, check the Sunday flyers as early if you can (which could mean running out early and getting one at a gas station or wherever).
If the items are listed in the Sunday flyer for a store, they usually (note I say usually) have them stocked. Haul ass to said retail store, and wait for the doors to open. If they aren’t handing out tickets (and I’m guessing that isn’t likely for a small ticket item like these things), know where they’re stocked beforehand and make your move when the doors are opened.
They usually try and have shelves stocked with whatever is advertised in their Sunday flyers because if they advertise it and it isn’t there, people get pissy.
Good luck, my kid bought the battle arena without realizing there were no Bakugan balls to go with it…….ToysRus never got in the balls. Fortunately we have a chain here called Meijer that finally got them in. it took months before the kids got there battle brawlers to go with the arena. Unfortunately my dogs chewed up part of the arena before the kids got their balls (brawlers)
Michelle,
I had the pleasure of teaching a little boy of about 7 last school year. He was diagnosed with severe Asperger’s (a milder form of autism) and for the first three or four months of the school year he would mention something about a “baku-gun”). I had no idea about which he spoke and generally just thought it was something coming out of his rapid-fire, questioning young mind. The kid was really bright and could carry an adult-like conversation at length, which is often common for children diagnosed with Asperger’s.
Well, lo and behold, three or four months into the school year, he brings in a toy called a Bakugan and it all fell into place. Instead of asking questions, I’d assumed this little boy was just spouting gibberish. Now that I realized what Bakugan was, I knew I’d never forget.
The faint of heart should never visit the toy department after Halloween.
Only the strong survive that aisle.
That’s really cute. Thanks for this glimpse into your world outside of this blog.
Pikachu?!?
What’s wrong with Fumoffu?
MUCH cooler anime!
Occasionally, I babysit for a co-worker’s two young boys.
The oldest went through his Pokemon phase about 3 years ago.
I still recall all those hours upon hours of him describing his Pokemon cards to me in minute detail. Though he might as well had been speaking in Ancient Aramaic for all I could understand.
A child’s imagination is truly one of the most wondrously entertaining things in this world.
Whatever happened to Legos and Tonka trucks?
(爆丸バトルブローラーズ
Bakugan!
It’s amazing. Not so long ago, I was playing with the new fad, Stretch Armstrong. We stretched him too far on an airplane and got that messy honey-like syrup everywhere.
Ahhhh..for the good old days of Barbies for the girls and ball gloves for the boys….maybe a sled or wagon for a “gender neutral” or fun lover…..
http://www.lego.com/en-US/default.aspx
If the little guys are into Pikachu and Pokemon
this is a great site. I had to help my grandson on this site today. It is free! Free is good. Also bought him the Pokemon cards.
http://www.toywiz.com has some Bakugan merchandise in stock. Odd, when I was just a father I did not know these things. Grandfathers are easy?
Oh well the youngest is satisfied with Pikachu and Pokemon-the oldest and I are rebuilding a 47 Chevy Fleetline. Life is good.
They still make Tonka trucks but now they are plastic. We still have the boys old steel trucks. Built Tonka Tough!
Not exactly sure what you just said or what language your speaking. Although I do recognize the name Toys R Us.
Ah, for the days when Mom would whip up a cake, dig up some candles from the cupboard and the family would gift ya with a firetruck, a Davy Crockett cap or maybe a “Slinky”.
The best, AzN!
Remember when they used to put **real** toys in Cracker Jacks & cereal boxes?
I remember, too, getting candy cigarettes and bubble gum cigars.
Indded I do, Jag. That was so cool.
On, yeah, not only was our candy teeth-rottin’ good it was politically inccorrect! With real cig-brandname labels, too! Loved it.
You can still get that kind of candy, like bubblegum cigars - here’s one place online that sells “old time” candy:
Candy you ate as a kid
Here’s the candy cigs page at that site:
http://www.oldtimecandy.com/candy-cigarettes.htm
I have a few years before my daughter is old enough to really want certain toys. She’s starting early though: tonight we walked by build-a-bear and she pointed and screamed “Thaaaaat!” She’s only 14 months…
We let her go in and run around so she could continue to scream “that!” at everything. I was amazed at the clothing selection for bears. They have everything from skechers shoes to miniature purses. It was crazy.
