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Tyco's mad-scientist candy lab: mix the powder pouches with water, and out came Monster Brains, Monster Skin and Chewy Creatures that were slimy, foamy, gross to look at and sugary to eat. Doctor Dreadful, pitched on TV by the voice of the Crypt Keeper, was the mid-90s gross-out toy in a box.
A plush bear that came with permission to destroy it—draw on it with markers, toss it in the washing machine, and it came out blank and ready for more doodles. Invented by Ed Kaplan and released by Tyco in 1995, Doodle Bear was the anti-collectible, the polar opposite of the untouched Beanie Baby sitting in its case. In an era when toys were meant to be preserved, this one begged to be drawn on.
Tyco's action figures were engineered for destruction: press one button on the torso and the head and arms sprang off, press the other and the legs flew. They were born from the famous Vince & Larry crash-test-dummy PSAs — and the tie-in backfired so badly that TV networks pulled the safety spots rather than cross-promote a toy.