Bob Knetzger's gross food-making toys

Bob Knetzger 5:22 pm Fri Feb 25, 2011

zombie head box.jpg

I was very excited last week at Toy Fair (the toy industry trade show) in NYC to see a classic toy I invented being relaunched. Boing Boing readers (or their younger brothers) may remember having this toy back in 1995: Doctor Dreadful, the line of gross food-making toys. Back then, kids created overflowing potions, bubbling brains and squirming worms with their Doctor Dreadful Food Labs and Drink Labs — and then ate or drink their "looks gross — tastes great" concoctions. Here's the original award-winning TV spot:

For today's kids, Spinmaster Toys (the same toy company behind the Air Hogs pump up planes and Havoc micro-sized indoor RC helicopters) has updated Doctor Dreadful with even wilder food experiments and grosser-looking toys. The photo above is a peek at just one of the new versions: Doctor Dreadful Zombie Head Drink Lab.

The toys should be in production later this year and be on store shelves by fall. Wouldn't this zombie head look nice under the Christmas tree?

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