They look like something you'd expect to find as a free gift, wrapped in plastic, at the bottom of a box filled with cereal... for those who like a suave and designer-conscious start to the day. And, in actuality, they are just like that (except for the breakfast cereal bit), but UBFunkeys offer much more than first meets the eye (like Transformers? - Ed).

Both collectable and connectable, the figurines can be hooked up to a PC via a USB port, an event that will unlock a whole new virtual world for your new best buddies to explore:

"A disaster has caused the town's portal system to malfunction. And to make matters worse, the villainous Dr. Lox has locked several portals and sent his evil Henchmen out to rob the UBFunkeys. By completing various missions, avoiding the Henchmen and collecting crystals you can help defeat the evil Doc and restore order to Funkeytown."

The catch is that each of Mattel's UBFunkey unlocks a different area of the habitat (see where we're going?), meaning that should you want to see everything Funkeytown has to offer, you'll have to buy them ALL (like Pokemon? - Ed).

At £19.95 GBP (about $40 USD), a Starter Set contains two regular UBFunkeys and a large USB-friendly UBFunkey that acts as your hub to Funkeytown. Individual models thereafter will set you back £4.95 GBP each (about $10 USD). 

We gather that purchasing 'Rare' and 'Very Rare' Funkeys is nothing other than pot luck - and with your chances falling as low as 7 percent for the most desirable of the lot, UBFunkey collecting could turn out to be a very expensive hobby indeed... (like Hungarian Midget Hurling? - Ed)