User:Auric/Flubber (product)
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Flubber ("Roobly Rubber” and “Plubber”) is the name of a product created by Hassenfeld Brothers (now Hasbro) to promote the release of Son of Flubber. However, some people proved to be allergic to it and it was recalled.[1]
History
[edit]The material was made from a 70:30 ratio of partially polymerized synthetic rubber (butadiene) and mineral oil.[2] It behaved much like Silly Putty. It was marketed as nontoxic and non-staining. It was introduced in September 1962. However complaints began to come in from parents that it was causing rashes in children, dubbed "flubberitis".[2] Experiments on prisoners revealed that the oil caused an allergy in the hair follicles of some people. The company issued a voluntary recall on May 17, 1963[3], which netted over 3 million balls.[4]
The company attempted to have them incinerated in a Providence, Rhode Island incinerator, but the material proved difficult to burn, producing thick clouds of black smoke. Disposal in a landfill was tried, but kids began stealing the balls from the dump. They tried to dump them in a New England lake, but the balls floated. Eventually they flattened and sealed them in an area near a factory in Providence, paving the area over to make a warehouse parking lot, [5] supposedly at 60 Delta Drive in Pawtucket. [6]
However, the Flubber can reportedly be seen occasionally in the cracks of the parking lot.
References
[edit]- ^ "Youngsters' Skin Rash Causes Recall of Toys". Desert Sun. 18 May 1963. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ a b Robert L. Rietschel; Joseph F. Fowler; Alexander A. Fisher (2008). Fisher's Contact Dermatitis. PMPH-USA. p. 597. ISBN 978-1-55009-378-0.
- ^ Deichmann, William B., (1969) Toxicology Of Drugs And Chemicals at the Internet Archive
- ^ Steve Silverman (13 May 2011). Lindbergh's Artificial Heart: More Fascinating True Stories from Einstein's Refrigerator. Andrews McMeel Publishing. pp. 3–5. ISBN 978-1-4494-1310-1.
- ^ Eric Grundhauser (15 December 2015). "The Force was Strong with Toy Slime—Until 'Star Wars' Came Along". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- ^ R.J. Heim (19 May 2014). "What happened to recalled Flubber 50 years ago?". WJAR. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- "'Plubber' And 'Flubber' Linked To Skin Rash". The Brownsville Herald. Brownsville, Texas. June 16, 1963. p. 22. Retrieved 17 March 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Toys Blamed for Rash". Arizona Republic. 6 March 1963. p. 6. Retrieved 16 February 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- "Stretchy Toys Suspected In Rash of Child Rashes". Arizona Republic. 9 March 1963. p. 4. Retrieved 16 February 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- "Flubber Gets Bounce Off Store's Shelves". Dayton Daily News. 17 May 1963. p. 1. Retrieved 16 February 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- J Gordon Hanna (1963) 68th Report on food products at the Internet Archive
External links
[edit]- John H. Lienhard. "No. 1903: Flubber". Engines of Our Ingenuity (Podcast). Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- r/todayilearned - TIL When it was discovered that Hasbro's flubber toy was discovered to be toxic they attempted to incinerate the remaining stock (which didn't work) then attempted to bury it in the ocean (it just floated to the top) and finally buried it under a new parking lot.
- Adrienne Crezo (27 March 2012). "8 Seemingly Harmless Toys That Were Yanked Off the Shelf". mentalfloss.com. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
- "Wireless Flash: THE TRUE STORY BEHIND FLUBBER". www.flashnews.com (Press release). Feb 13, 1998. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
