The annoying vuvuzela, whose presence at World Cup games has been defended because they are a unique South African tradition, are manufactured in China, which produces them for about 30 cents apiece.

"We sold about 150,000 of them every month from November to January," said Lin Xiaosheng, owner of Guang Da Toys in Yiwu. "I couldn't imagine it would become so popular." The instruments are emblazoned with different nations' flags. Vuvuzelas are said to be modeled after the traditional African kudu horn, named for the animal they come from and used to alert neighboring villagers.

FIFA has rejected a ban on the horns despite complaints from players, coaches, TV broadcasters and fans."We can say we qualified for the World Cup," said Wu Yijun, whose 90 factory workers have churned out 1 million vuvuzelas since January. "It makes me feel very proud to hear the horns on TV."