Boglins are a series of toy puppets distributed by Mattel. They were created by Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto, and Larry Mass, and licensed by Seven Towns. The original run of Boglins was released in 1987, coinciding with a "creatures" craze that included Ghoulies, Critters, and Gremlins. Boglins were goblin-themed hand puppets made of flexible rubber and could be manipulated to represent speech and facial expressions. Several series of large and small Boglins were released until 1994, with additional aquatic, Halloween, and baby themed Boglins released later into the line. Small solid 'Mini-Boglins' were also produced, akin to the Kinkeshi figures also from the 1980s.
Original Boglins toys
Created by Jim Henson Company alumni Tim Clarke, Maureen Trotto and Larry Mass for the Seven Towns company in 1987, Boglins were initially brought to Coleco as a potential addition to their Sectaurs line; but were eventually marketed on their own by Mattel in 1987. Although sporting small arms and a tail, these puppets mostly consisted of a large goblin-like head, drawing some inspiration from the giant Olmec heads of Ancient Mexico. Constructed from an artificial rubber known as Kraton, the initial models also featured glow in the dark eyes, which could be moved using a lever hidden inside the puppets, as well as the ability to wink/blink via a small plastic tab above each eye.
Smaller Boglins (a subspecies known as Boglinus minimus), named Squidge, Shlump, Shlurp, Sponk, Squawk, and Squeel were also early releases into the line (in the UK these names were changed to Squit, Boink, Splatt, Blap, Klang, and Doink respectively). Lasting only two years in the United States, Boglins proved to be a bigger hit within the United Kingdom, distributed by the toy companies Ideal and Action GT.
Re-released Boglins
Mattel rejuvenated the Boglins line in 2000 through Lansay, Awesome Toys and Vivid Imagination with two new series of puppets: large, electronic ones that talked, and several smaller ones that stuck out their tongues or spat water when squeezed. In 2016 there was a Boglin art show in New York by Clutter Arts featuring a Boglin mold painted by multiple artists. Boglins would make a return in 2017 under a licensing deal with Seven Towns and Clutter Magazine in limited run batches to the collector's market. In August 2022, there is an expected release of the Bat Boglins and King Sponk series, with a limited edition TheBoglins.com online exclusive Bat Boglin Orlock, which will be autographed and numbered by creator Tim Clarke. Pre-orders are now open. Clarke has made recent appearances at collector's conventions and other special events to promote and autograph Boglins.
References
Sources
- Mini Boglins reference