When Little Oaks nursery invited parents to come and talk about what they do for a living, they expected to hear from teachers, postmen or firefighters.

But the first parent to take them up on the offer had a much more unusual job - helping turn people into living cartoons.

Gemma Wallace works for Animazoo UK Ltd, a Brighton firm that creates animated figures which move, jump and walk just like a human being.

The digital company, based in Basin Road South, makes suits covered in electronic sensors which correspond to a cartoon figure on a computer.

When somebody puts on the suit, their movements are mirrored by the character on the screen.

This kind of technology has been used in films such as Shrek, King Kong, Happy Feet and Lord of the Rings, for Gollum.

Children at Little Oaks in Islingword Road, Brighton were mesmerised by the magical technology when Animazoo visited them today.

Under-fours watched in amazement as support technician Dan Rickard turned into a giant mouse, a dinosaur, a gremlin and a cartoon boy.

They were soon taking it in turns to help move Dan's arms and watch the results and to copy the moves made by the dinosaur.

Nursery manager Emma Brooks said: "I think they really enjoyed it. They were a bit puzzled at first." She said the nursery was hoping to build more links with parents by having them in to do a show-and-tell.

Gemma, whose two-and-a-half-year-old son Tai attends the nursery, is an administrator for Animazoo. She said she contacted Little Oaks after getting a letter saying they wanted parents to talk about their jobs.

She said: "They said they were looking for a parent who is a fireman, a policeman or a nurse to come in to give the kids an idea of what their parents do in the community. I thought it would be an ideal opportunity because we deal with cartoon. It is perfect for their age group."

The classic 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit depicted cartoon characters, or Toons, living in a fictional world where they lived alongside and interacted with real human beings.

Twenty years later, Animazoo's work means that story is almost a reality.

The firm, which did a demonstration at London's Science Museum earlier this year, has sold kits to individuals who have an alter ego in the virtual online world of Second Life.

Marketing director Jo Hull said: "When you consider that our systems cost more than a family car, that is quite a big investment."

Animazoo has set up its own shop inside Second Life to sell movements to people who have characters in the game so they can buy, for example, a particular walk or dance.

In real life, Animazoo has sold its equipment to Tesco to make animation for its website, to Rockstar North for developing the early stages of the computer game Grand Theft Auto and to Suzuki for testing its motorbikes in a virtual arena.

Jo said the equipment was the market leader in its field.

She said: "It all looks quite simple but if you are technically minded, it is jaw-dropping."