Shaker Maker

Last updated
Painted and unpainted figures Shaker-Maker-Figures-1.jpg
Painted and unpainted figures

Shaker Maker is a toy for making figures. Water and a powder must be mixed in a shaker and after turning the shaker the mixture flows into moulds inside the shaker. Because of fast polymerisation the consistency of the mixture becomes like pudding in seconds. After some days it hardens.

Contents

Shaker Maker was invented in the 1970s by the firm Ideal Toy Company. The toy was primarily sold in the US, Canada and some countries in Europe. In the 1990s and the 2000s there were two relaunches of Shaker Maker but these met with less success.

Principle

Magic Mix in blue, pink and ivory Shaker-Maker-Magic-Mix-2.jpg
Magic Mix in blue, pink and ivory

Shaker Maker is a toy for children aged four years and older which makes it easy for them to make their own toy figures. The base element is a powder called "Magic Mix" which comes in a range of colours. After mixing with water it has to be shaken. After some seconds the shaker has to be turned so that the mixture can flow into a mould which is installed in the shaker. After five to ten minutes the mixture hardens, and the figures are ready to be taken out of their mould and placed on a drying stand. The figures shrink dramatically as they dry, and final drying can take another few days. When the figures are completely dry they can be painted and decorated.

History

First created by Allen Greenberg and licensed to the Ideal Toy Company, the product appeared in stores in the early 1970s. In the early 1990s, Toymax, a New York-based company, licensed it from Grrenberg and started producing it again. After that it was reissued by the Canadian firm Spin Master in 2003, and later by Flair. [1]

Sets

from left: Ideal, Toymax, Spin Master Shaker Maker - ideal - toymax - spin master.jpg
from left: Ideal, Toymax, Spin Master
Molds of Ideal Shaker-Maker-moulds-2.jpg
Molds of Ideal

The sets of Ideal and Toymax are compatible. A sample of sets:

Ideal

Toymax

Spin Master and Flair Create

Miscellaneous

English band Oasis has a song Shakermaker on their 1994 album Definitely Maybe . The song contains a number of references to British culture and children's toys of the 1970s, including Shaker Maker. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Definitely Maybe</i> 1994 studio album by Oasis

Definitely Maybe is the debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 29 August 1994 by Creation Records. The album features Noel Gallagher on lead guitar, backing vocals and as chief songwriter, Liam Gallagher on lead vocals, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs on rhythm guitar, Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan on bass guitar and Tony McCarroll on drums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Action figure</span> Character toy figurine made commonly of plastic

An action figure is a poseable character model figure made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game or television program; superhero, anime, fictional or historical. These figures are usually marketed toward boys and adult collectors. The term was coined by Hasbro in 1964 to market G.I. Joe to boys.

Mego Corporation is an American toy company that in its original iteration was first founded in 1954. Originally known as a purveyor of dime store toys, in 1971 the company shifted direction and became famous for producing licensed action figures, celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. For a time in the 1970s, their line of 8-inch-scale action figures with interchangeable bodies became the industry standard.

Kenner Products, known simply as Kenner, was an American toy company founded in 1946. Throughout its history, the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines including action figures like the original series of Star Wars, Jurassic Park and Batman as well as die cast models. The company was closed and merged by its corporate parent Hasbro in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apache Chief</span> Fictional character

Apache Chief is a Native American superhero from the various Hanna-Barbera Super Friends and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law cartoons and the DC comic book series of the same name. He was one of the new heroes added to increase the number of non-white characters in the Super Friends' ranks. The visual look of the character was created by cartoonist Alex Toth, who designed many superheroes for Hanna-Barbera beginning in the 1960s. He was voiced by Michael Rye in most of his Super Friends appearances, Regis Cordic in his debut appearance, Al Fann in "History of Doom", and Maurice LaMarche in Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.

