In a digital world where trends rise and fall in the blink of an eye, one quirky craze has captured the imagination of millions: Nano Banana AI figurines. Born from Google’s powerful Gemini 2.5 Flash Image model, these miniature, hyper-stylized characters are flooding social media feeds with their bizarre charm, photorealistic design, and limitless customizability.

Whether it’s a banana-shaped Viking cat or a mini-figurine version of your best friend, the internet can’t get enough.

What Exactly Are Nano Banana Figurines?

Don’t let the name fool you these aren’t actual bananas.

Nano Bananas are AI-generated, 3D-style figurines that look like tiny collectibles straight off a toy store shelf. Think Pop! Vinyl meets Pixar meets meme culture. Using Google’s Gemini Flash Image AI, users can instantly create these figures based on prompts, photos, or even abstract ideas. The results? Stunning, collectible-style characters complete with toy boxes, glossy textures, and display stands.

From anime-style chefs to digital doppelgängers, the only limit is your imagination.

Why the Nano Banana trend exploded?

Behind the scenes of this viral sensation is a powerful, easy-to-use AI tool—and a few key ingredients that made it ripe for success:

1. Free, fast, and frictionless:

What once took hours in a 3D modeling program can now be done in seconds—no software, no skill required. Just type a prompt or upload a photo, and Gemini takes care of the rest. The ease and zero cost made it instantly attractive to everyday users.

2. Customization for days:

People love to create versions of themselves, their pets, their favorite characters or completely wild mashups. With Gemini, users can:

Upload selfies to generate personalized figurines

Write imaginative prompts like “a superhero grandma in a banana suit”

Choose from styles like anime, 8-bit pixel art, Pixar, Claymation, and more

This playground of possibilities turned casual users into overnight creators.

3. Viral-ready visuals:

Nano Bananas aren’t just funny they look amazing. With glossy, lifelike finishes, toy-inspired packaging, and vibrant details, they feel like real collectibles you’d pay for. And once one person shares theirs, others want in.

4. Social media took it global:

TikTok, Instagram, X, and YouTube quickly filled with Nano Banana posts. Influencers, celebrities, and brands joined the wave some using it for laughs, others to promote merch or music drops. The format was perfectly engineered to go viral.

200 Million and Counting

As of September 6, 2025, Google confirmed that over 200 million images have been created using Gemini’s image tools. A massive percentage of those are tied to the Nano Banana trend.

What started as a playful experiment has quickly become a digital phenomenon—blurring the lines between art, AI, and internet culture.

How to create your own Nano Banana 3D figurine:

Open Google AI Studio via the Gemini app or website.
Upload a photo and add a descriptive prompt (photo + prompt is the best method).
Use Google’s official suggested prompt for collectible-style figurines.
Click Generate and review your results. If something looks off, tweak the prompt and retry.

“Black & white now in 3D with Nano Banana.”

“The glove. The hat. The legacy. Now in Nano form.