Print advertising for Sea-Monkeys puts the “S” in sensationalism. As proof that the formula works, today’s Sea-Monkeys come with a two-year life guarantee. Patent #3,673,986 provides insight into the mix of chemical compounds and brine shrimp eggs that make up his secret formula. Von Braunhut was granted a patent for this process on July 4, 1972. Anthony D’Agostino to develop the right mix of nutrients and chemicals in dry form that could be added to plain tap water to create a purified habitat for the shrimp to hatch properly. Von Braunhut worked closely with marine biologist Dr. The key to product’s early success was ensuring that it worked as advertised. Around the same time, von Braunhut founded Transcience Corporation to streamline the manufacturing and sales. An updated ad campaign began to appear in comic books in 1964. The name “instant life” was replaced with the more market-friendly “Sea-Monkeys”, a moniker inspired by the brine shrimps’ long tails and ability to live in water. He secured the services of cartoonist Joe Orlando, who designed and illustrated a series of comic book ads. Lack of sales forced von Braunhut to take a step back and re-tool the brand. In early advertising, they were marketed as “instant life” and sold for $0.49. In 1960, Sea-Monkeys began to appear in comic book ads, although without their soon-to-be-famous name. To von Braunhut, this meant that brine shrimp could be easily packaged, marketed, AND sold like pet fish. Historical accounts say that von Braunhut became fascinated with using brine shrimp as a novelty toy when he saw them being sold in a pet store and noticed they could survive for extended periods of time out of water – a scientific term known as cryptobiosis. He’s also well known for several other novelty products, including X-Ray Spex and Invisible Gold Fish. The catalyst behind the Sea-Monkey phenomenon was one Harold von Braunhut. NYOS is short for New York Oceanic Society, the Long Island-based lab where the shrimp were originally grown and crossbred. The “monkeys” are a hybrid species of brine shrimp known as Artemis-NYOS. These facts might not be readily apparent if your knowledge of these tiny creatures was gleaned by reading any of the sensationalist ads that appeared in comic books throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Of course, sea-monkeys aren’t monkeys at all, or even actual denizens of the deep, for that matter. May 16th is National Sea-Monkey Day, a perfect time to check in on one of my favorite “instant pets.” Sea-monkeys first hit the scene in 1960 and have remained a pop culture staple to this day, amassing millions of dollars in sales over the years. Company: Transcience Corporation | Release date: 1960 | Where to purchase: eBay
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