Creepy Crawlers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the toy line. For the animated series, see Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers is the best-known name associated with an activity toy made by Mattel beginning in 1964. A more generic term for the toy is "Thingmaker".
A Thingmaker toy consists of a series of die-cast metal molds, into which are poured a liquid chemical substance called Plasti-Goop, which came in many colors and varieties. The mold is then heated atop an open-face electric hot plate oven. The Plasti-Goop is cured by the heat, and when cooled, is removed from the mold, forming solid, rubbery replicas.
The concept of the Thingmaker was actually introduced in 1963, as part of Mattel's "Vac-U-Maker" set. This omnibus toy combined the new "molds and Plasti-Goop" technology with the existing "Vac-U-Form" machine, which molded simple sculptures by heating thin sheets of plastic, then using a vacuum pump to form the softened plastic over hard plastic forms. Following this introduction period, the Thingmaker portion was "spun off" as a separate set, and the "Creepy Crawlers" line began in earnest.
Mattel produced many Thingmaker sets as follow-ups to the original "Creepy Crawlers" throughout the 1960s, utilizing a variety of themes, aimed at both boys and girls.
Mattel packaged molds from various sets to be sold separately, and also combined molds into larger omnibus editions, encompassing several themes into one set, under names such as "Triple Thingmaker", "Super Thingmaker", or even "Every Thingmaker". There were also several exclusive single mold sets, such as Superman and Tarzan, and original Mattel concepts like Squirtles and Gangly Danglies.
Contents |
[edit] Varieties of Thingmaker Mold Sets
- Giant Creepy Crawlers (1965) - This set featured nine molds (as did the original "Creepy Crawlers"), but these new molds featured just one giant creature apiece.
- Fighting Men (1965) - This set of six molds could be used to create mini soldier figures, using an innovative two-part mold to give the "Fighting Men" a front and a back. Other molds in the set created weaponry and equipment for the Fighting Men to carry into battle.
- Creeple Peeple (1965) - This five-mold set formed strange heads, arms and feet. When placed atop a pencil, they formed weird, troll-like creatures.
- Fun Flowers (1966) - Seven molds full of different styles and shapes of flowers and leaves, for use in decorating and design.
- Fright Factory (1966) - Five of this set's seven molds were dedicated to creepy disguises, making pieces such as fake scars, snaggled teeth, or a third eye for one's forehead. Another mold (with a special insert) made a shrunken head, and the last made a dangly skeleton that you built from parts.
- Picadoos (1967) - A Thingmaker for artists. This one featured molds with 10x10-space numbered grids. By carefully placing colored Plasti-Goop in the grid, you could create decorative artwork in either beads, mosaic tile, or cross-stitch varieties.
- Mini-Dragons (1967) - The eight molds in this set formed strange wings, horns, claws, tails, and other body parts, which could be combined into many combinations of fantasy creatures.
- Eeeeks! (1968) - In the same vein as Mini-Dragons, this set of eight molds formed several varieties of mix 'n match legs, bodies, heads, wings, antennae, etc., to create large, bizarre insects.
- Zoofie-Goofies (1968) - Seven molds form heads, bodies and feet of various animals, from cats and dogs to elephants and lions.
- DollyMaker (1969) - Five two-sided molds are used to create two styles of little dolls, and a wardrobe of late '60s fashions and accessories for them.
- Super Cartoon Maker (1969) - A licensed Thingmaker, the eight molds in this set form replicas of Charles Schulz' Peanuts characters, such as Snoopy, Charlie Brown and Lucy.
- Jillions of Jewels (1970) - The last of the classic Mattel Thingmakers. The set had five molds, but instead of the liquid Plasti-Goop, these formed solid plastic "gemstones" and jewelry frames from two kinds of powdered "Jewel Dust" compounds.
It is generally believed that production of the original Mattel Thingmakers was discontinued following consumer safety concerns over allowing children to use a small electric heater as a toy.
In 1978 Mattel released an updated (and safer) model of their "Creepy Crawlers" toy. Called the "Thingmaker II", this version used a very differently formulated "Goop", and utilized plastic trays as molds, which were placed into a low-powered heating unit. The late '70s sets did not work as well as their predecessors, and the attempted revival was a short-lived one.
[edit] ToyMax Revival
After laying dormant for more than a decade, the "Creepy Crawlers" brand was given renewed "life" in 1992, courtesy a New York-based company called ToyMax. With much stricter safety regulations in place, the new version of the Creepy Crawlers set re-introduced the metal molds and earlier Plasti-Goop formulation, but now utilized a light bulb-powered "Magic Maker" heater, with a heat-triggered door that remained closed until the mold had cooled sufficiently to be handled safely (in theory, anyway). The name "Magic Maker", as well as the new oven design, were borrowed from an earlier '80s-era toy that melted clear colored plastic granules to form sun catcher window decorations. The ToyMax "Creepy Crawlers" set introduced a whole new generation of kids to the fun of making their own rubbery bugs. Over the next five years, hundreds of new mold designs were released, in a multitude of new mold paks. Apparently Mattel, the originator of Creepy Crawlers, had let its trademarks lapse, for many of the original Mattel concepts were revisited, such as "Creeple Peeple", "Mini-Dragons", "Eeeks" (ToyMax changed the spelling), and "DollyMaker". Numerous licenses were also employed, resulting in mold designs featuring such diverse characters as Bugs Bunny, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Batman, and The Mask. Plasti-Goop was released in an impressive array of colors, as well as many creative varieties.
Towards the end of the ToyMax run, the oven was re-designed again, to incorporate a fold-down hinged door, and requiring less at-home assembly. Releases of new mold paks became more and more sporadic as the line simply ran out of steam. In 1997, a wave of molds (and a new oven set) based on the second Jurassic Park film, and an original line of "Mutant Squad" Plasti-Goop-based figures (three of the six advertized "Mutants" were never released) heralded the end of another era of "Thingmaking", and the beginning of a third period of hiatus. In 2001, ToyMax tried again, with both a "Creepy Crawlers" and a "DollyMaker" line, but this revival was very brief, and ToyMax closed their doors forever soon thereafter.
Since then, a THIRD company, Jakks Pacific, based in California, has taken up the reins of producing Creepy Crawlers toys. Although most of the Jakks Pacific line merely utilizes re-used mold designs from the extensive ToyMax oeuvre, they have also produced new character molds featuring SpongeBob Squarepants and Hello Kitty. New releases of oven sets and mold paks have been sporadic, and seem to come very much at random. Although Christmas 2006 saw release of three "new" mold designs at the hands of Jakks Pacific, the numbering of these molds seems to suggest that they are actually unreleased designs from the ToyMax era.
The future of the line remains in question, but the fact that "Creepy Crawlers" toys continue to be issued, even in a diminished capacity, seems to indicate that they remain popular, even more than forty years after their first release.
[edit] Television Show
ToyMax even developed their own entertainment property based on the "Creepy Crawlers" concept, which became a Saturday Morning Cartoon: Creepy Crawlers that lasted Two Seasons (23 episodes, including one un-aired episode that later saw release on video) and a line of 12 Action Figures that each came with a metal mold, with which to make unique accessories for the figures.
