Not even the Tamagotchi has taken off as fast as the video compact disc (VCD) among mainland consumers. From early last year, when the VCD virtually was unknown, it has become a standard household appliance for many families.
It is a staple of wedding lists all over the mainland and shops selling players and discs have appeared in every city.
'There was no way you could predict the market was going to be so large,' says a spokesman for Sony's VCD and DVD operations in China.
The speed at which VCD players found their way into Chinese homes surprised manufacturers.
When VCD players first appeared at prices of between 4,000 yuan (about HK$3,720) and 5,000 yuan, many expected they would be beyond the budget of most households.
However, with high savings rates on the mainland, hundreds of thousands of families decided the sum was reasonable for an appliance that lets them satisfy their passion for watching movies and singing karaoke.
Furthermore, prices for video CD players have dropped to about 1,000 yuan or, as a Philips official told Electronic Engineering Times, about 'the cost of a pig'.