A few months back, I was contacted by a gourmet slime maker (it’s the only way I can think to describe it) and sent a few jars to try out for the blog. Wow. Slime has come along way since I was little!

We also recently got to try out a different type of slime that transforms warm water into an entire bathtub of goo. After being out of the spotlight for a long time, it seems slime has reemerged and evolved into a craft where there are even slime conventions! My 10-year-old self would be over the moon at all the slimy goodness.

My First Slime Experience

My first slime was a shiny green goo that came in a can and went with the He-Man Masters of the Universe Slime Pit. You poured it in, and then it oozed out of a dinosaur mouth to torture your He-Man action figures.

It was slimy, slightly stinky, and the most fun thing you could do with it was pour it out and then push it back in the can to make a farting noise.

So when Scented Slime by Amy asked to send me a few jars to try out, I was like, “Sure, I like slime!” But I had no idea how far it had come.

This slime was so pretty I barely wanted to take it out of the jar. And it certainly wasn’t made for making farts. It smelled and looked good enough to eat. In fact, every jar has a big warning NOT to eat it.

We had fun playing around with the different types of slime like cloud, floam, gloss, fizz, etc. So many options beyond green stinky stuff! It was quite a different slime experience.

A Different Kind of Slime

Next we got to try making a different kind of slime, where you just add warm water. The slime products by Zimpli Kids are non-irritant and 100% safe on skin, stain free and environmentally friendly.

They also contain no boron or boric acid, which is often used in slime making products. This is reassuring news when you plan to immerse your kid in an entire tub of slime.

My son was super excited to try out the Gelli Worlds Dino pack, so we jumped right into slime making and brought things full circle by getting green and slimy again! He-Man would be proud.

Then we went full-slime and tried the bathtub mix with the Zimpli Kids Slime Baff. I think I put in too much water, or it wasn’t warm enough, or we didn’t wait long enough because it didn’t turn into a thick slime, but it was definitely slimy!

If you give this one a try, do it with hot water BEFORE you put the kid in the bath. It takes about 10 minutes before it starts to slime up and by then my son had lost interest and had to pee. Covered in slime of course!

I’m sure there are tons more types of slime out there! These are just a few of the fun ones we’ve gotten to try.

The History of Slime: How the First Slime Toy Became a Childhood Classic

Long before homemade slime recipes took over YouTube and TikTok, there was one toy that introduced kids to the wonderfully weird world of stretchy goo: Mattel Slime.

Released in 1976, Mattel Slime is widely considered the first commercially successful slime toy. It quickly became a favorite among kids who loved gross-out toys and practical jokes, helping launch a trend that continues nearly 50 years later.

The First Slime Toy

Mattel introduced Slime as a bright green, gooey substance packaged inside a miniature green plastic garbage can. The unusual packaging fit the toy’s playful, disgusting theme and made it stand out on toy store shelves.

Unlike today’s stretchy, fluffy slimes, the original Mattel Slime was much runnier and slimier. Kids could squeeze it through their fingers, let it ooze across tables, or use it to prank unsuspecting friends. I never saw it myself, but it sounds very similar to the He-Man slime I had in the 80s.

The Toys That Followed

The success of Mattel Slime inspired countless similar toys over the following decades. Manufacturers released their own versions of gooey compounds, often pairing them with monsters, aliens, or other gross characters.

Some memorable examples include:

• Slime Monster toys
• Mad Scientist slime kits
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ooze (I had this one too!)
• Masters of the Universe Evil Horde Slime

Television also helped slime become even more famous. Nickelodeon’s signature green slime became a cultural phenomenon after appearing on You Can’t Do That on Television in 1979 and later on Double Dare, where contestants were regularly drenched in the iconic green goo.

I loved both of those shows!

Slime Today

Today’s slime is much different from the original version. Modern slimes come in countless varieties, including:

• Butter slime
• Cloud slime
• Clear slime
• Crunchy slime
• Glitter slime
• Glow-in-the-dark slime
• Scented slime

Many kids even enjoy making their own slime at home using glue, activators, and colorful mix-ins. While homemade recipes have become incredibly popular, they all owe a little inspiration to the original green garbage can that started it all.