Stink Blasters

Last updated

Stink Blasters are a children's toy line manufactured by Morrison Entertainment Group and distributed in thirty-four countries. The toys were first released in the early 2000s, with Series 2 released in 2005 and unreleased prototype Series 3. The line consisted of 24 collectable action figures per each of the two series, which release unpleasant odors when squeezed.In 2024 they were relaunched with a small collection [1]

Contents

Characteristics

The dolls are three-inch figures of "grungy" boy characters with cartoonishly grotesque faces. They feature a hard, small plastic body and a large, hollow rubber head. When the head is lightly squeezed, a small hole, usually located near the mouth, emits a stench. According to the producer, the dolls could be squeezed over 30,000 times before losing their scents.

MEG has never explicitly described what goes into making the scents, citing fear of knock off brands. According to the company, the scent formulas were about 95 percent polypropylene glycol, and 5 percent oils, food flavorings and extracts. The emission of toxic cyclohexanone and toluene from the toys was kept at levels much lower than established permissible exposure limits, so they are safe. [2] The formulas were made in laboratories in the United States, while the toys were produced in China. MEG is also careful not to include materials that one could be allergic to in the toys. [3]

When the toys were packaged, each came with a plastic "stink containment unit" with a clip to attach it to things for travel, and to avoid losing it. Stink Blasters also came with trading cards that went farther into their backstories, giving them a biography and details on favorite foods and archenemies.

The toys were released with suggested price $4.99, intended for children to afford them with their own allowance money. [3]

History

The toys were first released in 31 countries outside of the United States. In United States, they were first introduced to Chicago in 2003 for test marketing and sold out in almost every major store. The toys were so successful, that it led to a nationwide rollout in February 2004. [3]

These dolls were once a popular toy in the United States. After a few years, however, they slowly disappeared off the market, as the demand for them had slowly declined. They were re-released several years later in the United Kingdom, with some limited success, however, not nearly to the levels once had in America. They achieved some more success in places like Italy and Australia. [3] Toy collectors try to find the rare toys, which have begun to fetch high prices. They can be found on online auctions, from places such as Europe, as they have nearly fallen into obscurity in the states. [4]

Toys

Series One

Stench Bros.

Veggies

Nature Crew

B.O. Boys

Breathers

Gasser Guys

Series Two

Breathers

Stench Bros.

The Dukes

Nature Crew

The Zoo Crew

Veggies

B.O. Boys

Gasser Guys

Series Three

A special Series III of Stink Blasters was produced for test markets, but never officially released. They contain only 12 figures, and it is believed by the few who know about them that the series was never actually finished and was given up on due to declining sales or impracticality of the series. In Series III each figure had its own accessory, which had a scent of its own. This series is widely unknown and not considered a part of the Stink Blasters continuity.

The Band This group revolved entirely around musicians, one of which was a girl, a first for the series. Skunk Punk, the apparent guitarist of the band, was used in Series I.

Smellville's Finest This group focused entirely on the adults of Smellville, also a first for the series.

Scent Stars

Scent Stars was a companion line of toys, featuring female dolls with pretty faces and pleasant scents (such as roses, bubble gum, and cinnamon). Vice president of MEG, Daniel Stenton has stated that girls, the target audience of the series, "would not be interested in nasty things", and that "nobody would want to buy a bad smelling female doll, as girls are not known for being grungy". First series consisted of 12 dolls (named Lizzy, Maggie, Olivia, Cindy, Kate, Cookie, Jordy, Trisha, Vanessa, Lily, BeeBee and Jamie), [5] with smaller version of them released as "wearable Scent Stars". [6] Designs of next 12 dolls for series 2 were proposed during release of series 1, [5] and later in some countries a series consisting of 6 of them (Tess, Natalie, Jillian, Courtney, Lucy and Alyssa) was sold. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skunk</span> Common name of mammals in the family Mephitidae

Skunks are mammals in the family Mephitidae. They are known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong, unpleasant scent from their anal glands. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown, cream or ginger colored, but all have warning coloration.

<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; 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.

<i>Masters of the Universe</i> American media franchise

Masters of the Universe is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man and Skeletor on the planet Eternia, with a vast lineup of supporting characters in a hybrid setting of medieval sword and sorcery, and sci-fi technology. A follow-up series, She-Ra: Princess of Power revolves around He-Man's sister She-Ra and her rebellion against The Horde on the planet Etheria. Since its initial launch, the franchise has spawned a variety of products, including multiple lines of action figures, six animated television series, several comic series, video games, books and magazines, a daily newspaper comic strip, and two feature films.

<i>Rainbow Brite</i> Media franchise

Rainbow Brite is a media franchise by Hallmark Cards, introduced in 1984. The animated Rainbow Brite television series first aired in 1984, the same year Hallmark licensed Rainbow Brite to Mattel for a range of dolls and other merchandise. A theatrical feature-length film, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, was released by Warner Bros. in 1985. The franchise was rebooted in 2014 with a three part mini-series released on Hallmark's online streaming video service, Feeln. A line of new merchandise by Hallmark online and in its shops debuted in 2015.

<i>Atomic Betty</i> Animated science fiction television series

Atomic Betty is an animated television series produced by Atomic Cartoons, Breakthrough Entertainment, and Tele Images Kids, along with the Marathon Group joining for the third season. Additional funding for production is provided by Teletoon in Canada, Phil Roman Entertainment (uncredited) in the U.S. and M6 and Télétoon in France.

