National Sea Monkey Day falls on May 16 every year to celebrate these little creatures. Sea Monkeys were created in a lab many years ago but since then they’ve become a common household pet.
Many of us have happy memories of awaiting the delivery of our first Sea Monkeys in the mail. They are popular with children and adults alike and, at one point, they were even heavily marketed by comic books.
- 1957 – Following the popularity of the ant farms, Harold von Braunhut invented the “Sea Monkeys” and hatching kits in 1957. He did most of his advertising through comic books. He once said, “I think I bought something like 3.2 million pages of comic book advertising a year. It worked beautifully.”
- 1962 – Harold von Braunhut changes the name of these creatures from ‘Instant Life’ to ‘Sea Monkeys.’
- 1972 – Harold von Braunhut is granted a patent for the process of developing Sea Monkeys.
- 1998 – Sea Monkeys travel to space with astronaut John Glenn aboard Space Shuttle Discovery.
- Sea Monkeys are a type of “Artemia” (brine shrimp). They got their name because of their monkey-tail look.
- These little crustaceans have made their appearances on television shows including Spin City, Roseanne, Night Court, South Park, The Simpsons, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show and Desperate Housewives.
- So why sea monkeys? Because who was going to buy brine shrimp? It was all a good bit of marketing, though the name didn’t come about for nearly 5 years. They were originally called “instant life”, referencing their ‘just add water’ nature. But when the resemblance of their tails to monkeys’ tails was noted by fans, he changed it to ‘Sea-Monkeys’ and so it’s been ever since! The marketing was amazing too! 3.2 million pages of comic book advertising a year, and the money just flowed in the door.
- Sea monkeys are born with only one eye but develop two more (for a total of 3!) as they grow.
- Sea monkeys can live up to 2 years with proper care.
- When sea monkeys are born, they are so tiny it’s very difficult to see them. In about a month, they grow to about a half inch in length and will begin mating to make more baby sea monkeys!
- Sea Monkeys were initially sold under the name ‘Instant Life’ and later given the name ‘Sea Monkeys’ because they have a monkey-tail-like shape, making them resemble monkeys of the sea rather than shrimps.
- Sea monkeys breathe through their feet.
- When sea monkeys need more oxygen, they will swim upside down.
- Sea monkeys are loving little creatures who kiss and cuddle to show affection for one another.
- The “special ingredient” that is added to the sea monkey’s water is sea salt. Sea monkeys have to live in saltwater to survive.
- You can tell a sea monkey is properly fed when you see its belly turn black after eating.
- If you shine a flashlight in a tank filled with Sea Monkeys, they will swim towards the light.
- Sea Monkeys eat the algae in their tank so you don’t have to clean it out unless it gets really dirty in there.
- Sea Monkeys should only be fed sea monkey food every five days, as overfeeding can kill them. Their transparent bodies can help you observe their digestive tract if looked closely.
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