The Dark Origins Of 'Sea-Monkeys' Are Leaving Parents Seriously Uneasy

Their name has spread far and wide, but few people really know what sea monkeys actually are. Well for starters, they don't live in the sea, and they're a far cry from your typical banana-loving monkey. The bizarre-looking creatures are only about one inch long, and they start out in this world being freeze-dried. So how did they come to be known by two things that seem totally unrelated to them? The truth is, they weren't given the name until some time after their creation.

It all started back in 1957 with a man named Harold von Braunhut. Back then, he was notorious for selling the most ridiculous products, such as X-ray glasses and invisible goldfish. But the real turning point for von Braunhut came when he saw the boom in the popularity of ant farms in 1956. He didn't need x-ray specs to spot a money-making scheme, and he wanted his own slice of success.

With dollar signs no doubt in his eyes, von Braunhut was on the hunt for a simple pet of his own with which to make his millions. Cue — the brine shrimp. Although not yet known as Sea-Monkeys, it seemed that von Braunhut had come across a bizarre little creature that could be just the thing he needed for his big break. The minuscule brine shrimp were bred from a type of shrimp in the 1950s, which explains their shape, but not where the primate nickname came from. 

The scientists who artificially created these shrimp-like animals named them Artemia NYOS, a calling card based on the brine shrimp's official moniker, artemia salina. That name wasn't going to sell these creatures to anyone, though. So instead, von Braunhut honed in on one specific trait of these odd little critters to come up with a catchy new name.

See, these lab-grown creatures have the unusual capability to undergo cryptobiosis. Sounds like something straight from a film, right? And it sort of is! Cryptobiosis is where a living being slows its internal systems down to a point that, for all intents and purposes, it appears to be dead. This process can last for decades — or centuries even. The creature can survive without oxygen, and although it may seem dead, it's very much still alive. Exciting for sci-fi lovers, but horrifying for the rest of us!

Von Braunhut and his team had one task — creating a name that would sell. Taking the science into consideration, they discussed a consumer-friendly moniker for Artemia NYOS and landed on "Instant Life." A short but sweet phrase that makes a lot of sense when you consider the way they were packaged and sold.

With Instant Life, all you needed to do was fill your tank with distilled water and a packet of "water purifier." After letting the so-called purified water sit for 24 hours, all that was left to do was pour in the packet of "live eggs." Then, just like magic, life would be born, well... instantly! Of course, this was all a marketing scam.

In reality, there was no instant life being created the moment the final packet of live eggs was poured into the tank. In fact, if you were to do away with the packet altogether, you would still have your odd aquatic pet at the end of things. What people didn't know, was that they were actually in the first packet all along. The key, you see, is in their cryptobiosis.

Hidden in the back of the distilled water are several of these genetically modified brine shrimp in a state of cryptobiosis, frozen without the need for food or water. And once poured into water, they seemingly came to life — but they were never dead in the first place. Deception or no deception, Instant Life was selling. For ¢49, anyone could be the proud pet parent to a tank of low-key critters. But still, von Braunhut wasn't satisfied.

With sales steadily rolling through, there was still something niggling at the cooky creator. The name "Instant Life," as well as being technically incorrect, was not sitting right with von Braunhut. So, shortly after the turn of the decade in 1962, he changed the name, this time looking at a physical aspect of the creature for inspiration.

Inspired by their somewhat ape-like tails, he dubbed his aquatic pet with the name "Sea-Monkeys." Although they do have some sort of tail, it's still very difficult to see any resemblance. Regardless, the name stuck, and things started to take off. And as their popularity grew, the unorthodox pet was made fashionable by an unlikely medium.

Throughout the '60s and '70s, comic book illustrator Joe Orlanda portrayed Sea-Monkeys in his works. Taking things one step further from the seemingly ill-fitting name, he drew them as humanoids and not shrimp (or monkeys). And this was von Braunhut's plan all along. "I think I bought something like 3.2 million pages of comic book advertising a year," he said.

