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Slime
Type	Novelty toy and stress toy
Company	Mattel
Country	United States
Availability	1976–present
Materials	Guar gum, PVA glue
Slogan	Gooey, drippy, oozy, cold 'n clammy

Slime is a toy product manufactured by Mattel, sold in a plastic trash can and introduced in February 1976.^[2] It consists of a non-toxic viscous, squishy and oozy green or other color material made primarily from guar gum.^[3] Different variations of Slime have been released over the years, including Slime containing rubber insects, eyeballs, and worms.

The late 1970s also introduced a Slime Monster board game; the object of the game is for the player to avoid having their game piece slimed on by a foot-tall plastic monster with slime oozing from its mouth. Other toy companies have produced their own slime, such as Hordak's Slime Pit playset as part of the Masters of the Universe toys in the 1980s and Ecto-Plazm play gel^[4] sold with selected figures in Kenner's Real Ghostbusters toy line. Playmates Toys' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figure line introduced a Retro-mutagen slime sold in containers and included with playsets.^[5]

While the substance is non-toxic, it is extremely difficult to remove from soft furnishings.

Chemical components

The main components are the polysaccharide guar gum, and sodium tetraborate. As an alternative to the polysaccharide, other alcohol-group containing polymers (such as polyvinyl alcohol) may be used to a similar result. These non-polysaccharide polymer products are more often referred to as flubber. Due to its ingredients, leaving the slime outside its container could cause the slime to dry or get stuck in fabric or one's hair.^[5]

Cultural impact

Slime has expanded into other franchises such as Masters of the Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ghostbusters. The Masters of the Universe slime features Hordak, an antagonist from the series. Created by Kenner, Ghostbusters slime has different colors of slime due to the added food coloring, and it has been featured in action toys and a playset. For the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the slime is called Retromutagen Ooze, a reference to how the turtles were made. The slimes were later added to toy sets. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles slime line is made by Playmate. Slime use has expanded to various Nickelodeon game shows, including Super Sloppy, Double Dare and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards,^[5] though the composition and history differs from that of the toy slime.

Toxicity scare

In 2018, Which? reported that eight out of eleven slime lines from Amazon contained boron levels that exceeded European Union safety standards.^[6] Slime uses borax, a compound of boron, to give itself a gelatinous texture. Parents were warned that excessive exposure to boron can cause skin irritation, diarrhoea, vomiting and cramps.^[7] However, according to Snopes, claims about slime's carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and neurotoxicity were either false or unlikely to matter in the concentrations available to consumers and through their typical routes of exposure.^[8]

References

^ Engber, Daniel (2016-07-18). "Will Ghostbusters Bring Back the Glory Days of Slime?". Slate. Archived from the original on 2020-10-18. Retrieved 2020-10-18.
^ SLIME, ser. no. 75/198,386 (filed November 15, 1996), reg. no. 2,206,408 Archived 2013-04-04 at the Wayback Machine (December 1, 1998) (noting date of first use in commerce as February 18, 1976). United States Patent and Trademark Office. Accessed March 10, 2018.
^ Katz, David A. (2005). "Guar Gum Slime" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2024-04-19 – via Chymist.com.
^ "Real Ghostbusters Ecto-Plazm!". x-entertainment.com. Retrieved 2017-12-09.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ ^a ^b ^c Wilson, John (22 March 2016). "Slime: A History of Mattel's Grossest Toy Plus Tips on How to Make Slime!". Completeset. Archived from the original on 27 August 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
^ Fox, Hannah (17 July 2018). "Children's Toy Slime on Sale with up to Four Times EU Safety Limit of Potentially Unsafe Chemical". Which?. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022.
^ "Parents Warned over 'Toxic' Slime". BBC. 17 July 2018. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.
^ Kasprak, Alex (20 March 2017). "Does the "Slime" Craze Bring Serious Health Risks?". Snopes. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 17 July 2023.