According to Neeraj Kumar who is a cracker wholesaler in Sector 26 for the past two decades: "Cracker packages with photos of actors and actresses are very popular this season. Some buyers have even started associating particular crackers with their favourite screen stars.

Like Kareena Kapoor with a 'fuljhari', Aishwarya Rai with a sky shot, Genelia D'souza is often associated with an atom bomb and Angelina Jolie with a colourful 'chakri'." For Rahul Ghai, 22, a customer who was at a cracker stall in Sector 34: "We ask for Kareena Kapoor 'fuljhari' and the seller immediately knows what we want.

"Not only this, cracker boxes showing cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Romeo, and other animated figures like Avatar were seen selling at several stalls. Also present on the venue was a life-size Santa Claus promoting the crackers. Stall owners said cartoon characters and animated figures attracted huge crowds, mostly youngsters.

Simran Verma who was making purchases at a stall in Mohali said: "It's just amazing to see Santa with a bagful of gifts and Barbie dolls printed on cracker boxes. I will have to spend Rs 1,000 more as my 13-year-old son wants all crackers that are packed in Donald Duck boxes."