Test Tube Aliens

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.

The package contains a clear plastic cylinder of around 18 centimeters in height and 6 centimeters in diameter. The alien is contained within a white cocoon, or 'chrysalis', inside the cylinder. By adding water the cocoon erodes, revealing an infant alien. The alien's heart (represented by a series of colored 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.

The alien will also interact with the 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 alien body contains polyacrylamide, a polymer that soaks up water and causes the body to expand to up to eight times its original size. The "sloog" contains a weak acid 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 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.