Going Gogo for must-have new toy

A coloured piece of plastic standing at less than an inch tall and without a single hi-tech gadget or laser light in sight – welcome to the latest phenomenon sweeping the country.

Since being launched just weeks ago, Gogo's Crazy Bones characters have been flying off the shelves of stores as soon as they have been unpacked.

Millions of 99p packets, which contain three of the collectable figures and stickers, are being snapped up each day across the country with some stores being forced to turn away crowds of eager youngsters after running out of stock.

The games are simple – throw the colourful characters in the air and see how many land on their feet or just simply line them up and knock them down again. And youngsters have an added attraction by being able to trade their characters in for ones they don't yet have among friends.

As well as the 400 ordinary Gogo's to collect, creators Magic Box Inc have added an air of mystique to their seemingly basic creation by making five rare figures, which stores across the country, including The Entertainer in Wolverhampton, have been ordered to keep under lock and key. Another 80 characters are also set to be introduced in store as part of an "evolution" range.

Based loosely on games youngsters played with figures made out of real bits of bone in Rome 2,000 years ago, the characters have captured the imagination of millions of youngsters. Toys R Us in Oldbury had completely sold out of the toys today.

Manager Lisa Bagshaw said: "As soon as we get them in they completely fly off the shelves.

"We get regular stocks of them in but they are flying out again straight away.

"I think its similar to any of these crazes that happen, it is the exchanging of them which the kids like.

"They are quite small so they can get a lot of them and they are pocket money toys which children can collect. Alan Caswell, who runs the Arcade Toyshop in Fountain Arcade, Dudley, said: "They are proving really popular which I think is due to the fact they only cost 99p so children can buy them with their pocket money without having to save up for too long."