Crater Critters facts for kids
Crater Critters were a cool set of eight plastic toys. An Australian company called Rosenhain and Lipmann made them. They were given away inside Kellogg's cereal boxes. This happened in 1968 and again in 1972.
The Story of Crater Critters
Between 1959 and 1977, a company in Melbourne, Australia, made many unique toys. This company was Rosenhain and Lipmann, often called R&L. Their toys became super popular in Australia and other countries.
R&L started by making small plastic model kits. These kits snapped together without any glue. They came in a clear bag inside Kellogg's cereal boxes. R&L released over 70 different toy sets. It's thought that about one billion R&L toys were given out worldwide.
The Crater Critters were the most popular and collectable series. Kellogg's advertised them as friendly, bug-eyed creatures. They came from the craters of outer space. The first set came out in 1968. They were so popular that R&L made them again in 1972.
There were eight different Crater Critters in the set. Their names were Kingly, Kindly, Kooky, Curly, Creepy, Clever, Cranky, and Crawly. Each Critter was made in one of eight different colors. The most common colors were orange, lilac, dark purple, and lime green.
Two Critters had parts you could remove. Kingly Critter had a black four-point crown. Kooky Critter had a black top hat. A Kingly Critter with its crown still perfect is very rare. Collectors sometimes pay a lot of money for them.
In the United States and United Kingdom, these toys were also called Crater Critters. But some of the individual Critters had different names. You can see their names below:
| Kingly Critter (King) | Kindly Critter (Lunartic) | Kooky Critter (Upsy Downsy) | Curly Critter (Jodrell Jim) | Creepy Critter (Bugsy Backbone) | Clever Critter (Gloob) | Cranky Critter (Miss Venus) | Crawly Critter (Glubber) |
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Tinykins: The Next Generation
By 1977, R&L was not making enough money. So, their factory equipment was sold to Mexico. This machinery was then used to make new versions of the Crater Critters. These new toys were called "Tinykins."
The Tinykins looked the same as the original Critters. However, many of their colors were different and brighter. The plastic they used was also not as good quality. Many Tinykins were made and sold. People often confuse them with the original R&L Critters.
