The Bakugan Battle Brawlers television show is just one part of the Bakugan craze that’s sweeping young boys (and occasionally girls) all across America. As with so many kid-crazes over the past fifteen years, this one comes from Japan.

At all started out with a television show, known in America as Bakugan Battle Brawlers. The show is set in an alternate universe (of course). This universe has what are known as Bakugans; there is no formal definition of these creatures, except that they are, well, monsters. But some of them are friendly, even if they are also fighters.

In this alternative universe, an evil Bakugan known as Naga tried to make an artifact into a part of himself. Unfortunately for him, it split into two pieces. Unfortunately for the rest of the world, it started wreaking havoc across the globe.

The television show is about these creatures, as well as eight kids who try to restore balance to the world. Bakugan Battle Brawlers chronicles their adventures.

As with any cartoon hit, a toy line had to be made–of course! The little toys won the most recent Toy of the Year award given by the Toy Industry Association. As you might guess, there is some pretty powerful marketing behind these toys. Even kids who don’t watch TV likely know what these toys are.

The original Bakugan Battle Brawlers show contained 51 episodes. This show has become so popular in America that a new series is being produced. Video game producers are working on versions for Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 systems. As you might guess, deals have already been struck to turn the TV show/toy line into a movie.

So there you have it: Bakugan Battle Brawlers is a Japanese show turned into a toy line that’s turning into video games, a movie, and a new television series. As you might guess, it’s also 100% a craze among the kids. Just like Pokemon, they’ve gotta catch’em all!