The colouring-in book trend is over as spoof books top the charts

Several colouring in books at a Paper Plus in Masterton during their peak popularity in 2015. Photo / Jason Oxenham

The colouring book trend is officially over, it seems, with spoof "kids books for adults" topping the charts instead.

Books, including parody revivals of Enid Bylton's Famous Five series, topped the sales for British bookstore WH Smith over the Christmas holidays.

The series, alongside the Ladybird Books for Grown-Ups, helped sales at the stores rise by two per cent over the previous year.

This comes after the collapse of the adult colouring-in book market.

"They have fallen off a cliff," WH Smith cheif executive Stephen Clarke said in a statement. "Last year was their first year really and people are no longer colouring in the way they were."

The colouring-in book trend rose to prominence in late 2014 and early 2015 as the latest trend amongst adults, thanks to social media making it easier for people to share completed works.

The trend seemed set to continue at the start of last year. Series such as Pokémon, Game of Thrones and Harry Potter released books to honour the trend, while colouring books still held five of the top 10 sellers on Amazon last February.

However, the bubble appears to have now officially burst.

Instead, the parody books, which include titles like Five Go to Brexit Island and How it Works: The Husband, have since proved a hit, letting people make fun of some of the quirks of modern society.

New Zealand colour-inners can breathe a sigh of relief. While they aren't topping the charts here anymore either, several colouring books still appear on the MightyApe bestsellers list.

The Ladybird Books for Adults have proved a bestseller. Photo / Supplied

Top 10 bestselling spoof books

1. Five on Brexit Island
2. How it Works: The Grandparent
3. How it Works: The Cat
4. How it Works: The Dog
5. Five Give up the Booze
6. The Ladybird Book of the The Meeting
7. Five go on a Strategy Day
8. How it Works: The Mum
9. The Ladybird Book of the Zombie Apocalypse
10. How it Works: The Husband