We had to go into Brooklyn for a birthday party yesterday -- I wasn't looking forward to braving the Verrazano traffic, but took solace in the giant Toys "R" Us that was just over the bridge. Compared to the one we've got here, this TRU is amazing. It's a fantastic blend of new stuff actually in stock and remarkably old clearance junk, and while we only had time for a quick stop, I saw enough to make a decision. I'm going to pack my things and live inside this store.

Wasn't planning on buying anything, but how could I resist the brand new Marvel Universe "Mighty Beanz?" How could anyone resist an inorganic Mexican jumping bean with Spider-Man painted on it?

Compared to the original Mighty Beanz, the Marvel editions are certainly poised to rake in a lot more revenue. There's 56 different in all, categorized either as "common," "uncommon" or "rare" on a convenient checklist on the card-backs. I'd liken this fad to the early 90s Marvel Universe trading card craze, which I was obsessively into. I was barely a comic fan, but the trading card craze transcended that. I've since read that the cards were credited with giving the entire comic industry a boost, as kids who never had any interest in the characters were suddenly buying tons of books. Might seem like a stretch, but now that I think about it, that's basically how I got started.

These Mighty Beanz might have the same kind of potential. It's easy to avoid Marvel and DC's action figures if you're not into comics, because there's a zillion other dollies to choose from. With Mighty Beanz, it's either Marvel characters or generic clowns and witches. There's definite potential, and any kid who's susceptible to "collecting things" is gonna fall in love with these.

Smartly, kids can only see one of the five Beanz included in each pack. It's a total game of chance, and considering that they've created oodles of rarer "chaser" figures and whatnot, this is an extremely clever scheme. If a kid gets interested in the toys, they're going to want lots of them. Lots and lots and lots of them. Since there's no good way to tell which Beanz are in each pack, they'll never be a case of kids going into the toy stores and not buying anything "cuz they already have those ones." Brilliant, and even if it's a bit exploitive, I totally appreciate it. Kids are going to have tons of fun with 'em.

I picked the package with the Incredible Hulk Bean revealed. Duh, Duh, duh and duh.

Each Bean contains magnets and mystical powers, managing to stand upright despite their odd shape. They also do all kinds of strange tricks when placed next to each other. These tricks range from the Beanz falling over to vibrating gently. They kinda look like they're breakdancing. Not the best tricks in the world, but they're still tricks.

Let's see who else I got: Vision, the Wasp, Wolverine and Gambit. According to the package, Gambit is a rare find. Wolverine? He's uncommon. The rest are sucky easy finds. Jeez, if they're gonna make a Mighty Bean for the Wasp, they should've at least kept her as one of the rare ones. Give kids a reason to appreciate an otherwise unappreciable Bean. And don't start rattling off comic history that paints Wasp as "cool," because she's up against such esteemed Marvel femmy Beanz as Phoenix, Black Cat and Mystique. Nobody's gonna want Wasp over those gals, especially when she's so terminally "common."

All in all, I love 'em. They're going to make some people very rich, and some kids very happy. Everybody wins. Everybody except Wasp. Wasp sucks.