Instant Fish
Encyclopedia
Instant Fish was an idea conceived by the Wham-O
toy
company in the early 1960s.
were a species of Africa
n killifish
(Nothobranchius sp.) that laid eggs
in the mud
at the start of the dry season
. The eggs lay dormant (embryonic diapause
) until the rainy season, when the water
would cause them to hatch and be able to survive in full rainy season river
s and lake
s, rather than the dry creeks of the dry season. Wham-O had the idea of selling chunks of a mud substitute with the eggs inside it. Once this was taken home and put in a suitable container, water would be added and the eggs would hatch.
The idea went as far as a New York
toy fair, where it proved a hit. However, it soon became clear that the fish did not lay as many eggs at a time as would be needed for the idea to be economically viable, so the concept was dropped. However, killifish eggs are sold on a smaller scale as educational tools.
Wham-O
Wham-O Inc. is a toy company currently located in California, USA. They are known for marketing many popular toys in the past 50 years, including the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly String, Hacky Sack and the Boogie board....
toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
company in the early 1960s.
History
Instant fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
were a species of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n killifish
Killifish
A killifish is any of various oviparous cyprinodontiform fish . Altogether, there are some 1270 different species of killifish, the biggest family being Rivulidae, containing more than 320 species...
(Nothobranchius sp.) that laid eggs
Roe
Roe or hard roe is the fully ripe internal egg masses in the ovaries, or the released external egg masses of fish and certain marine animals, such as shrimp, scallop and sea urchins...
in the mud
Mud
Mud is a mixture of water and some combination of soil, silt, and clay. Ancient mud deposits harden over geological time to form sedimentary rock such as shale or mudstone . When geological deposits of mud are formed in estuaries the resultant layers are termed bay muds...
at the start of the dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
. The eggs lay dormant (embryonic diapause
Embryonic diapause
Delayed Implantation or Embryonic Diapause is a reproductive strategy used by approximately 100 different mammals in seven or eight different orders. In embryonic diapause, the embryo does not immediately implant in the uterus, but is maintained in a state of dormancy. Little to no development...
) until the rainy season, when the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
would cause them to hatch and be able to survive in full rainy season river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s and lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, rather than the dry creeks of the dry season. Wham-O had the idea of selling chunks of a mud substitute with the eggs inside it. Once this was taken home and put in a suitable container, water would be added and the eggs would hatch.
The idea went as far as a New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
toy fair, where it proved a hit. However, it soon became clear that the fish did not lay as many eggs at a time as would be needed for the idea to be economically viable, so the concept was dropped. However, killifish eggs are sold on a smaller scale as educational tools.
External links
- History of Wham-O Official site
- Wham-O: Unmitigated Fun My Times