At the Beijing Toy Show, Xuan sold about 2,700 of his mini-monsters, including some limited editions priced from 300 to 500 yuan.

But he worries that people are making irrational decisions on what to buy.

"Toy shows were only introduced to the mainland last year. They are still very new. But the numbers are increasing rapidly due to the hot demand," Xuan said, adding that this year alone, more than 10 shows will be held.

Liu Yoyo, 29, an IT programer in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, asked her company for several days off and flew to Beijing to visit the toy show to buy limited editions, which she wants to own for a long time.

She arrived at the exhibition hall at 6 am on the opening day and spent 5,000 yuan, about half her monthly salary, but she said it was worthwhile.

"I could resell limited editions at double or triple price later," Liu said. However, she said she has no plans to sell her purchases because she is still establishing her collection.

"It's fulfilling my childhood dream to buy toys," Liu added.

She said that when she was very young, there were not enough varieties of toys in China, and more important, she had no money to buy them. But now that she is working, she cannot stop buying.

"I sleep with these toys and feel happy," she said.

As for Wang, the pioneer who introduced the toy shows to Beijing and Shanghai, the designer trend is inevitable, given the country's strong economy.

With more and more of those born in the mid-1980s and early 1990s now working and becoming key consumers, Wang said their interests will dominate pop culture.

This is why he has great confidence in the designer toy market on the mainland, even though it is still in its infancy.