Digimon Fever is storming the country and Bandai is riding the wave with a wide variety of cool Digimon: Digital Monsters-based product.

The animated series, airing on Fox Kids Network, has been a ratings success and the toys have been flying off store shelves since they debuted late last year. Bandai has a slew of great Digimon product waiting in the wings to feed the need of the legions of rabid Digi-maniacs around the country.

The Spring 2000 assortment of products has begun appearing in stores recently, including the very popular 2.5" Action Feature line, the 5" Digivolving Action Figures, the PVC Collectible Digimon Sets and much more.

Bandai has even more Digimon: Digital Monsters product slated for release in the Fall of 2000 including expansions to all of the above mentioned product lines.

Some folks might not realize that Digimon have actually been around for a few years now, originally being an offshoot of the Tamogotchi craze of a couple of years back. In fact the many items in the 2.5" line were originally shown by Bandai back at the 1998 Toy Fair, but when the digital pet craze waned the product was shelved.

Interactive Digivice Game (left) looks just like the Digivices that Tai and the gang use on the television series, but is actually an electronic game that harkens back to the original Digimon games.

A portable LCD game containing a working pedometer, the Digivice lets kids partner with one of their favorite Digimon characters to battle and collect other Digimon as they walk throuhg and amazing adventure. You can connect with a friend's Digivice for hand-to-hand combat, too!

Interactive Digivice Game

Bandai's new Digi-Battle Game Cards (right) allow kids to put their imagination to work. Each fun-filled box contains a play-mat, point counters and 62 game cards, including 14 option cards, which inlcudes one bonus foil card, 48 Digimon cards, which include two foil bonus holographic cards. Each starter set contains all the elements for a two-player game.

Featuring a range of cool new graphics and favorite Digimon characters, Bandai takes the Extreme dX mini skateboardws to another level by inventing the all-new Digimon dX.

The mini skateboards include a 1.5" Digimon figure key chain, finger bindings and a board display stand. The Digimon dX are offerered in the following 12 character designs: Angewomon, Dark Tyrannomon, DemiDevimon, Garudamon, Lillymon, MagnaAngemon, MegaKabuterimon, MetalGreymon, Myotismon, Phantomon, Were Garurumon and Zudomon.

24 additional board designs are planned to follow in series two and three.

Most of these items are now available in stores, so what about the future. As we mentioned the Digimon product line will be refreshed in the Fall to take advantage of the new season of the animated series.

Here's some of what you have to look forward to:

2.5" Action Feature Digimon

In addition to the 8 kids being added to the line in late-Spring/early-Summer Digi-fans can look forward to Biyomon, Gomamon, Ikkakumon, Lillymon, Palmon, Tentomon, Tyrannomon, Zudomon and many more.

Digimon Talking Figures:

Can Digimon actually speak? These Digimon can! Each figure says phrases from the hit television series and comes with a poster of the characters. Characters include Agumon, Gabumon and Patamon.

Bean Bag Plush:

Digimon plush will include the following characters: Agumon, Biyomon, Gabumon, Gomamon, Palmon, Patamon, Tentomon, Tsunomon and Koromon.

Deluxe Plush: (12 inches)

Each Digimon deluxe plush comes in the champion mode of the following Digimon characters: Garurumon, Ikkakumon, Togemon and Greymon.

Deluxe MicroPlayset:

Look for the Digimon playsets that include 1 character and 1 Digimon that digivolves from rookie level to champion level. Available in the following characters: Agumon digivolves to Greymon, Gabumon digivolves to Garurumon and Tentomon digivolves to Kabuterimon.

Many other items, such as stickers and even a backpack are also planned for a Fall 2000 release.

Stay tuned to Raving Toy Maniac for the latest developments in the world of Digimon!

[Updated 3/22/2000]