Thingmaker, also called Creepy Crawlers, is an activity toy made by Mattel, beginning in 1964. The toy consists of a series of die-cast metal moulds resembling various bug-like creatures, into which is poured a liquid chemical substance called "Plasti-Goop", which comes in assorted colours. The mould is then heated to about 390 °F (199 °C) in an open-face electric hot plate oven. The Plasti-Goop is cured by the heat, and when cooled forms semi-solid, rubbery replicas which can be removed from the mould.

Captain Action was an action figure created in 1966, equipped with a wardrobe of costumes and facial masks allowing him to become Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Captain America, Aquaman, the Phantom, The Lone Ranger, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, Sgt. Fury, Steve Canyon, and the Green Hornet. Captain Action was the Ideal Toy Company's answer to Hasbro's G.I. Joe, although the protagonist dolls of both toy lines were created and designed by the same toy-and-idea man, Stan Weston. Captain Action also had a working 4 foot parachute.

McFarlane Toys is an American company founded by comic book creator Todd McFarlane which makes highly detailed model action figures of characters from films, comics, popular music, video games and various sporting genres. The company, a subsidiary of Todd McFarlane Productions, Inc., is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakermaker</span> 1994 single by Oasis

"Shakermaker" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was first released as a second single on 20 June 1994 and later released on Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe (1994). The single peaked at number eleven in the UK. It was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry in 2013, having previously been their only single of the 1990s not to be certified in the UK. As of 2021, it remains the only single from the band's first two albums not to reach at least platinum status in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dymkovo toys</span> Traditional Russian folk handicraft

Dymkovo toys, also known as the Vyatka toys or Kirov toys are moulded painted clay figures of people and animals. It is one of the old Russian folk art handicrafts, which still exists in the village of Dymkovo near Kirov. Traditionally, the Dymkovo toys are made by women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Batman action figures</span>

Batman action figures have been produced since the 1940s. These action figures, inspired by the character's appearance in comics and serials, were created by DC Comics and manufactured by various toy companies. These figures were made of various materials such as wood, tin, and plastic. They were typically between 6 and 8 inches in height and featured movable joints that allowed them to be posed in various positions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ideal Toy Company</span> Defunct American toy company

Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Betsy Wetsy, Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy. The company is also known for selling the Rubik's Cube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jada Toys</span> American scale model manufacturer

Jada Toys, Inc. is an American manufacturer of collectible scale model cars, figures, radio controlled model vehicles, and dolls. It was founded in 1999 by Jack and May Li. Jada's products are predominantly aimed at the collectible market, and are available and popular at retail outlets worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Remco</span>

Remco was an American toy company. Founded in the 1949 as Remco Industries, Inc., it is known for toys integrating technology and innovation from their inception.

Disney Consumer Products, Inc. is the retailing and licensing subsidiary of the Disney Experiences segment of The Walt Disney Company. Previously, Consumer Products was a segment of Disney until 2016, then a unit of Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media (2016–2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Funko</span> American toy company

Funko Inc. is an American company that manufactures licensed and limited pop culture collectibles, best known for its licensed vinyl figurines and bobbleheads. In addition, the company produces licensed plush, action figures, apparel, accessories and games. Founded in 1998 by Mike Becker and Claudia Becker, Funko was originally conceived as a small project to create various low-tech, nostalgia-themed toys. The company's first manufactured bobblehead was of the Big Boy restaurant mascot.

<i>Disney Infinity</i> Toys-to-life sandbox video game series that ran from 2013 to 2016

Disney Infinity is an action-adventure sandbox toys-to-life video game series developed by Avalanche Software. The setting of the series was a giant customizable universe of imagination, known as the Toy Box, populated with toy versions of iconic Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars characters.

Lego Disney is a Lego theme based on the various Disney Princesses and Disney characters involved in different Disney films and television series. It is licensed from Walt Disney Pictures. The theme was first introduced in 2016 and was re-branded theme from the Lego Disney Princess line in 2017. The toy line was accompanied by several shorts and television specials based on Lego Disney.

References