Little boys love their toys, and tapping this market is no mean feat, so small-screen game cartoons are top of studios' Christmas wish lists and the latest anime-TV toy craze to hit the big-screen production line is Bakugan Battle Brawlers, which has been nabbed by Universal.
The show, aired on Cartoon Network six times a week, focuses on young "battle brawlers" who wield their little "Bakugan" creatures (with such crazy names as Pyrus Drago, Haos Tigrerra, Ventus Skyress, Subterra Gorem and Darkus Hydranoid) in battles in the parallel dimension Vestroia, which sometimes spills into ours.
Like Pokemon, Yu Gi Oh and Dragon Ball Z, this ties into a strategic game for kids to nag their mums for - so they can show off in the playground, or play with it nicely, depending on the child. This time the game involves metal cards and magnetic, spring-loaded miniature figures that transform from marblelike balls into toy monsters.
Following this year's Speed Racer and 2009's Dragonball Evolution, **Bakugan **will look to extend the reach of its already worldwide fanbase and create what they hope will be an "all-ages action-adventure movie".