'Primarily, the rates of rakhis get fixed according to their sizes,' said Vijay Giri, who owns a stall in the Aliganj locality.

Aparna Singh, a college student, bought two Zoozoo rakhis for her brothers, who she said 'are just mad about' the dwarf egg-heads who were everywhere - on TV, billboards and of course in the minds of millions of viewers - and enjoyed high TV viewership ratings during the cricket Twenty20 season early this year.

'No matter where they (her brothers) are in the house... Whenever they hear the Zoozoo ad, they come rushing to watch the TV,' Aparna said.

Arjita Dubey, a Lucknow University Mass communications student, said: 'My seven-year-old brother has told me specifically that he would allow me to tie rakhi on his wrist only if it is a Zoozoo rakhi.'