Creepy Crawlers
Encyclopedia
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 resembling various bug-like creatures, into which is poured a liquid chemical substance called Plastigoop, which comes in assorted colors. The mold is then heated atop an open-face electric hot plate oven. The Plastigoop is cured by the heat, and when cooled, is removed from the mold, forming semi-solid, rubbery replicas. The firmness of the plastic object is dependent on the curing time.
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 Plastigoop 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.
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 Plastigoop, and utilized plastic molds, into which was poured the heated Plastigoop. In this set one heated the Plastigoop and poured it into the green plastic mold(s) to cool; the molds were not put into the heater, which looked like a small cauldron. The reformulated Plastigoop did not work well and the process of making bugs, etc. with these sets was painfully slow, taking an hour or so to make a creation. Needless to say, the late 1970s sets did not work as well as their predecessors, and the attempted revival was a short-lived one.
After lying dormant for more than a decade, the "Creepy Crawlers" brand was given renewed life in 1992, courtesy of 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 Plastigoop-type 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 1980s-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 new mold designs were released as well as new mold packs. 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
. The new formula Plasti-Goop was released in an impressive array of colors, and several creative varieties, including
Toward the end of the ToyMax run, the oven was redesigned to incorporate a fold-down hinged door, and requiring less at-home assembly. Releases of new mold packs 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 advertised "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.
, 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 packs 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.
In 2007, Jakks Pacific released a Pokémon
-themed Creepy Crawlers Oven and Mold Paks, and in late 2008, another Oven Set based on the Star Wars: Clone Wars
license was released, again just in time for Christmas gift-giving.
In the Fall of 2010, Toys "R" Us stores released a line of exclusive "Creepy Crawlers" Activity Toys (produced by Jakks Pacific) that use injection molding and hollow, two-sided molds to create bugs and spiders in solid, wall-crawling and gut-filled "squishable" varieties.
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
beginning in 1964. A more generic term for the toy is "Thingmaker".
A Thingmaker toy consists of a series of die-cast metal molds resembling various bug-like creatures, into which is poured a liquid chemical substance called Plastigoop, which comes in assorted colors. The mold is then heated atop an open-face electric hot plate oven. The Plastigoop is cured by the heat, and when cooled, is removed from the mold, forming semi-solid, rubbery replicas. The firmness of the plastic object is dependent on the curing time.
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 Plastigoop technology with the existing "Vac-u-form
Vac-u-form
The Vac-u-form, also called Vac-u-former, was a toy made by Mattel in the 1960s. Based on the industrial process of vacuum forming, a rectangular piece of plastic was clamped in a holder and heated over a metal plate. When the plastic was soft, the holder was swung to the other side, over a mold...
" 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
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
and Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
, and original Mattel concepts like Squirtles and Gangly Danglies.
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. The set also included pieces of wire to place in the figure, making it bendle with the bottom wire protrusions being able to stand on a styrofoam base. 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 one built from parts.
- Picadoos (1967) — A Thingmaker for artists. This one featured molds with 10x10-space numbered grids. By carefully placing colored Plastigoop in the grid, one could create decorative artwork in either beads, mosaic tile, or cross-stitch varieties.
- Mini-Dragons (1967) — The eight molds in this set formed wings, horns, claws, tails, and other body parts, which could be combined into various fantasy creatures.
- Eeeeks! (1968) — In the same vein as Mini-Dragons, this set of eight molds formed several varieties of mix-and-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's 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 Plastigoop, 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 Plastigoop, and utilized plastic molds, into which was poured the heated Plastigoop. In this set one heated the Plastigoop and poured it into the green plastic mold(s) to cool; the molds were not put into the heater, which looked like a small cauldron. The reformulated Plastigoop did not work well and the process of making bugs, etc. with these sets was painfully slow, taking an hour or so to make a creation. Needless to say, the late 1970s sets did not work as well as their predecessors, and the attempted revival was a short-lived one.
ToyMax revival
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
-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 Plastigoop-type 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 1980s-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 new mold designs were released as well as new mold packs. 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
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
, The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, and The Mask
The Mask
The Mask is a Dark Horse comic book series created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke, and based on a concept by publisher Mike Richardson. The series follows a magical mask which imbues the wearer with reality-bending powers and physical imperviousness, as well as bypassing the wearer's...
. The new formula Plasti-Goop was released in an impressive array of colors, and several creative varieties, including
- Glow In the Dark Plasti-Goop
- Scented Glamour-Goop
- Glitter Glamour-Goop
- Stretch Plasti-Goop
- Metallic Plasti-Goop
- Color Change Plasti-Goop
- Plasti-Steel (Rigid -Goop for use in car chassis)
- Eraser Plasti-Goop.
Toward the end of the ToyMax run, the oven was redesigned to incorporate a fold-down hinged door, and requiring less at-home assembly. Releases of new mold packs 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
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
film, and an original line of "Mutant Squad" Plasti-Goop-based figures (three of the six advertised "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.
After ToyMax
Since then, a third company, Jakks PacificJakks Pacific
JAKKS Pacific, Inc. is a designer and marketer of toys and consumer products, with a range of products that feature numerous children's toy licenses...
, based in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, 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
SpongeBob SquarePants (character)
SpongeBob SquarePants is a main fictional character in the animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. He is voiced by Tom Kenny and first appeared on television in the series' pilot episode "Help Wanted" on May 1, 1999. SpongeBob was created and designed by cartoonist Stephen Hillenburg...
and Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...
. New releases of oven sets and mold packs 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.
In 2007, Jakks Pacific released a Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
-themed Creepy Crawlers Oven and Mold Paks, and in late 2008, another Oven Set based on the Star Wars: Clone Wars
Clone Wars (Star Wars)
The Clone Wars are a series of fictional intragalactic battles in George Lucas's science fiction saga Star Wars. The conflict is first mentioned in the film Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope , but no details are given , and the wars themselves are not featured until the series' fifth and sixth...
license was released, again just in time for Christmas gift-giving.
In the Fall of 2010, Toys "R" Us stores released a line of exclusive "Creepy Crawlers" Activity Toys (produced by Jakks Pacific) that use injection molding and hollow, two-sided molds to create bugs and spiders in solid, wall-crawling and gut-filled "squishable" varieties.