Test Tube Aliens
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Test Tube Aliens are a series of toys that were released by 4Kidz, Inc., a toy and juvenile products company based in Stamford, Connecticut.
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[edit] Story
There are six aliens available - three good, three bad. The three good aliens, Kurion, Yagoni and Tatsuni, have escaped their dying home world of Naratuko in search of a new home. Using the technology of their ancestors, they were genetically reverted to a pre-birth state. They retain only their intelligence, their accumulated strength sacrificed for the greater good. They traveled across the universe in search of a sympathetic lifeform to restore them to adulthood and their former strength.
The evil aliens, Dodec, Takon and Shako, are responsible for the destruction of Naratuko, and have pursued the three good aliens across the universe, determined not to let their quarry escape for good.
[edit] The Toy Itself
The package contains a clear plastic cylinder of around 18 centimetres in height and 6 centimetres in diameter. The alien is contained within a white cocoon, or 'chrysalis', inside the cylinder. By adding water the cocoon erodes, revealing an infant alien. The alien's heart (represented by a series of coloured flashes from the head) begins to beat, and the alien is 'alive'.
The alien must be fed for the first few days of its existence with 'Sloog', a white powder which is combined with water and poured into the test tube. After the feeding is complete, the alien will survive on plain tap water.
In order to remain 'healthy', the alien must be kept in twelve hours of daylight, and twelve hours of darkness each day. If left too long in the light, the alien's heartbeat will speed up. If left too long in darkness, the alien's heartbeat will become staggered and sporadic.
Similarly, the alien will detect if the water level is too high or low, and it will flash green (too high, drowning) or orange (too low, thirsty) to indicate this.
The alien will also interact with the Test Tube Aliens website, where users can induce the alien into a coma or panic mode. The alien's age and health can also be checked.
[edit] How It Works
4Kidz, Inc. has yet to release the details of how the alien actually grows. It can be assumed that the alien's body is some sort of expanding material, which reacts with the feeding powder and regular water.
The alien detects water level by using a water sensor on the tip of its antenna and on the top of its head. The water level must be between these two detectors for the alien to be 'healthy'.
The website interaction works via a light detector in the alien's head responding to flashes from the 'web portal' on the Test Tube Aliens website.
