Test Tube Aliens are a series of toys that were invented by JKID Ltd and released by 4Kidz, Inc., a toy and juvenile products company based in Stamford,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Story

There are 6

aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, a lifeform with ext ...

available - three good, three bad. The three good aliens have escaped their dying home world of Naratuko in search of a new home. Using the technology of their ancestors, they were genetically reverted to a pre-birth state. They retain only their intelligence, their accumulated strength sacrificed for the greater good. They travelled across the universe in search of a sympathetic lifeform to restore them to adulthood and their former strength. The evil aliens are responsible for the destruction of Naratuko, and have pursued the three good aliens across the universe, determined not to let their quarry escape for good.

The toy itself

The package contains a

test tube A test tube, also known as a culture tube or sample tube, is a common piece of laboratory glassware consisting of a finger-like length of glass or clear plastic tubing, open at the top and closed at the bottom. Test tubes are usually placed in s ...

, a clear plastic cylinder of around 18 centimetres in height and 6 centimetres in diameter. The alien is contained within a white cocoon, or '

chrysalis A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages the ...

', inside the cylinder. By adding water the cocoon erodes, revealing an infant alien. The alien's heart (represented by a series of coloured flashes from the head) begins to beat, and the alien is 'alive'. The alien must be fed for the first few days of its existence with 'Sloog', a white powder which is combined with water and poured into the test tube. After the feeding is complete, the alien will survive on plain tap water. In order to remain 'healthy', the alien must be kept in twelve hours of daylight, and twelve hours of darkness each day. If left too long in the light, the alien's heartbeat will speed up. If left too long in darkness, the alien's heartbeat will become staggered and sporadic. Similarly, the alien will detect if the water level is too high or low, and it will flash green (too high, drowning) or orange (too low, thirsty) to indicate this. Eventually, if the alien is not treated right, it will die and the toy becomes useless. Some have been recorded to survive seven to nine months in total. The alien will also interact with th
Test Tube Aliens website
where users can induce the alien into a coma or panic mode. The alien's age and health can also be checked. The website has been taken down.

How it works

The alien body contains

Polyacrylamide Polyacrylamide (abbreviated as PAM or pAAM) is a polymer with the formula (-CH2CHCONH2-). It has a linear-chain structure. PAM is highly water-absorbent, forming a soft gel when hydrated. In 2008, an estimated 750,000,000 kg were produced, ...

, a

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

that soaks up water and causes the body to expand to up to eight times its original size. The "sloog" contains a weak

acid An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. Hydron, hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid–base theory, Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis ...

that slows the expansion of the polymer so that the growth appears to occur over several days. The alien can sense the presence of the acid by measuring the solution's conductivity via

electrodes An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or a gas). In electrochemical cells, electrodes are essential parts that can consist of a variety ...

on the tip of its antenna and on the top of its head. The electrodes also act to sense water level—the water level must be between the antenna electrode and the head electrodes for the alien to be `healthy'. The website interaction works via a light detector in the alien's head responding to flashes from the 'web portal' on the Test Tube Aliens website. The light detector also lets the alien know how many hours it has been exposed to light and dark. As of January 2013, th
Test Tube Alien website
was offline.

References

{{Reflist

External links

The Official Test Tube Aliens Website (archive)
2000s toys Fictional extraterrestrial species and races Virtual pets