TC Gadgets PSA: Nickelodeon’s Gak And Floam Are Back

John Biggs

Biggs is the East Coast Editor of TechCrunch. Biggs has written for the New York Times, InSync, USA Weekend, Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Money and a number of other outlets on technology and wristwatches. He is the former editor-in-chief of Gizmodo.com and lives in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. You can Tweet him here and G+ him here. Email him directly at... → Learn More

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

If you’re thinking of a gift for mom, you probably can’t go wrong with Nickelodeon’s Gak or Floam, two toys made back in the 1990s. Gak is, as the name suggests, a sloppy sort of slime while floam is the same slime with foam balls suspended inside.

The toys cost $6.99 each and are available now.

If you’re wondering why I’m bringing this up it’s because I have kids and I think it’s important for them to play with slime. I played with a bit of Gak over the past week and found it considerably improved over the previous version. As a father, I’m wary of slimy stuff that comes out of plastic containers but the Gak didn’t stick to carpets or clothes and the Floam fell apart far less than I remember. It’s still messy, but not as messy as it once was.

Sadly, I felt no pangs of nostalgia while pulled the Gak out with a long schlupping sound. I believe my mother never let us have Gak as kids and, as such, I have little affection towards it. In fact, I never even had Hordak’s Slime Pit or any other slime playset. I feel I missed out.