In the early ‘90s, Nickelodeon released a wonderful new “toy” that enchanted kids with its mystical wet-but-not-wet qualities, stretchy abilities, and the way it could make a fart sound (farts are always funny to kids). Yes, we’re talking about the amazing Gak. Gak was released by Mattel for Nickelodeon in July 1992, and immediately became a gooey sensation. Walmart sold more than 160,000 units of Gak in just three weeks at $3 each, outselling such previous mainstays as Silly Putty, Turtle Ooze, and even Batman figurines.
Gak wasn’t the first time Mattel made a goo for kids — in the ‘80s they created one called Slime that was inspired by all of the slime on the popular television program You Can’t Do That on Television. Slime soon became synonymous with Nickelodeon, and was used on all sorts of their competition shows, including the super popular Double Dare. On Double Dare, all kinds of messes were made in addition to slime, like huge ice cream sundaes or giant noses full of “snot.” All of these different messes were dubbed “gak” on the Double Dare set, and thus the new goo was born.
But what the heck made Gak that strange combination of stretchy and slightly wet? Though Mattel wouldn’t release the recipe for Gak, a testing laboratory called Artech Corporation decided to test Gak to see if they could decipher its composition. That laboratory found that Gak was made of a combination of acrylic and silicone, with a few other random things thrown in (like clay). The acrylic side of things worked as a thickener, and is also indigestible — so, if a kid were to swallow any Gak, it would just go straight through them and come out the other end. The silicone side of things worked as a sort of putty, making Gak airtight when stretched, and causing that fart noise when put back into its container.
Honestly, kids didn’t really care what Gak was made of, they just liked to play with it, no matter how weird it smelled. It was one of those rare toys that was popular with both girls and boys, and indeed was marketed to both with its wide array of colors. Kids weren’t the only ones who would play with Gak, either. Many adults also got in on the action too, even if they acted as though they hated the stuff. There’s just something satisfying about absentmindedly playing with a goopy (but not too goopy) substance while, say, talking on the phone at work, you know?
These days, Mattel and Nickelodeon no longer produce Gak, but there are a whole host of knockoff brands out there trying to get in on that action. Will they ever compare to the original? Unlikely, but we can pretend. Let us know your favorite memories of playing with Gak in the comments, but first check out this commercial to get truly nostalgic:
- In addition to the acrylic and silicone, Gak also contained glycerin, which was put in to make parents’ hands feel softer when they played with it, thereby hopefully reducing their resistance to the product.
- Gak also included germicidal agents — you know, ‘cause kids are just petri dishes full of germs — so that Gak wouldn’t be a carrier of colds between kids.
- In 2012 and 2017, Gak returned to toy shelves with modern-day Nickelodeon branding.
- There were quite a few different variations of Gak, including Gak-in-the-Dark, a version that would glow in the dark after exposure to light, and Solar Gak, which would change color when exposed to sunlight.
- The term “gak” actually originates from a not-so-kid-friendly place — it was a Philadelphia street term for heroin! Marc Summers and the crew of Double Dare started using it as a kind of in-joke on the show, and it stuck.
- In addition to the acrylic and silicone, Gak also contained glycerin, which was put in to make parents’ hands feel softer when they played with it, thereby hopefully reducing their resistance to the product.
- Gak also included germicidal agents — you know, ‘cause kids are just petri dishes full of germs — so that Gak wouldn’t be a carrier of colds between kids.
- In 2012 and 2017, Gak returned to toy shelves with modern-day Nickelodeon branding.
- There were quite a few different variations of Gak, including Gak-in-the-Dark, a version that would glow in the dark after exposure to light, and Solar Gak, which would change color when exposed to sunlight.
- The term “gak” actually originates from a not-so-kid-friendly place — it was a Philadelphia street term for heroin! Marc Summers and the crew of Double Dare started using it as a kind of in-joke on the show, and it stuck.
