However unlike the short and rotund German leader, the doll is tall, slim and free from worry lines and the ravages of being middle aged whilst in charge of Europe’s largest economy.

A spokesman for the toy manufacturer said: “She’s simply a good role model for girls around the world”.

The Angela Merkel barbie doll was just one of over 70,000 new toys being shown at the fair which was celebrating its 60th anniversary. The majority of the exhibits were being described as environmentally friendly to coincide with the shows’ theme for this year. Manufacturers presented toys made out of cardboard and others fuelled by alternative sources of energy.

Another toy caused much controversy and furore. That of the new Osama Bin Laden action figure with detachable limbs and a cream-coloured cotton suicide belt. The ‘Al-Jihad Ur-Toys’ manufacturer from Saudi Arabia was a newcomer to the Nuremberg fair but most agreed it had probably made the biggest impression. Especially after the setting off of a smoke bomb from the action figure’s bottom.

Other toys at the fair included a doll’s house made of cardboard (probably not as good as the example shown here), the world’s first hydrogen fuel-cell toy car and a recycled pistol for children to shoot their parents with if they leave the TV on stand-by. It’s hoped these eco-toys will convey to the younger generation that their parents must be encouraged to go green.