Boglins!

These may have hit the airwaves and store shelves over twenty years ago, but that doesn’t make Mattel’s Boglins — creepy puppet toys that were launched in 1987 — any less bizarre today than when they were new. And like a lot of the unusual, obscure toy lines from the eighties, Boglins now demand high prices and it’s a tough line to collect. Especially if you dig deep and start uncovering the weird Boglins toys that were released in Europe in the 1990s.

There are a few sites online with Boglins info, and anyone looking to collect toys in this series could do worse than to start with this page at X-Entertainment. With a few photos and info on the US and European releases, this should give you enough details to let you decide whether or not you want to get deeper into the line.

What a terrible commercial. I remember finding this commercial stupid when I was a kid, and it hasn’t gotten any better with age. Still, it gives a good look at the toys in action . . . and watching it makes me want a Boglin.

Wow, Wikipedia actually has quite a bit of information online, even if there aren’t anywhere near enough photos. And then there’s Virtual Toy Box, The Boglins Den, and the really odd Boglins Snickers Conspiracy page. That one is definitely worth a peek.

Boglins. Toys from a time when toy companies knew that boys love monsters, gross stuff, and a time when it seemed like any idea could hit toy shelves.

I’ve gotta find me a Boglin.