Your favourite childhood 'pets' are back: Nostalgic Australians can now get their hands on SEA MONKEYS for just $15
- Nostalgic Australians can relive their childhood with the classic Sea-Monkeys
- The iconic novelty aquarium pets are available at any Kmart store for just $15
- The kits come with an ocean zoo tank, and three sachets with instructions
Long before iPads, TikTok and Netflix, kids were growing their own Sea-Monkeys.
And now nostalgic Australians can relive their childhood memories with the classic novelty aquarium pets, available at any Kmart store for just $15.
The iconic kits come complete with an ocean zoo tank that's equipped with a ventilated lid, built-in magnifiers and a seascape bottom.
There's a feeding spoon and three sachets with instructions explaining how to hatch and grow the little creatures that could live up to two years.
Australians can relive their childhood memories by growing their own Sea-Monkeys at home
The iconic kits come complete with an ocean zoo tank that's equipped with a ventilated lid, built-in magnifiers, moulded seascape bottom and a feeding spoon
To create the instant pets, children are required to pour water into the tank, then empty the first sachet bag labelled 'water purifier' and allow to sit for 24 hours.
Keeping the aquarium in a shaded area away from direct sunlight, pour the second pouch labelled 'instant live eggs' into the water the following day, and stir for one minute.
After five days, kids can add the first scoop of 'growth food' to the water. Sea-Monkeys can only be fed once a week.
The toys have been a huge success across Australian homes for decades, with parents today buying them as birthday or Christmas gifts for their kids.
'They were a Christmas hit with the little kids and a fun throw-back for the parents. So far so good, sea monkeys are still alive, and that's more luck than we had with the originals back in the early 90s,' one mother said.
Another shopper said: 'A tad nostalgic, Kmart have original Sea Monkeys! I'm so excited, can't wait for these little guys to grow.'
Sea-Monkeys are a type of brine shrimp that are naturally found in salt lakes.
The history of Sea-Monkeys stems from 1957 after Harold von Braunhut stumbled across a tank of 'overlooked' brine shrimp that were used as fish food in a pet store.
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The toys have been a huge success across Australian homes for decades, with parents today buying them as birthday or Christmas gifts for their kids.
There's a feeding spoon and three sachets with instructions explaining how to hatch and grow the little creatures that could live up to two years
Sea-Monkeys come in various designs, including this 'pet playset' (pictured) for $20, with everything you need to grow them
The American man saw a niche in the market for 'instant pets' that could teach children about the oddities of nature.
And so he began experimenting on how to 'preserve' and 'reanimate' them in his tiny lab, and in 1960 introduced them to the world as 'Instant Life'.
'And Sea-Monkeys indeed exhibit. How they come to life, however, is a highly guarded, patented secret interplay of osmosis, controlled pH fluctuation and chemical formulations. The "Original" formula is kept under lock and key, and still made in the USA to this day,' the website says.
Initially, the toys didn't sell at all after the brand struggled to get sellers on board.
'So Harold got the idea to place an ad for "Instant Life" inside comic books to market directly to kids,' it said.
At the time, the toys could be ordered by mail directly from the Sea-Monkey headquarters.
'Overnight, orders were flying in and the Sea-Monkeys began their long career striking the imaginations of millions of children.'
