They're Back! Nickelodeon Floam and Gak {Review}

Whether you were a child in the 80s (like me) or not, it's easy to look back and see that this was one decade that had quite a few stand-out trends. While the mile-high bangs and the pinch-rolled stonewashed jeans are aspects that can very well stay in the past, there are toys from the 80s that really were incomparable.

After all, who doesn't look back and realize that Cabbage Patch Dolls, Care Bears, Pound Puppies, Rainbow Brite, and Teddy Ruxpin were really just that cool?

When the 90s arrived, how could it compete? Fortunately, this decade had its own set of memories with the arrival of the Furby, Beanie Babies and the endlessly entertaining and curious substances from Nickelodeon: Gak and Floam. These two playtime staples had an uncanny ability to provide fun and laughter for hours with their squishy, stretchy, reusable mushiness.

And now they're back! Completely reformulated and better than ever, Nickelodeon Gak and Floam are here to delight an entire new generation of kids.

While the Gak and Floam of my youth always seemed to turn into a sticky, oozing mess, the new formulas are easier to use and less messy than ever before. Knowing without a doubt that my kids would have a great time stretching and squishing these unique substances around, we were all pretty excited when a selection of colors arrived at our door.

Starting with the Gak, it was easy to see that this was one item that would entertain my kids for hours. This innovative pile of mush can be squeezed, squashed, stretched, twisted, rolled, bounced, bubbled and creatively played with for an endless amount of time. What kid doesn't love that?

After pulling the Gak out of its container, we stretched and folded it in our hands so that it would become less gooey and more rubbery. Once that was done, it was time for the giggles over the unusual texture, wacky sounds and altogether weirdness of how this goop feels mushed between your fingers.

While Gak doesn't stain, we were still sure to keep it over the table and on the plastic mat that Nickelodeon had provided to make sure that it didn't end up everywhere. As it turned out, the girls had so much fun just stretching and flattening and mushing it around, I didn't have to worry.

Besides, they were too busy laughing over the snapping, cracking and farting noises that the Gak made or pointing in awe at the bubbles they could blow. While none of us were all that successful at blowing bubbles directly into the Gak, once I pulled out straws, I knew that I had created lifelong Gak fans.

I appreciated that the "Splat" air-tight container for each color not only ensured that the Gak was portable and fresh for each use, but that it also doubled as an accessory for play.

Just by squeezing the Gak into the container, it made even more hilarious noises while also making it much easier for me to convince the girls when it was time to put the Gak away for the day — something that they definitely did not want to do — as it turned into its own game just to figure out how to squish it back inside!

Available in Rebel Red, You Blue It, Yakkity Yellow, Goo Green, Ticked Pink and Purple Panic, Gak retails for $6.99 each and can be found at Gak-is-back.com.

Pulling out the Floam, the girls were just as amazed by this incredible, texturized molding compound and the way that they could mold, flatten and roll it into any creation that they could imagine. Just peering at it in the container, they knew that it was going to be fun!

As with the Gak, we took the Floam out of the container and prepared it for use by stretching, folding and flattening it for a few minutes. While the blue seemed especially sticky at first, after a little while of kneading it we found that the stickiness went away.

As soon as it was evenly mixed and smooth, we got right to work creating everything from free-form sculptures, such as our Floam car (or Floamobile, if you will)...

...and Floam jewelry...

The moment when suddenly a Floam ring on every finger feels a little strange

...to actually molding the Floam onto just about any household item so that it would take on the shape. The kids couldn't get over how much fun it was to turn anything from a flower pot to a bowl to their toys into colorful Floam masterpieces!

While none of our Floam creations turned out anywhere near as complex and beautiful as those shown in the Floam Gallery...

...we still had a blast just rolling, squishing and flattening it into all sorts of shapes and structures. The possibilities are endless!

Also just like the Gak, we found that the Nickeloden Floam cleaned up easily and we were able to squish it back into its air-tight container so that we could pull it out again next time. Although we could have left our creations out to harden and stay as permanent works of art, the idea of being able to pull this out again for more future fun won out in the end.

Available in Rockin' Red, Blazin' Blue, Electric Yellow, Glimmer Green, Posh Pink and Purple Power, Floam retails for $6.99 each and can be found at Floam.com.

Whether you have fond memories of Gak and Floam or have yet to run these crazy, wacky substances through your fingers, kids of all ages will love being able to play with these creative, inspiring, laughter-provoking toys. Even better, both Gak and Floam are non-toxic, non-staining, phthalate-, latex-, and BPA-free, so parents never have to worry about anything harmful being on their kids' hands or clothing.

Visit Gak and Floam for more information (and fun ideas as to what to create next!) and look for these and other Nickelodeon toys at Target, Toys 'R Us, ToysRUs.com, Bed Bath and Beyond, A.C. Moore and Walgreens.

(Other than the Gak and Floam that I was sent in conjunction with my membership to Team Mom, I was not provided with anything or enticed to do this review in any way. This review is solely my opinion of these products.)