Gak

Gak was a popular kid’s toy developed by Nickelodeon and Mattel. Originally released in 1992, Gak proved to be Nickelodeon/Mattel’s most popular toy compound. This popularity was only increased when Gak was re-issued in 1994 as part of the Nickelodeon Deluxe Gift Set which included one canister of of Nickelodeon Gak and two canisters of Nickelodeon’s Floam, another popular kid’s toy of the time.

The idea for Gak was a combination of two different influences. It not only took advantage of the Nickelodeon show Double Dare’s slime component (which was incredibly popular with kids at the time), but it was also influenced by Wham-O’s Super Stuff, a popular Gak-like toy from the mid-1960s. It’s marketing campaign was smart, appealing to the immature humor of young boys. Unlike most compounds like Gak, Gak was singled out because it made a “fart” noise when squeezed or smashed into its clear, star-shaped container. There was always that one boy in the back of the classroom who insisted on using his Gak while the teacher was talking. It had other uses as well. It was marketed as being “squishable” and “stretchable,” and many kids used to blow bubbles with it.

There were other off-shoot brands that followed in Gak’s footsteps: Gak-In-The-Dark, Gak Vac, Smell My Gak, and the Gak Copier. While they are not nearly popular today as they were in the 90s, Gak and other Gak-related products are now being resold today with modern-day Nickelodeon branding.

via lilluna.com

 

Featured image via Broogly