My youngest are in high school, so we’re past the toy years, unless you count Rock Band and MP3 players (my kids have Zunes, not iPods, I got a great deal online last Christmas).
My eldest, now in his 20s, was a motorhead and loved small cars - MatchBox, Hot Wheels, etc. He knew all the makes and models of cars when he was 3. He also loved Legos and other building toys. I think we have the world’s largest Lego collection!
My daughter loved baby dolls and also liked Barbie and the Belleville Legos. She had/has a My Twinn doll and Samantha from the American Girls dolls.
My youngest son loved the fantasy stuff - knights, castles, dragons, etc. MegaBloks made a dragon set he just loved. He liked cars but not as much as my elder son. He also has a Rokenbok set - we all liked playing with it. If you haven’t see it, check it out: http://www.rokenbok.com/
I sometimes miss them being little but have to admit, I don’t miss shopping for toys at Christmas. At least my kids never begged for the most popular toys. They’re still not into popular or designer stuff.
Michelle…get your kids AR-15’s while you still can. They will thank you when they are old enough to properly use them.
Until they are old enough, you can let them play with the high capacity mags.
I love Rock Band. All my friends in our mid 20’s rocking around a living room, we look like such idiots, but all maintain full time jobs, so its nice to be a kid every once in awhile.
A cake for me, Michelle? You shouldn’t have.
well, let me tell you about my girls! my 10 year old wants a real drum set! & a bass guitar, & an electric guitar. she’s enamored & passioned by it. and i am blessed. though she has an older ipod, & recently got her first cell phone, and is on computer occasionally, she’s really getting a passionate knack for the real thing. and we’re right near the infamous Guitar Center in Hollywood. so she may be one of those. i’m a film maker myself, not a musician, and i encourage but don’t push. but i do give her CONVICTION! pride, and such!
my 4 year old is a princess but LOVES watching Bakugan and makes me throw down regular cards and yell something like “dragon, brand, stand!” and waves her arms around like she’s summoning a monster! but she wants an electric guitar and i think she may just do it, cuz she has an electric barbie guitar and roams around the room strumming to the screeches of the really bad barbie songs on it, but her pose is dead on to a real aficionado guitar player, like a little prophetic ghost ready to explode into reality…
children are a blessing.
How precious this all is, Michelle. You, diligently searching for your son’s birthday gift, and even going to the effort to find the cake mold on
eBay. Your children are very fortunate to have such a loving and devoted Mother. When is your son’s birthday, btw? God’s blessings upon your family.
I bought an AR-15 when the Clintons were pressing for an “assault rifle” ban. I also purchased a Mak-90. The AR-15 is a very quality weapon, but quite honestly, it was a pain in the ass to strip and clean. Little parts and springs could easily be lost …especially in the field. The Mak, on the other hand, was quite a bit more fun to shoot and was very easy to break down to clean and reassemble. I am not a gun enthusiast, but given my novice experience level, I’d go with the Mak-90 over the AR-15 if a real situation arose. I imagine that eventually I’d prefer the AR-15 over the Mak or SKS type weapons, but hey, you gotta let the Militia figure that out for themselves, eh?
Michelle, anytime you need Japanese toys, let me know. Honolulu always has…
BTW - Mattel, maker of toy cars and trucks is valued higher than GM these days.
I’m just partial to the AR.
My kids are all grown up now, but I remember running around searching for THAT toy, they desperately wanted. Now, I have grandkids, and it starts all over again. Last Sunday, my g-daughter pulled me aside with some “ideas” on what she wanted for Xmas. (Granddad here has money growing on trees, of course.) Ah, for the days of Barbie dolls, board games and GI Joe….
I still have my daughter’s American Girl dolls and accessories and some of her beanie babies in storage. Supposedly the beanies and American Girl are or will be collectors items.
Now that she’s a teenager, she’s into the high tech stuff but luckily she’s not big into video games.
I actually miss the days of buying toys for her. It was always more enjoyable for me to go to Toys R Us than it is to go to Best Buy. I was worse than a lot of kids when I was in a toy store!!! LOL
I’m just a big kid at heart, I guess!
Blast from the past: Lincoln Logs…..
Happy Birthday to the youngest of the Malkins!
My sister is raising her children without most TV and without any television commericials… they do go to a public school, but are in gifted classes.
