The following story contains MINOR SPOILERS for the third season of "Doctor Who."

In the United States, the latest version of the Elmo doll from "Sesame Street" is barely staying on shelves, and Playstation 3's are being auctioned for thousands of dollars on eBay.

But in the United Kingdom, the Christmas story is a little different ... in fact it's such an anomaly that the Doctor and his Tardis may have to investigate.

Masks featuring the popular "Doctor Who" villains Cybermen are moving so fast off store shelves that clerks can't even keep up. In fact the mask -- which can change the voice of the wearer to sound like a Cyberman -- is so popular, that eBay sales are helping some families support their entire Christmas spending budget this year, reports the London Times.

It's not just the Cybermen who have invaded England in time for Christmas. There are a total of three different "Doctor Who" toys on the market, all of them in the top 20 bestselling toys in stores like Woolworth's, Toys 'R Us and Argos. They als include a radio-controlled Dalek and K-9. The Cybermen mask is the second most popular toy in the United Kingdom, being topped only by the Bratz Forever Diamondz dolls.

Character Group, which makes the "Doctor Who" toys, told the London Times that its annual profits will be significantly above market forecasts in the country, based almost completely on the unexpected success of the "Doctor Who" toys. The unexpected nature of the sales appears to have focused mostly on the fact that store chains didn't think the toys would sell well following the departure of both Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper from the series. However, the Cyberman mask -- which the London Times reports was being sold for £30, or nearly $58 at one star, was selling for as much as £55, or $106, on eBay.

In the meantime, "Doctor Who" is planning for its own Christmas invasion with its annual holiday special airing Dec. 25 guest starring Catherine Tate as Donna, who is being chased by robotic Santas bent on destroying the Earth. That episode will be the first of the third season for the show, which will feature Freema Agyeman as the Doctor's new companion, Martha Jones, replacing Piper's Rose Tyler. The official start of the third season is expected to take place in spring on BBC.

Russell T. Davies, the "Doctor Who" showrunner, said the third season is expected to see run-ins with William Shakespeare, an alien race known as Plasmavores that are reminiscent of vampires, and a soldier race known as the Judoon. The Doctor and Martha also are expected to visit 1930s New York.

BBC is planning a fourth season of the show already, the London Times reports, although there has been no official announcement of a renewal as of yet.

Thanks to Raissa for the tip!