Not a chance.īy the time brine shrimp came to von Braunhut’s attention in 1957, they had long been raised as food for fish, but the inventor saw something else in these eggs that could easily be shipped in their dry state and be brought to life with water. Another von Braunhut brainchild, “X-Ray Specs,” promised to allow the wearer to see through opaque materials, enticing many a young boy with visions of getting a secret glimpse through clothing. In this case, the fish did indeed live up to the claim of being invisible. Sea-Monkeys were the brainchild of Harold von Braunhut (1926-2003), a quirky inventor who also introduced “invisible goldfish” with a 100 per cent guarantee that they would never be seen. They did move around, but there was no action that could be interpreted as “cavorting” and in no way did the shrimp resemble the cute creatures depicted in the ads.Ī third envelope contained a powder that was to be added to the water to nurture the little “monkeys.” It was a mixture of salt, an obvious requirement for “brine shrimp,” and food in the form of some microscopic algae and yeast. What they actually saw was the emergence of tiny crustaceans of the genus Artemia, some up to 10 millimetres long. Soon they would soon see the “most adorable pets ever to bring smiles, laughter and fun into your home!” Not quite. “Anhydrobiotic” derives from the Greek for “life without water,” and describes a state in which all metabolic processes have stopped due to dehydration, but can be restored when water is made available.Ĭustomers were instructed to dump the contents of the envelope into a container of water and wait for the Sea-Monkeys to spring to life. The package contained three numbered envelopes. The contents of the first were to be dissolved in water to remove some of the minerals that make water “hard.” Then, the water would be ready to receive the contents of the second envelope. This contained the “Sea-Monkeys,” which were actually the tiny eggs of brine shrimp in an anhydrobiotic state. What the mail carrier actually delivered was a small package of disappointment. The seductive ads promised entry into “the wonderful world of amazing live Sea-Monkeys” with the “monkeys” pictured in their underwater environment sporting broad smiles and human-like features, except for their long monkey-like tails. The back page often featured an ad promising that for just $1.25 one could “own a bowlful of happiness, filled with frolicsome swimming pets that are always clowning around, performing stunts and playing games with each other.” Back in the 1960s, I was a big fan of comic books, especially Superman.
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