They don’t see the crap like Bakugan, or American dolls, or iPods or whatever serves as Pokemon today.. so they don’t want them.
They want books and want to DO things. They ask to learn an instrument or to ride a horse or to go to the zoo.
I don’t know if I could do what my sister is doing.. but it is interesting.
How about this. Paizo Publishing got a hold of some old D&D Hook Horrors from 1983. I bought 3, one for me and two for gifts. Talk about old nostalgia.
Michelle, I think part of it is the economy. My son’s birthday is in October, so he has the “benefit” of holiday advertising when preparing that wish list. This year, almost none of the advertised toys that he expressed interest in were in stock at the stores. A simple board game was the only one we found. Bakugan was on that list, but so were several newer video games and some movie action figures. I think retailers are keeping their inventories intentionally low.
Toys? Toys!?
We go this here recession on. I gots to look out for me and mine.
I thought the economy was so far off the rails that all the toy stores had lay-offs and closed up!
Or has He fixed all that?
Mine are beyond the age of toys, I must admit, I really don’t miss the frenzy of looking for that one toy they absolutely had to have. For my boys, it was Power Ranger toys. They both saved all their pocket money for a Power Ranger sword, came time to buy them and they were out of stock, we had to wait a month for them, but it taught a good lesson; delayed gratification.
Michelle, your children have a great mom.
Happy Birthday to your little darling. I agree with PBoilermaker, get him some guns while you still can. But, I like my Ruger Mini 14.
Downwithabsolutes, my 5 year old son is autistic. Not Aspergers Syndrome, though. He is pretty much non-verbal. He won’t speak unless he has a reason to, even then we sometimes have to make him talk.
Bakugan are hard to find around here, too. My MIL was at Target Monday and they had just gotten in a fresh shipment so she called my hubby and he met her there to pick out several for my 5 yr old son for Christmas. She still was a little skeptical that that was what he really wanted and not much else, so she took him back to Target yesterday to point out (confirm) what he wanted.
When I told him he was going with his grandma to show her what he might want for Christmas, he said, “Oh you mean Bakugans?” She said that’s all he was interested in looking at. She even went ahead and got him (another) one then. When he got home he ran to all his friends’ houses to show them. He was walking down the street holding it high in the air for all the world to see. It was too cute!
My nephews were into this early in the year and have about 8 of the ball things and the magnetic cards in a baggie sitting on a shelf with the other just got to have things also like tamagotchi (Sp?) and pokemon balls. My sister was going crazy trying to find the Bakugan things in stores and on-line, at the time. Boys! Now they are 7, 9 and 10 and into expensive NFL jerseys. I long for the old days of being on the hunt for elusive toys.
All eight of my nephews are getting books that were carefully selected for their eight distinct personalities. I’m thinking about getting baby books for the next two coming. I don’t even want to think of what it’s going to be like when I have my own-my siblings will try to spoil them rotten, but probably not in the way I did…..
We need REAL leadership in this country… in four years we will be just another “dot com” story…
Hey John… now that the election is over and you have time on your hands… why don’t you go on a hunting trip w/Cheney… and while you’re at it, invite Obama along… maybe Dick will bag a couple of turkeys for Thanksgiving.
oops wrong post… grrr
Star Wars Lego: An interesting cross-breading of cultural icons and an industry unto itself.
Happy Birthday to the young one MM, and thanks for posting a topic that takes our minds off of bailouts, politicians, and all that.
Dear Michelle,
You might want to rent a copy of “Jingle All the Way.” I think you’ll empathize with my character in that film. Hell, I think it’s the last good thing I did before becoming gov…well, let’s not go there, ya?
Signed,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
P.S. You’re my favorite customer!
*out*
My oldest boy is an absolute freak for these little pain in the foot at three a.m. balls. I sympathize.
Youngest boy is a confirmed train nut. Loves anything trains. But practically explodes with glee if it happens to be Thomas related.
All in all, boys are such wonderful creatures.
Michelle,
Seems our sons are totally in sync. I too ordered spent part of my day searching for Bakugans. My son is an Aspie and he is consumed with Bakugan and anything Pokemon.
Michelle,
Went through Wal-Mart tonight and they had a selection in stock. Some of the marble guys and some other bigger figures. Good Luck!
I think I stuck my hand in it between the seats on a business trip last year .
Not around my daughters they’re not…