The other day, I mentioned wanting a Test Tube Alien for my birthday. Although the packaging states that it is for ages 7 and up, I figured that my 35th was the perfect time to get this new toy.
I asked for it, and I got it!
The alien I was given is called Yagoni and ‘he’ is, according to the website, the protector of the good aliens and is an intelligent and respected leader. Great! At least I got one of the good guys!
The alien arrives in a cocoon within the test tube. The instructions say to fill the test tube with water to ‘hatch’ your alien. After you add the water, it starts to fizz and overflow. Hold it over the sink and watch closely as you start to see a flashing green light. Within a few minutes, you can make out a face too! It’s a little bit creepy as you wonder what is emerging through the fizzy liquid.
When the fizz slows, you can empty the water out and rinse it a few times. This is the first time you get a real glimpse of your alien. Mine, Yagoni, has a large, transparent head. He has a red body with yellow feet. He also has big, dark eyes and two antennae. You can see the ‘computer’ inside his head that obviously makes this whole thing work.
Following the instructions, I combined the sloog (included) with more water and fed my alien. Sloog is apparently a “nutrient rich food from their planet”. I don’t know what sloog really is but if I find out, you’ll be the first to know.
Before you add the sloog water, your alien’s heart (located in its forehead, by the way) will flash orange, indicating that it is starving. Add the sloog water and the heart will flash red. Your alien is happy and healthy. A green flashing heart indicates drowning, meaning that you alien has too much water.
How does your alien know if there is enough or too much water? It has tiny sensors at the base of its antennae and at the tips too.
Two more packages of sloog are provided but I only ended up feeding it two altogether. One packet is still sitting on my desk. Yagoni does not seem to have suffered.
Now, a week or so after Yagoni hatched, he is about twice the size that he was. His body expands outwards as well as upwards. He only has another inch and a bit to go before he’ll reach the top of the test tube. I assume that he’ll stop growing at that point.
So, to recap, as long as you keep the water at the appropriate level – which is in between the two sets of sensors, your alien will stay alive and well.
What do I do with it now? Not much, really. I check its water level, like I would a houseplant, and that’s about it.
So, Test Tube Aliens: cool toy or waste of money? You decide.