Thingmaker facts for kids

Thingmaker, also known as Creepy Crawlers, is a fun activity toy made by Mattel. It first came out in 1964.

This toy lets you create your own rubbery creatures! You pour a special liquid called "Plastigoop" into small metal molds. These molds are shaped like different bugs or other cool figures. Then, you heat the mold in a special oven. The heat makes the Plastigoop turn solid and rubbery. Once it cools down, you can take out your new creation!

The idea for Thingmaker started in 1963. It was part of a bigger toy set called the Vac-U-Maker. Later, the Thingmaker part became its own toy line, launched as "Creepy Crawlers." Mattel sold many different mold sets. They also made bigger sets that combined several themes, like "Triple Thingmaker."

Awesome Thingmaker Sets Over Time

Mattel made many different Thingmaker sets in the 1960s. They had themes for both boys and girls. There were also special sets for characters like Superman and Tarzan.

Giant Creepy Crawlers (1965)

This set had nine molds, just like the first Creepy Crawlers. But these new molds made one giant creature each!

Fighting Men (1965)

With this set, you could make mini soldier figures. It used a clever two-part mold to give the soldiers a front and a back. You could even put wire inside to make them bendable. The set also included tiny weapons and gear for your soldiers.

Creeple Peeple (1965)

This set had five molds for strange heads, arms, and feet. You could put them together on a pencil to make weird, Troll-like creatures.

Fun Flowers (1966)

This set had seven molds for different styles of flowers and leaves. You could use them for decorating or making designs.

Fright Factory (1966)

Five of the seven molds in this set were for creepy disguises. You could make fake scars, crooked teeth, or even a third eye for your forehead! Another mold made a shrunken head, and the last one made a dangling skeleton you built from parts.

Incredible Edibles (1967)

This Thingmaker was special because it made edible pieces! It used a different goop called "Gobble De-goop." You cooked it in the molds just like regular Plastigoop.

Picadoos (1967)

This Thingmaker was for artists. It had molds with grids where you carefully placed colored Plastigoop. You could create cool artwork like beads or mosaic tiles.

Mini-Dragons (1967)

The eight molds in this set let you make fantasy creatures. You could combine wings, horns, claws, and tails in different ways.

Eeeeks! (1968)

Like Mini-Dragons, this set had eight molds. You could mix and match legs, bodies, heads, and wings to create large, strange insects.

Zoofie-Goofies (1968)

Seven molds in this set made heads, bodies, and feet of different animals. You could make cats, dogs, elephants, and lions.

Hot Wheels Factory (1969)

This set made two-piece car bodies. You could fit them together with wheels to make your own Hot Wheels cars.

DollyMaker (1969)

This set had five two-sided molds. You could create two styles of small dolls and a wardrobe of clothes and accessories from the late 1960s.

Super Cartoon Maker (1969)

This was a licensed Thingmaker set. Its eight molds made figures of Charles Schulz's Peanuts characters, like Snoopy, Charlie Brown, and Lucy.

Jillions of Jewels (1970)

This was the last of the classic Mattel Thingmakers. It had five molds, but instead of liquid Plastigoop, it used powdered "Jewel Dust." This made solid plastic "gemstones" and jewelry frames.

Production of the original Mattel Thingmakers stopped because of safety concerns. People worried about children using a small electric heater as a toy.

In 1978, Mattel released a new, safer "Creepy Crawlers" toy called "Thingmaker II." This version used a different Plastigoop and plastic molds. You heated the Plastigoop first, then poured it into the molds to cool. The molds did not go into the heater. However, this new Plastigoop didn't work as well, and making creatures took a long time. This revival didn't last long.

ToyMax Brings Creepy Crawlers Back

An early version of the ToyMax "Magic Maker" Creepy Crawlers Oven Set

After being gone for over ten years, "Creepy Crawlers" returned in 1992. A company called ToyMax brought it back. New safety rules were in place. The new set used metal molds and a Plastigoop similar to the original. But now, it had a "Magic Maker" oven powered by a lightbulb. This oven had a special door that stayed closed until the mold was cool enough to touch safely.

ToyMax also brought back many original Mattel ideas, like "Creeple Peeple" and "Mini-Dragons." They also made molds for popular characters like Bugs Bunny, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Batman, and characters from Toy Story. The new Plasti-Goop came in many colors and types, including:

• Glow In the Dark Plasti-Goop
• Scented Glamour-Goop
• Glitter Glamour-Goop
• Stretch Plasti-Goop
• Metallic Plasti-Goop
• Colour Change Plasti-Goop
• Plasti-Steel (a stiff goop for toy car bodies)
• Eraser Plasti-Goop

Toward the end of ToyMax's time, the oven was redesigned. New mold packs became less common. In 1997, new molds based on the Jurassic Park film came out. This marked the end of another era for "Thingmaking." ToyMax tried again in 2001 with "Creepy Crawlers" and "DollyMaker" lines, but this revival was also short.

Creepy Crawlers After ToyMax

Since then, another company, Jakks Pacific, has made Creepy Crawlers toys. They often used mold designs from ToyMax. But they also made new character molds, like for SpongeBob SquarePants and Hello Kitty. New sets and mold packs came out from time to time.

In 2007, Jakks Pacific released a Pokémon-themed Creepy Crawlers Oven. In late 2008, a Star Wars: Clone Wars oven set came out.

In 2010, Toys "R" Us stores sold special "Creepy Crawlers" Activity Toys made by Jakks-Pacific. These used a different method to make bugs and spiders. However, some people reported problems with the molds leaking. By 2012, these sets were also available at other stores like K-Mart and Target.

Cancelled 3D Printer Toy

In 2016, Mattel announced a new version of the ThingMaker. This one would be a 3D printer that could print toys! It was planned for release in 2016, then pushed to 2017. However, it was never released. In 2019, Mattel confirmed that they had stopped the project.

Creepy Crawlers in Movies and TV

Television Show

ToyMax created a cartoon show based on the Creepy Crawlers idea. This Saturday morning cartoon, called the series, lasted for two seasons. It also had a line of action figures. Each figure came with a metal mold to make unique accessories for them.

Film Adaptation

In May 2018, it was announced that a movie based on Creepy Crawlers is being made. Paramount Pictures bought the rights to make the film.