The return of a little mouse with big feet

It all started inconspicuously: a notepad, pastel colours, a faint hint of vanilla. And suddenly he’s back again: Diddl the mouse. A character many were certain had vanished for good, along with Tamagotchis, Monchichis and the Crazy Frog. Apparently not – because he’s now celebrating a comeback. 

The cult mouse was invented in 1990 by a graphic designer in Germany  – initially not as a mouse at all but as a kangaroo. It wasn’t until later that the creature acquired big ears and oversized feet. Diddl became famous through paper – notepads, to be precise: small, tear-off sheets with different designs that you didn’t simply use, but traded. In school playgrounds, during breaks, and with a seriousness otherwise only seen on international trading floors.

Diddl sheets were a currency. Standard designs weren’t worth much. But if you owned special editions – featuring scents or glitter decorations – you were rich. Trading followed strict but unwritten rules: one vanilla-scented sheet for two standard ones? Possible. A rare print in exchange for a torn sheet? No way! Diddl was more than a mouse. He was an early lesson in market economics. And it wasn’t just paper: cuddly toys, collecting folders, pencil cases and mugs were also part of the portfolio. 

Diddl is now seeing a comeback. First in France and Belgium, where adults are collecting the products they once traded themselves. Demand is huge. In Germany, the return has been announced for 2026. Whether the mouse will regain the same status it once had remains to be seen. But some things are probably too precious to disappear entirely – such as scratch-and-sniff notepads featuring Diddl’s girlfriend Diddlina.