Measuring just 4cm tall, one of our new toy lines is taking over our Merrymakers’ Shop and is now our top selling item.

From Japan to Hobbledown, the TY Iwako novelty erasers are the latest craze to hit playgrounds (and pencil cases!)

These likable items range from ice creams, biscuits and donuts to monkeys, elephants and unicorns and they can even be interacted with. For example you can take the fillings out of the biscuits and take the animals apart and rebuild them.

In addition to being fun, collectable and swappable, they actually erase well too! And priced at only £0.95 each they are an inexpensive treat.

These little pieces of joy were developed by two Japanese manufacturers – Zensinsyoji and Iwako, originally a stationery store that now has an eraser museum.

While they are a relatively recent craze in the UK and US, they have been a fixture in Japan for more than two decades.

In an age when children aged five to 16 spend an average of six and a half hours a day in front of a screen, these fabulously fun rubbers are a welcome relief for parents who see them as a hobby for their children that is affordable, safe and provides wholesome entertainment.

Merrymakers’ Shop Manager Hazel Cripps said: “In the digital era of today, where computer games, smart phones and tablets are the norm, it’s great to see something so simplistic taking hold of young imaginations.

“From a mum’s perspective they are ideal for party bags and stocking fillers too! They have been flying off the shelves here at Hobbledown.”