Bakugan Brawl!

I guess this is the new craze... Bakugan! Have you seen these things? Little plastic balls that, when they roll onto a metal surface, pop open into little "monsters" . There are hundreds of different ones, all named and numbered, and packaged randomly so you don't know what you're getting. Retail, the little balls sell for... sit down... $5 - $7. On ebay, the retired or hard to come by models are averaging around $18 - $20. LITTLE PLASTIC BALLS...REALLY! They look like something out of a happy meal.

Yeah I know it's a fad, but this is the first one my kids have gotten swept up in. Max has a few and so do most of his friends. They make him happy and he has a blast playing with them. He got 3 for $15, and I guess that's OK for all the joy they're bringing him.

Today though, he emptied his piggy bank and painstakingly counted out ALL his bills, change and pennies, coming up with a well earned and carefully saved $24.37 which, he announced, was enough for him to buy one of the Brawlers he found on Amazon.com... ONE PLASTIC HAPPY MEAL TOY, $24 bucks! He's willing to spend ALL his money on this thing. Kids can't afford these! Good Grief!

I told him to put it on his christmas list. (UGH) (below are actual size)