India’s social media is buzzing with a new digital craze. After the dreamy Ghibli-style portraits that dominated feeds earlier this year, users are now turning their photos into toy-like figurines through Google’s latest AI feature nicknamed “Nano Banana.”
The trend uses Google’s Gemini 2.5 Flash Image technology to transform ordinary photos into hyper-realistic, collectible-style figurine images that look like they belong on store shelves.
“Over 200 million images have been edited, and many of them have created 3D figurines,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai noted in a recent post. The Gemini app crossed 10 million downloads shortly after the feature’s launch, showing its rapid popularity.
What makes these figurines special is their polished, professional appearance. With just one photo and a specific text prompt, users can create images that look like commercial action figures complete with packaging, display stands, and even model-making screens in the background.
The standard prompt suggested by Google reads: “Create a 1/7 scale commercialized figurine of the characters in the picture, in a realistic style, in a real environment. The figurine is placed on a computer desk. The figurine has a round transparent acrylic base, with no text on the base.”
Indian users have embraced this technology enthusiastically. Even Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma joined the trend by sharing his own figurine, helping fuel its popularity across the country.
Beyond the basic figurine style, creative Indians are exploring various prompt variations. Some transform themselves into 16-bit video game characters with the prompt: “Reimagine me as a 16-Bit Video Game character and put me in a 2D 16-bit platform video game.”
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Others are turning objects into 3D holograms with the prompt: “Turn the [object] into a 3D transparent line art hologram.” Pet owners are creating action figures of their animals using: “Turn my pet into a plastic action figure next to its packaging.” Some users even blend multiple images. One example combined 13 separate photos into a single cohesive image, showing the tool’s flexibility.
It’s important to understand that despite the “3D” label, Nano Banana creates 2D images styled to look like figurines, not actual 3D models that can be exported or printed. This distinction isn’t always clear in some coverage of the trend.
Google addresses potential misuse by marking all Gemini-generated images with a SynthID watermark, which helps identify AI-created content. Users are also advised to respect privacy and likeness rights, particularly when creating images of public figures.
The appeal of this trend lies in its accessibility. Unlike professional 3D modeling, which requires specialized skills and software, Nano Banana allows anyone with a smartphone to create glossy, commercial-quality figurine images in seconds at no cost.
The rapid adoption of Nano Banana reflects how quickly AI tools are reshaping creativity in India. The trend combines nostalgia for collectible toys with cutting-edge technology, allowing users to reimagine themselves and others as miniature collectibles.
Whether this trend will have staying power remains to be seen, but for now, India’s social media timelines continue to fill with tiny, shiny digital figurines – evidence of AI’s growing influence on everyday creativity.
