It is one of the biggest selling toys of the last year across the world.

The Japanese are going crazy for it and the Americans love it too.

Cube World is the latest must-have electronic gadget.

But unlike the Tamagotchis that swept the world a few years ago, these tiny cubes with stickmen living inside do not come via Tokyo but Crowborough.

Invented by electronic engineer Tony Ellis, the plastic contraptions come complete with their own stickman character.

People can interact with them or better still, put two together and they interact with each other. Put three together and all manner of mayhem can ensue with the little creatures.

Tony, 51, who started company Conceptioneering with wife Judie in 2000, said: "The idea for Cube World was a strange one. I was on a train to London and I was in a muddle of my thoughts.

"Then we went past a block of flats and I started wondering what the people who lived there were up to. Behind every window something's going on.

"There is a whole world going on but you don't see it.

"We ended up with these cubes with stickmen where you can see what's going on inside these windows."

The cubes are like tiny rooms.

Put two together and the stickman from one will visit the other. They could end up having a fight, hugging or playing games, with hundreds of possibilities.

Tony said: "The whole idea is that they are on your desk, although they are doing what they want to do.

"We've gone back to stickmen characters which is the opposite to the complexity of characters in the latest video games. We have brought the stickman back to life."

Tony is no stranger to innovation.

Having designed avionic systems for aeroplanes, he knows the importance of keeping ahead with new technology.

He said: "We were working on fly-by-wire, that kind of stuff, and were creating things that people's lives depended on. It's all very safe but it was still quite scary."

After working on a host of other projects, including early GPS, Tony fell into the world of toys almost by accident. He said: "I made a robot called ELF, or electronic life form, just as a hobby really.

"I was trying to build a robot that could think for itself. People saw it and said why don't you show it to toy companies.

"I did and they went berserk over it and wanted to take it on."

Unfortunately, ELF fell through because of similar toy launches that year but the toy giants were so impressed with it they told Tony and Judie to keep them updated about any new products.

Undeterred after the disappointment they decided to set up Conceptioneering and after 41 product licences to some of the world's biggest companies like Bandai and Mattel they have not looked back.

Some of their products include a variety of talking characters, from ogre Shrek to Rupert the Bear.

The couple are now busy working on their next creation and always have plenty of help from nieces and nephews willing to test them out.

Judie, 50, who has a background in banking, said: "They are often a good sounding board to try things out.

"They're a great source of inspiration and we've had a few ideas from them. Often the simplest ideas are the best."