The newly branded — and now heavily advertised — Sea-Monkeys made Harold Von Braunhut rich and famous. And, naturally, he had the power to spend his money however he wanted. Most people buy a bigger home, a new car, or even go on vacation, which is fair enough. But Braunhut also decided to donate some of his money to a place that most people would deem unacceptable.

The source that von Braunhut reportedly decided to share his money with is utterly reprehensible. According to newspaper reports at the time, the marketer and inventor donated his money to the Aryan Nations, despite the fact that he was Jewish. And as people started to take a closer look at the man behind the family-friendly brand, they reported that he had some seriously dangerous connections.

With the spotlight firmly on the dark circles he was claimed to be moving in, it wasn't long before news leaked of von Braunhut's ties with Neo-Nazism. In actual fact, it was an interview between Richard Butler, head of the Aryan Nations, and the Spokesman-Review that ultimately revealed the sordid truth. Butler was facing charges in federal court and told his interviewer that von Braunhut would support him with funds from a new invention.

After the success of Sea-Monkeys, von Braunhut came up with the Kiyoga Agent M5. The weapon was a pen-sized, coil-sprung device that unfurled a metal whip at the flick of a wrist. It was marketed as the ideal weapon when "you need a gun but can't get a license." You might recognize it from its appearance in the 1981 Burt Reynolds vehicle Sharkey's Machine. Apparently, though, the Aryan Nations also promoted the Kiyoga within its fundraising newsletter. But this wasn't the only tie von Braunhut reportedly had with white supremacists.

The Washington Post revealed that von Braunhut participated in white supremacist activities. He presided over a funeral service for Butler's wife, calling himself an ordained priest. As shocking as all this is, there was so much more. According to the Post, Harold von Braunhut reportedly once stated, “Hitler wasn’t a bad guy, he just got bad press.” If his own affiliations didn't tarnish his reputation — and that of the Sea-Monkeys — then this twisted proclamation likely did.

It goes to show that parents really can never be too careful. Just like the dark origins of Sea-Monkeys, many seemingly innocent "toys" have been banned because of their alarming dangers. And we're talking more than a sordid backstory — from a nearly-fatal bounce house to a Barbie who would spontaneously burst into flames, there's a reason some products were stripped from the shelves.

Straight from a horror movie plot, the Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kid was literally chewing on children before it got banned. The toy was fitted with a mechanical mouth that was advertised as a fun way for children to feed their beloved Cabbage Patch Kid with plastic 'snacks.' Unfortunately, the dolls ended up biting quite a few fingers before they were finally recalled.

In 1962, Disney's quirky character, known as Flubber, was transformed into a children's toy to promote the movie Son of Flubber. The toy, created by Hasbro, was a huge success — until it began causing Folliculitis, a disease of the pores that spreads rashes. Luckily for those who fell ill with the skin condition, symptoms should supposedly have cleared in around seven to ten days. Phew! 

In May 2014, three children were swooped into the air when their bounce house was caught in a gust of wind. The house eventually reached a 50-foot elevation, though, thankfully, the children only fell from around 15 feet. They survived but were still hospitalized with serious injuries. Sadly, other families have gone through the same ordeal, too — not all of whom avoided losing their children completely. 

The popular '00s toy Aqua Dots became a real head-scratcher for scientists. Not long after the toy's release, children who had swallowed the colorful beads were reported to be experiencing bouts of dizziness and nausea, with some even passing out. As it happened, the binding ingredient in the toy metabolized into GHB when ingested.

It's not just retro toys that can wreak havoc. Oh no, even modern inventions have their fair share of issues. Take the smash-hit holiday item of 2015 — the futuristic hoverboard. Things were going well until half a million ended up getting recalled when countless units burst into flames while charging. One child even tragically lost their life as a result.

The 1950s were a dangerous time to be a kid, and the Atomic Energy Lab "toy" didn't do anything to help. The set, which was designed to allow children to enjoy the wonders of toxic uranium in the comfort of their homes, came with three "low-level" radiation sources and items such as a Geiger counter to experiment with. Yes, parents actually allowed this!

Anyone who grew up around pools remembers diving for these colorful weighted sticks. You would think drowning would be the danger associated with this toy, but on multiple occasions, reports emerged of these diving sticks malfunctioning and actually impaling their victims. Naturally, then, the Consumer Product Safety Commission made the decision to recall the potentially dangerous diving duds.