<i>Bump in the Night</i> (TV series) American stop-motion television series

Bump in the Night is an American stop-motion animated series by Danger Productions and Greengrass Productions. The show was filmed using stop-motion animation and aired on ABC from 1994 to 1995. It was created and directed by Ken Pontac and David Bleiman.

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.

Polly Pocket is a toy line of dolls and accessories first founded and designed by Chris Wiggs in 1983 and licensed by Bluebird Toys from 1989 until both entities/properties were acquired by Mattel in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stink bomb</span> Device designed to create an unpleasant smell

A stink bomb, sometimes called a stinkpot, is a device designed to create an unpleasant smell. They range in effectiveness from being used as simple pranks to military grade malodorants or riot control chemical agents.

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

SOTA Toys, or State Of The Art Toys, is a developer, manufacturer, and wholesaler of collectibles based on licensed properties from companies such as Capcom and Universal. Formed in 2000 by Jerry Macaluso, they have created and manufactured numerous licensed products based on the characters from popular films, TV shows, hit video games, and literary works, as well as legendary musicians and pop stars. Aside from being a developer and manufacturer, SOTA Toys also serves as fabricator and prototyper for the motion picture, toys/collectibles, and video game industry.

Littlest Pet Shop is a toy franchise and cartoon series owned by Hasbro and currently under license with Basic Fun!. The original toy series was produced by Kenner in the early 1990s. An animated television series was made in 1995 by Sunbow Productions and Jean Chalopin Creativite et Developpement, based on the franchise.

<i>The Gas We Pass</i> Childrens book

The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts is a children's book written by Shinta Chō. It was first published in Japan in 1978; the first American edition was in 1994. The book tells children about flatulence, and that it is completely natural to do so.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skunk (weapon)</span> Malodorant, non-lethal weapon used for crowd control

Skunk is a malodorant, non-lethal weapon used for crowd control by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and marketed to militaries and law enforcement around the world. It was developed and is manufactured by Odortec, with two supporting companies, Man and Beit-Alfa Technologies. The liquid's strong odor is marketed as an improvement over other crowd control weapons (CCWs) such as rubber bullets and tear gas used by the IDF against Palestinian protestors. The IDF has been criticized for its tactics during deployment, including common use against people, businesses, and neighborhoods not involved in protests as a form of collective punishment.

<i>Stan Helsing</i> Canadian-American horror comedy movie

Stan Helsing is a 2009 Canadian-American horror comedy film written and directed by Bo Zenga. It stars Steve Howey, Diora Baird, Kenan Thompson, Desi Lydic and Leslie Nielsen. Released on October 23, 2009 by Anchor Bay Entertainment, the film is similar to the Scary Movie film series and is a parody of horror films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lego Toy Story</span> Lego theme

Lego Toy Story is a Lego theme based on the Disney·Pixar's Toy Story film franchise. The first four sets were released on December 30, 2009, with an additional two sets being released on January 4, 2010. In May 2010, five Lego and four Duplo sets were released under the Toy Story 3 sub-theme. The original theme was discontinued in 2011. For the release of Toy Story 4 there was one Duplo set based on the third film and 6 Lego sets based on the fourth film. These sets were released in March and in April 2019 this time under the Juniors line. The minifigures in the sets were also now redesigned. The revival theme was discontinued in 2021.

<i>One More Megabyte</i> 1997 studio album by The Toy Dolls

One More Megabyte is the ninth studio album by the English punk rock band Toy Dolls. After the release of Orcastrated (1995), the band's bassist John "K'Cee" Casey left the band and was replaced with Gary "Gary Fun" Dunn. The new line up of the band recorded One More Megabyte at Fairview Studios, Hull, in January 1997, with the band's lead singer and guitarist Michael "Olga" Algar producing the album. The album also contains backing vocals from members of other punk rock bands, including members of the Vibrators, The Lurkers, The Wildhearts, Sugar Snatch, and the Inmates.

The Sing-a-ma-jigs are an American line of electronic, singing stuffed toys released by Mattel in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Panic Pete</span> Novelty rubber squeeze toy

Panic Pete, also known as Jo-Bo, Obie, Gappy, The Martian Popping Doll, The Martian Popping Thing, Popping Martian or Bug-Out Bob is a novelty rubber squeeze toy invented by John M. Auzin.

References

  1. ↑ Pederson, Jay P. (1988). International directory of company histories, Volume 61. St. James Press. p. 337. ISBN   978-1-55862-506-8.
  2. ↑ Tirendi, Salvatore; Otmar Geiss; Josefa Barrero-Moreno; Dimitrios Kotzias (January 2009). "Chemical emissions from toys – the case of stink blasters". International Journal of Environmental and Analytical Chemistry. 89 (8–12). Taylor and Francis: 929–938. Bibcode:2009IJEAC..89..929T. doi:10.1080/03067310802570959. ISSN   0306-7319. S2CID   95140668.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Eng, Monica (Nov 16, 2003). "The smell of success: Stink Blasters". The Seattle Times.
  4. ↑ Dawson, Jim (2006). Blame It on the Dog: A Modern History of the Fart. Ten Speed Press. pp. 151–154. ISBN   978-1-58008-751-3.
  5. 1 2 "Scent Stars Presentation Book" (PDF). megtoys.com.
  6. ↑ "Zabawki EPEE - Wielka Frajda". www.icor.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2022-05-27.
  7. ↑ "Perfumella". www.levneknihkupectvi.cz (in Czech). Retrieved 2022-05-27.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.