If I had to make a list of the toys I have a love-hate relationship with, Wacky WallWalkers would be at the top… the very top.
As a child I adored the sticky, octopus-shaped goopy blobs that would “crawl” down a wall after you threw them against it.
As a parent… not so much.
Whereas I appreciate the fact that the toy is one of few that can actually survive repeated torture by unruly kids, I’m not fond of the way its sticky exterior attracts hair, carpet fibers and the occasional Fruit Loop, like flypaper.
If you have never hurled a Wacky WallWalker across the room with all your might in hopes that it would stay up longer than your sibling’s, then you are in luck. The ooey-gooey glob is making a comeback.
But don’t look for the popular toy at your local Wal-Mart. Rather, the slimy creatures are being featured as part of a kiddie peace plan to promote “toys not war.”
Ken Hakuta, the man who introduced Wacky WallWalkers to America in 1982, recently announced that he plans to dig into his secret stash of discontinued toy crawlers and give them to kids who send him their toy guns.
Hakuta says he got the idea this past Easter after seeing colorful baskets filled with phony pistols and revolvers. Stunned by toy makers’ audacity to pair violent hardware during a holiday that promotes peace, Hakuta devised his anti-gun campaign to get kids to take a break from destructive toys.
Hakuta is collecting violent toys from kids around the world, including water guns, cap guns, rifles and even gun-filled videogames. The peace-promoting toy man will then destroy the violent trinkets and send out Wacky WallWalkers as replacements.
If you want to rid your home of fake guns and get your hands on a mucilaginous blob that magically “walks” on walls, then send them to: “Kids Declaration 1441” c/o Jericho Communications 304 Hudson St. 7th Floor, New York, NY 10013.
Personally, I love the idea. What about you?
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