OT - Bakugan

[TashaRVT]

Can some sane adult out there PLEASE explain Bakugan to me?

DS6 wants "it" for Christmas (he doesn't have anything Bakugan), but I'm at a total loss as to what I need to get for him. Can I just get him some of those little ball things that pop open, or do I need to get him that launcher thing to go with it? Of course, I don't know how crazy I am about him having a *launcher* of any type in his possession... There's also B2 series (the balls are slightly larger), and I don't know if they'd fit in that launcher thing. Then there's this arena thing!

As you can see, after standing in Toys r Us staring at the Bakugan isle for 45 minutes next to another hopelessly lost mother, I gave up, and thought I'd ask for some help from the best people I know!!

I'm such an uncool mom, it's just not good. HELP!!

 

[Becky2005]

My 8 year old just likes the balls that pop open! We happened to find 2 packs of those the other day at Target and he's been thrilled with those.

He doesn't have any launcher or anything else. I have no idea how you even battle or whatever it is you do but I know the little balls seem to be the basis for all of it.

So, that's my opinion! I know my 5 year old has been trying to confiscate them too. He would be more than thrilled with just the starter pack which is what I think these were.

Mine don't necessarily use the card it comes with either -- they sometimes do but I find these things stuck on my refrigerator, on the chair legs, on the corner of the house, the door -- they basically use them as magnets a lot in addition to the game.

 

[Laurabearz]

I am new to Bakugan too.

I found a travel arena which was cheaper than the boxed one, and I bought two 3 ball packs so he would have enough to play with friends.

No Launcher, No giant balls. Just the basics. If he loves it, he can earn the money to get more of them

I have read that the balls get lost easy so I am hoping the arena will help keep them in one place

 

[Stephres]

My son has the balls, mostly the small ones but one big one too. I have never heard of the launcher or arena, is that what's next?

They are very good for entertaining the kids in restaurants. They are quiet and cute.

 

[AwaitingMagic]

My little boy LOVES these odd things too. He just wants the balls though and I think the cards come with the balls. He's totally content with that and hasn't asked for anything else for them. They are interesting little things but I don't understand the game.

 

[molly2004]

What I don't quite understand (granted, I'm looking on line via AMazon) why is there such a huge price difference among the starter packs? I see some starting at $15 and others starting at $25, for what looks like similar items.

 

[LilGMom]

My DS7 has the balls and cards. He wants a launcher/shooter that Santa might get him but he's been without and does just fine without one. We did get him a carrying/holding case for all of the balls which has 'clips' that store three balls and can clip onto his pants. You don't need the arena or shooter to play, just the balls and cards.

 

[GJM]

My DS and his friends just have the cards and the small balls - I think my DS has about 35 of them. When you find them BUY them! We got lucky the other day and Walmart just got some in. The price difference may be because some of them are rare.

 

[design_mom]

My DS got some Bakugan for his b-day. He only cares about the balls and cards, too. My mother is getting him the travel arena for Christmas but I'm not entirely sure he'll know what to do with it.

As for the price difference between the "starter packs," I haven't entirely figured that out either. I *think* the more expensive ones might be some sort of collector pack from Japan (my in-laws got him one of those sets for his b-day and everything on/in the package was in Japanese). However... DS doesn't like those any more than the cheaper sets. I'd go with the cheaper ones if you can find them.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Just a few weeks ago, I was asking what they were, too! Now DS has several and loves them.

It's the pop-open balls that are important to the kids around here, too. The cards come with them - including cards that have metal in them, so the balls will open on them.

But DS (2nd grade) rarely uses the cards, and instead just opens them on anything handy. (I guess we can stretch it a bit and consider that part educational - they learn what's magnetic and what isn't. )

Each ball has a power value after you open it - x number of g's. The higher the better, and the kids trade them. I have cautioned DS that trades are only to happen when BOTH children fell they are better off after the trade, so no one can bullying anyone into trading.

I also agree with Stephres. They are great take-along toys for any time there is waiting involved.

 

[Belle1962]

Those of you are just "running into" them are lucky. They seem to be the "it" toy for boys and finding them is H A R D. That is what accounts for the large price gaps on amazon and ebay (remember you are not always from amazon but someotimes from other sellers on amazon)

 

[1Prince3Dwarfs]

I have obviously been under a rock, because TODAY while DS(5) was talking to Santa he says he wants Bakugans. He starts spouting names and characters and rules. Of course, I have never heard of them, but started doing some research, because that is all he has asked for, I can't find them at the msrp anywhere.

 

[Poohbug]

I found out about them on the DIS boards and happened to see them at Walmart the other day. I picked up a starter pack for $10. They also had the larger balls for $14. The kids just got them today and they LOVE them. They are kind of cute and easy to take along. The biggest problem will be keeping track of them and keeping them away from the 20 mo. old.

 

[deedeetoo]

You're lucky you can find them where you live. DS7 began to get interested in them after school started this year and I couldn't find them anywhere. Everytime I am in a store that carries toys (Walmart, Target) I check for Bakugon and I have never found any. My son only wants the balls and the cards. He says the launcher and arena (which they do have in stores) aren't necessary.

We ended up ordering them off Amazon. I know I'm paying more than list price which just kills me, but you cannot find them here at all. He now has 3 little balls and 1 big ball. I just ordered him a battle pack for Christmas which contains 6 of the small balls. I wish they were easier to find.

 

[Kanga+2Roos]

In response to the B2 series--they are just slightly bigger than the original ones but the biggest difference is that there is a lot more detail & parts that open up on the B2 series. I think the B2 look a lot more impressive but when I asked my DS6 which size he like better he didn't care. Not sure if the B2's will fit in the launchers either but like all of the other posters, my DS only cares about the balls & it would be a waste of money to get any of the accessories that go with them.

I did manage to pick up the Sams Club pack last week--6 of the original size & a travel battle mat ($15 alone at Walmart) for $24.74. It sounds like they have the same set at Costco. Sams had a ton of them at the time.

I found the best price for the starter packs at Walmart--$10 for 3 of the B2's. The individual ones were $4.99 at Walmart & Target & $5.29 at TRU. I think it's just luck of the draw when you find them. I hit the jackpot at Walmart at 9AM last week since they were just putting them on the shelf.

Good luck treasure hunting!

 

[kacaju]

if anyone is headed to WDW I saw a bunch of them in Epcot. i have girls who have no interest in these so I don't know if they were *good ones* or not. Just noticed they had many of them in Japan.

 

[shannn]

So, my son has given me a list of which ones he wants. I go to look for them (good luck finding them in the first place...) and I realize that the names are not on them anywhere! So, the only way I have of even knowing what I'm getting is Ebay. I'm so frustrated!!

 

[jensen]

We did get him a carrying/holding case for all of the balls which has 'clips' that store three balls and can clip onto his pants.

I'd be interested to know more about this holder... where did you get it? How much?

 

[cigarboo]

I was at TRU today and noticed they had a new stock of Bakugan. They had the B2 starter packs that have 3 balls, Battle packs that had 6 balls and also individual ones. It looks like they had a huge shipment and weren't exactly flying off the shelves. I bought mine from Amazon when I couldn't find them in stores and paid way to much. Maybe the stores have them back on the shelves again, because Target.com had them in stock again also.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

My 8 year old niece has asked for these for Christmas. I have no clue about them. I have managed to find 3 different ones but they are typcially very hard to find.

Which ones are good? How do we know?

I'm so glad my DS4 is too young for these things! LOL