Last year it was Billy Bass, this Christmas the daft present of the year is the Karma Chameleon singing telephone.

Darren Brown, left, and Jonathan Aylmer with Grant Howard, right

The singing telephone -- as featured on BT's television adverts -- has helped an Oxfordshire Internet gift company to treble its turnover to £1.5m in just 12 months.

The Alternative Gift Company has seen sales rocket in the run-up to Christmas as customers clamour for the wizard lizard. When a call comes in, it sits up and dances to the Culture Club hit song Karma Chameleon while the ladybird plays the harmonica.

Jonathan Aylmer, who runs the Banbury-based firm with his co-director Darren Brown, said: "The best bit is when the song gets to the words 'Red gold and green' and the chameleon sits up on the branch and its chest lights up to the colours in time."

The company got the idea for the telephone after seeing the TV ad, and then scoured the world for a manufacturer.

It expects to sell more than 10,000 of the £69.99 phones.

Mr Aylmer said: "We are selling more than 250 a day and at this rate we will have run out by tomorrow."

As an alternative, the Internet company offers Billy Bass superstar, which stands up on its fin as it sings. Pre-Christmas delivery is guaranteed until Friday.

The firm's business adviser Grant Howard, of accountancy firm Burgis & Bullock, said: "This is a story of terrific growth in the three years since the company was founded.

"The first year they turned over just £20,000 but that increased to more than £50,000 by 2000, and to £500,000 the following year. This year -- depending on how they do in December -- they are looking at between £1.5 and £2m."

Mr Aylmer said: "We are one of the few dot.com companies that survived the collapse of the sector a few years ago, and we still do all of our business on the Internet. It's still tough, but with the right products at the right prices we are winning.

"This year, we moved from our original base of 1,500sq ft to our current warehouse of approximately 10,000sq ft. We are growing so fast that we will have to move again next year."

When they have recovered from the pre-Christmas rush, the pair will be off to Hong Kong, touring the Far East looking for ideas for next year.