Madballs

This series of toy foam balls was created initially by AmToy, (a subsidiary company of American Greetings who had been extremely successful with their range of Care Bears) in the mid-1980s to capture the toy demographic for boys.

The toys were incredibly simple – just foam balls with hard features glued to the surface. But it was the rotting, monstrous character design that captured the attention of ’80s youths clamouring for ever more disgusting toys.

Madballs delivered with horrifically disgusting visages and names.

There was Screamin’ Meemie, a screaming baseball with its tongue hanging out (pictured at left); Bash Brain, a zombie with its brain exposed (originally called “Crack Head” and rebranded for obvious reasons); Slobulus: A drooling green creature with one eye hanging out of its socket (pictured below); Oculus Orbus, A bloodshot eyeball; and Horn Head, a comparatively tame horned cyclops.

There were thirteen other equally horrific original Madballs in the first two waves.

Then came Super Madballs and Madballs Head Popping Action Figures who sported pop-off heads.

The toyline also expanded into a franchise with a comic book series, two direct-to-video animated cartoons, and a video game for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64.

A myriad of Madballs knock-offs also appeared, like Burp Balls (who burped out smaller balls) and Spit Balls (that squirted water).

But it was hard to beat Madballs. They were cheap, gross, and fun to whip hard at each other, trying to chip a tooth or at least leave a bruise when you caught your brother in the face with Horn Head’s horn.

Madballs were revived by Art Asylum in 2007 and 2008, and Just Play, Inc. between 2017 and 2019.

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