Nasty, disgusting, pointless? These may be some words to describe Madballs, the gross toys that spawned from the 80’s. I only had a few of these growing up, but they were always something that was very intriguing to me. Sure most kids like to go out and toss around a football or play catch with a baseball, but what were you supposed to do with these things? Maybe that wasn’t the point. Maybe, just maybe the idea was to own a grotesque piece of history to gross out your friends and family.
Believe it or not Madballs were created by the same company as Care Bears, and was looking to capitalize of the hugely successful Garbage Pail Kids as well as Wacky Packages. Madballs were about the size of a softball and were made of a hard rubber material. They featured numerous gross and scary features that varied from each one released. Things such as oozing brain matter and bulging eyeballs, to more classic scary images like a mummy, skeleton and werewolf. I remember using mine for more of a display piece than a toy, just because they looked so gross. The more I think about it, the more I think that was the whole idea.
Surprisingly the company continued to push the boundaries of what could be done with the Madball franchise. There were a total of two series of regular Madballs, but there were also a series of spin offs, such as Super Madballs and Head Popping Madballs. They also went into different forms of media such as a comic book series, home computer games, and two animated home video releases. Of course there were some other companies that tried to rip off the concept of the Madballs, but they didn’t fare well to the best of my knowledge.
Surprisingly the company continued to push the boundaries of what could be done with the Madball franchise. There were a total of two series of regular Madballs, but there were also a series of spin offs, such as Super Madballs and Head Popping Madballs. They also went into different forms of media such as a comic book series, home computer games, and two animated home video releases. Of course there were some other companies that tried to rip off the concept of the Madballs, but they didn’t fare well to the best of my knowledge.
With people my age, looking for nostalgia, Madballs have made somewhat of a comeback. I guess there is a new company that revived the series in the late 2000’s that I was unaware of. There has also been a surge in the art style with many redoes, variations, and tributes popping up all over the internet. I haven’t owned any Madballs since childhood, but plan to buy at least one in the future. While I don’t have any of the toys, I do have tattoos of Horn Head and Freaky Fullback.
You still have to ask what the point of Madballs are? Play catch with them like any other type of ball? Throw them at your friends? Just being gross and a cool thing to have?...Yup that's it! Sometimes toys are just awesome even if they don’t have a true purpose. I mean come on, who wouldn’t want a disgusting looking cyclops or skull sitting on your desk or bookshelf? Did you have these growing up or do you still have them? Share your memories in the comments below. If you liked this article or any of the other content on this site please consider Showing Your Support so I can keep the site up and content coming! Until next time C YA!