This attempt by Barbie to teach kids responsible pet ownership went horribly, horribly wrong. Tanner came complete with metal poop, allowing Barbie to use her magnetic scooper to pick it up. Unfortunately, if a toddler ingested Tanner's droppings along with an easily dislodged magnet in Barbie's scoop, then intestinal damage was likely and could prove fatal. Mattel was forced to recall around 683,000 units. 

Along with a number of other dangerous ideas and inventions, the 1950s gave us the Austin Magic Pistol, which used calcium carbide to launch ping-pong balls at high speeds. It even garnered the nickname, "Ping-Pong Blaster." The problem? When the so-called "toy" got wet, the calcium carbide reacted with the water to cause a mild explosion.

Whoever thought up lawn darts clearly didn't think through the idea of marketing them as a children's toy all that well. Lawn — great. Darts — not so much! Needless to say, the oversized "jarts" caused countless injuries and were actually banned outright by the U.S. government in 1988. Frankly, it doesn't take a genius to work that one out...

The summer sensation that took the nation by storm in the '90s was actually much more dangerous for adults than children. The added height and weight of adults and teens made them more susceptible to neck and spinal injuries, including paralysis in some cases. Still, that knowledge doesn't stop avid slip 'n sliders from donning their swimmers and taking aim even now.

If you grew up in the '90s, you probably remember Burger King's Pokémon toys. While they were a huge hit with kids, the exact shape and size of a Poké Ball were just so that it could cover a young child's nose and mouth. Tragically, this design oversight reportedly led to two deaths.

You may remember this backyard toy from the '90s being a great summer activity. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a spreader bar, the mini hammocks did not stay open as designed. This fault reportedly led to the deaths of 12 children by strangulation in 1996 alone, prompting massive recalls.

With a slogan like, “skates flicker ‘n flash,” it's little wonder Mattel didn't spot the fatal error before releasing their 1991 doll. Barbie has seen a number of questionable variations over the years, though none failed as miserably as Rollerblade Barbie. When rolled too fast over a flat surface, the rollerblades would spark. If you combined this with, say, an enormous amount of hair spray, it could lead to accidental fires.

What was once designed as a safe way for kids to learn the joy of baking turned out to be an utter disaster. The Easy-Bake Oven has been recalled a number of times over the years, most recently due to young children getting their fingers caught — and even cooked — in the cutesy pink oven.

While they were quite graceful in flight, Sky Dancers ended up doing much more harm than good. After hundreds of complaints of eye injuries, facial lacerations, and even a mild concussion, 8.9 million units were recalled and production was halted for good. Yup, those shimmery rotating wings are no longer. There are knock-off versions still available, but it's probably best to steer clear if you value the use of your eyes.

This one needs no explanation — other than how someone actually approved it for production. The small crossbow is capable of piercing a can from 60 feet away and caused a rash of injuries in China in 2017. You can still grab yourself one of these miniature menaces if long-distance can piercing or office warfare sounds like it's worth the risk.

Popular in the '70s, acrylic clackers would end up being recalled because of their hazardous design. When heavily used, the acrylic balls would crack and shatter, potentially causing serious eye injuries. Thankfully, science has come a long way since then, and we now have access to anti-shatter materials. Still, if you want to play it ultra-safe, perhaps click-clacks just aren't the toy for you.

Every year, 90,000 Americans are hospitalized from colliding or falling incorrectly while using a trampoline, resulting in broken bones, paralysis, and even death. Many homeowner insurance policies even ban them because of potential injury risks. Bounce fans can reduce the risk of injury by limiting the number of people on the trampoline to one at a time, making sure all springs are securely covered, and trying to keep to the center when jumping. Oh, and skip the flips! 

Now considered a weapon, the "wrist rocket" was once marketed as a children's toy. Needless to say, a "toy" capable of launching projectiles at a high velocity was bound to lead to some serious injuries. An age restriction of 18+ for buying slingshots was eventually imposed. Bad news for Bart Simpson wannabes, but music to the ears of fretful parents.