Distributed by Mattel (US)
Manufactured by Action GT and Ideal (and other unnamed companies)
I loved puppets and as a kid I became very fascinated with Boglins.
Boglins were little latex puppets designed as scary and gross creatures. According to Wikipedia, "Generally, the Boglin puppet was aimed at small children (boys in particular) from eight to eleven, as they were popularly used for frightening others, but have become valuable collectibles in recent years. They were characterized by their unique packaging (a cardboard box with a plastic "cage" entrance) and by movable eyes and mouth."
Boglins were a surefire hit. Even Kellogg's cereal got in on the action.
In 1991, Mattel introduced Mini Boglins. A tiny version of the larger puppets that were like action figures and were non-poseable.
The many types of Boglins are as follows (some may have been released in 1990 or later) -
- Boglins (Boglinus humungus): These toys were large and would fit comfortably on the hand. They were sold in boxes resembling crates with a jail-like front. There were three varieties: Drool, Dwork and Vlobb. [On the 1987 UK box, these are Plunk, Dwork, and Flurp]
- Small Boglins (Boglinus minimus): Slightly smaller than regular Boglins, resulting in reduced freedom of motion and simpler features. The varieties were Splat, Blap, Bonk, Doink, Klang, Squidge, and Squit in the UK and Squidge, Shlump, Shlurp, Sponk, Squawk and Squeel in the USA.
- Soggy Boglins (Boglinus liquidious): Puppets in the shapes of mutated animals. They were slightly smaller than regular Boglins and there were three varieties: Snish the Fish, which squirted water; Slogg the Frog, which had a sticky tongue; and Slobster the Lobster, which had a snapping claw. Soggy Boglins were also marketed under the name 'Aquatic Boglins'.
- Baby Boglins: Finger-sized Boglins with fixed facial expressions and googly eyes which were sold in egg-shaped boxes.
- Halloween Boglins: These were painted in Halloween forms. There were two varieties: Blobkin which looked like a pumpkin and Bog o' Bones which resembled a skeleton.
- Acrobat Boglins: Made of a flexible, sticky material which allowed them to be thrown at walls and slowly 'crawl' down them, Action Boglins could be stretched and knotted and would return to their original shape. They were roughly the size of baby boglins and were sold in egg-shaped boxes but had no finger hole and very little face detail. Acrobat boglins are difficult for collectors to preserve due to the material from which they were made, which collects dust and particles.
- Bash 'em Boglins: Highly detailed Boglins with cartoon-like features and detachable body parts. There were two varieties: Splat and Swish.
- Action Boglins: Larger than Baby Boglins, but lay on their stomachs with full body length. They performed actions when squeezed, sticking their tongues or eyeballs out or squirting water from their mouths.
- Baby Squirt Boglins: Semi-solid PVC Boglins with detailed facial features which could squirt water when squeezed. There were three varieties modeled on Klang, Squit and Boink.
- Hairy Boglins: Plunk and Flurp Boglins with tufts of hair on their heads. The Plunk Boglin had red hair and the Flurp brown.
- Talking Boglins: Boglins which talked and made noises. They were released shortly after the original three.
- Glow Boglins: Medium Boglins which glowed in the dark. They were naturally white with green tints and were modelled on Klang and Doink.
- Ric Flair Boglins: Two Hairy Plunk and Flurp Boglins with grey rather than colored hair on their heads. (Why they're called "Ric Flair" Boglins is unknown)
- Batty Boglins: Mattel planned to release "Nite Creature! Boglins" in 1989, but the winged creatures were never released in the United States. There were three varieties: Drak, Ooky, and Screech.
I love them !!!
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