We get a lot of free products in the mail at Mamanista, but we only review products that we think are cool. So when I received a few packs of Bella Sara Trading Cards, I was really really skeptical.

Bella Sara (www.bellasara.com) is a horse-themed trading card game and accompanying online world that was launched in March 2007 by the same guy who created Magic: The Gathering and who introduced Pokemon trading cards to the US. 

My husband’s baby brother used to play Pokemon, and I remember being shocked by how much money kids (and their parents) shelled out for those dumb little cards in the quest to get “rare” cards. Perhaps as a result, I have a natural antipathy to trading card games.

So I decided that there was no possible way I would review these Bella Sara trading cards, and I gave them to a friend a few weeks ago. So I was kind of surprised to hear back from her that the Bella Sara trading cards had replaced WebKinz as her 7 1/2 year old daughter’s favorite toy. (This kid has been obsessed with WebKinz.)

A pack of seven Bella Sara cards sells for $2.99. Each card includes a unique code that activates a virtual version of the horse pictured on the card at the Bella Sara website. Girls can feed, groom and play games with their virtual horses as well as read stories.

The samples I received included the new Baby Bella cards (which feature baby horses). On November 6th, www.bellasara.com is going to have an online party to celebrate the “birth” of the Baby Bella horses. Girls will be able to print off birth certificates, read stories and qualify for daily prizes.

My friend reported that she would rather buy additional packs of Bella Sara cards for $2.99 than more WebKinz. (I can see why since her daughter’s room is overflowing with WebKinz, and the cards take up a lot less space.)  She liked the positive messages on the cards and the quality of the online stories. Her positive reaction encouraged me to give Bella Sara another look. Interested? Check out www.bellasara.com.

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