Thingmaker
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 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. The concept of the Thingmaker was introduced in 1963, as part of Mattel's Vac-U-Maker set. This omnibus toy combined the new moulds and Plasti-Goop technology with the existing Vac-U-Form machine, a vacuum forming toy, which molded simple sculptures by heating thin sheets of plastic, then using a vacuum pump to form the softened plastic over hard plastic forms. Following this introduction period, the Thingmaker portion was spun off as a separate set, and launched as the "Creepy Crawlers" line. Mattel packaged moulds from various sets to be sold separately, and also combined moulds into larger omnibus editions, encompassing several themes into one set, under names such as "Triple Thingmaker", "Super Thingmaker" and "Every Thingmaker". Mattel marketed numerous Thingmaker sets as follow-ups to the original "Creepy Crawlers" throughout the 1960s, using various themes aimed at both boys and girls, as well as exclusive single mould sets, including Superman and Tarzan, and original concepts including "Squirtles" and "Gangly Danglies". Varieties of Thingmaker mould sets Giant Creepy Crawlers (1965) — This set featured nine moulds (as did the original "Creepy Crawlers"), but these new moulds featured just one giant creature apiece. Fighting Men (1965) — This set of six moulds could be used to create mini soldier figures, using an innovative two-part mould to give the Fighting Men a front and a back. The set also included pieces of wire to place in the figure, making it bendable with the bottom wire protrusions being able to stand on a styrofoam base. Other moulds in the set created weaponry and equipment for the Fighting Men to carry into battle. Creeple Peeple (1965) — This five-mould set formed strange heads, arms and feet. When assembled onto a pencil, they formed weird, Troll-like creatures. Fun Flowers (1966) — Seven moulds full of different styles and shapes of flowers and leaves, for use in decorating and design. Fright Factory (1966) — Five of this set's seven moulds were dedicated to creepy disguises, making pieces such as fake scars, snaggled teeth, or a third eye for one's forehead. Another mould (with a special insert) made a shrunken head, and the last made a dangly skeleton that one built from parts. Incredible Edibles (1967) - A Thingmaker that made edible pieces. It used a special goop called "Gobble De-goop" which was placed in molds and cooked like regular Plasti-Goop. Picadoos (1967) — A Thingmaker for artists. This one featured moulds with 10x10-space numbered grids. By carefully placing coloured Plasti-Goop in the grid, one could create decorative artwork in either beads,