When I was a kid, I remember my younger brother having a toy that made little bugs and other “boy” things by baking a gel-like substance in molds. The smell was terrible and the little “oven” heated up like crazy. The new Martian Matter Alien Maker from Hasbro greatly improves upon this concept, letting kids create aliens without using any heat.
Here’s how it works: Choose two half molds and put them in the Martian Matter spaceship. Then put the Meteor Mud compound into the molds and press down to make an impression. Next, add the Lunar Gel to fill out the rest of the mold and wait five minutes. After that, they aliens are ready to play with and dissect. We had two 8-year-old boys try out the Alien Maker and the mom said they both had a blast making the space creatures. Although it took a few tries to get the mud/gel combination just right, they were off and running on their own in no time. They also loved cutting the aliens open to watch the gel ooze out. Although the boys had fun, Mom said the whole spaceship-shaped “maker” is difficult to store because of its shape and size. She also said she’s not sure what to do with the aliens since the boys would rather make more than play with the ones they already have. My mom likely had the same complaint with my brother’s homemade bugs—I remember finding those things around the house years after he stopped playing with them. Sounds like some population control is needed—perhaps institute a rule that limits the number of aliens allowed in your house, making kids get rid of old ones before making new creatures.
The Martian Matter Alien Maker retails for $17.99. The toy is recommended for ages 5 and up, but our testing mom thinks it’s a little too messy for anyone not yet in first grade. For more information visit www.hasbro.com.