While most adults are still amusing themselves with last year's Hanson jokes, another boy-toy band has become one of the biggest-selling acts of 1998. The Backstreet Boys' self-titled debut album has tied with Celine Dion's "Let's Talk About Love" as the best-selling non-soundtrack album of the year, with both selling more than 8 million units.

With incessant video and radio spin, a hectic touring schedule, and a new album due this spring, the quintet (Kevin Richardson, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean, Nick Carter, and Brian Littrell) may be closing in on oversaturation. But the band's likely to have at least a little more spice than Vanilla Ice if current trends hold. "Everyone thought the Spice Girls were over after the first album, including EW, but the second one is doing remarkably well," says EW's Chris Willman. "So it's safe to say that the Backstreet Boys have at least one more smash hit album in them."

What may ultimately help the BSB is the group's ability to go beyond the gooey ballads and easy pop. The Boys have written their own material for their upcoming album, and they've shown some sharp business savvy in renegotiating their record deal and changing managers this year. "We've been writing about them since 1995, so they're hardly an overnight success," says Cathee Sandstrom, editor of BOP and BB magazines. "I think they've played the game really well, and they certainly have what it takes to continue."