REVIEW: Giant Microbe Toys

Ever since I saw Fantastic Voyage as a kid, I’ve wanted to see a microbe close up. Of course, you can see the pictures on an electron microscope, but that’s not quite the same as actually holding them in your hand. Until they perfect the shrink ray, the closest I’ll ever get to that dream comes from Giant Microbes.

Giant Microbes makes stuffed dolls out of microscopic organisms. There’s a huge variety of diseases, cells, and bacteria to choose from. All of them are very cleverly designed to be recognizable as the original microbe, but not so accurate as to be boring. Like Swine Flu has a pig snout. And Chicken Pox has a comb. It’s amazing that they managed to make E. coli and the herpes look cute.

Of course, you don’t have to be a geek to enjoy these. Even my three-year olds loved them, and they didn’t know they were playing with a giant neuron. But if you know what you’re looking at, it’s even better. They also make great conversation pieces. One can only imagine the fun you could have when you leave it on your desk at work or on the coffee table, and someone asks, “What is that” and you say, “Chlamydia.”

The great thing about Giant Microbes is that they have a great and geeky sense of humor. For example, they sell a heart-shaped gift box of mini-microbe dolls called Heart Warming, including a Sperm Cell, Egg Cell, Kissing Disease, Penicillin, and a pink Amoeba. Then there’s the Heart Burning gift box with a collection of stuffed Herpes, Pox, HPV, Chlamydia and Penicillin dolls. Just in time for Valentine’s Day.

If stuffed animals aren’t your thing, you can still get in on the fun with their line of hats, T-shirts, key chains, neckties, and removable tattoos. Get your microscopic groove on.