Miniature Orange Cartoon Dog Figure with Spots

A tiny, cheeky cartoon dog figure moulded in glossy bright-orange plastic. It sits upright with its paws tucked in, perky pointed ears and a big round red nose. Its droopy blue-and-white eyes give it a wonderfully sleepy, unimpressed expression, and two little white fangs peek out. Its back is dotted with darker orange-red spots. It's about the height of a thumb, so it makes a fun desk buddy, a shelf mascot or a nice addition to a mini-figure collection. Maker unmarked. It's in good condition with bright colour.

Little surprise figures like this were the treasure of a generation. Capsule toy machines arrived in Japan in 1965, when the Penny company imported them from the US and set them up outside toy and sweet shops. In 1974, Ferrero launched Kinder Surprise in Italy. Around 30 billion eggs have been sold since, and both have built huge collector communities around small, mystery figures just like this one.