Koosh Kins
Encyclopedia
The Koosh Kins were a variation on the popular Koosh ball
, featuring faces and hands. They were originally created as a set of six characters, then released with variant colors.
The characters were featured in a four-part comic book
mini-series released by Archie Comics
, as well as a series of coloring books. In that series, they lived on the planet
Koosh, a large Koosh ball planetoid that, in lieu of a proper orbit
, bounced against other planets to travel across the universe
. While exploring a volcano
, the Koosh Kins were flung into space, where they landed on Earth, in the company of downtrodden everyman
Zak Taylor. Predictably, hilarity ensued, with the Koosh Kins aiding Zak in his acquisition of a girlfriend, and the aliens discovering a taste for hip hop
and pizza
.
. In the comic, he often abbreviated his long strings of slang
into a series of letters standing for each word. His colors were a light blue face and hands paired with a darker blue body.
Scopes - the only character without a humanoid
face, Scopes had two periscope
-style eyes, similar to cartoon depictions of a crab
, rising from the top of the Koosh ball. In the comics, he never spoke, but featured word balloons with question marks from time to time. His eyestalks and hands were dark blue, and his ball was green.
Grinby - all yellow (hands and faces), Grinby was the down-to-earth but physically strong character.
Slats - almost the Reggie Mantle
of the group, Slats was portrayed as sly. His colors were green for face and hands, and purple for his ball. He is shown in the comics as sweet on Gee Gee.
Gee Gee - the female of the group, she featured a predictable pink hue on her ball, with darker pink hands and face. In the comics, she's displayed as sweet and long-suffering.
Boingo - with a predilection for parties and pizza, Boingo was the stereotypical wacky member of the group, always ready to explode into feverish energy. His coloring was red.
Koosh ball
The Koosh ball is a toy ball made of rubber filaments attached to a soft rubber core. It was developed in 1986 by Scott Stillinger to be easy for his 5-year old daughter and 8-year old son to hold and throw, and was named after the sound it made when it landed. Stillinger started OddzOn Products...
, featuring faces and hands. They were originally created as a set of six characters, then released with variant colors.
The characters were featured in a four-part comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
mini-series released by Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, as well as a series of coloring books. In that series, they lived on the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
Koosh, a large Koosh ball planetoid that, in lieu of a proper orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
, bounced against other planets to travel across the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
. While exploring a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
, the Koosh Kins were flung into space, where they landed on Earth, in the company of downtrodden everyman
Everyman
In literature and drama, the term everyman has come to mean an ordinary individual, with whom the audience or reader is supposed to be able to identify easily, and who is often placed in extraordinary circumstances...
Zak Taylor. Predictably, hilarity ensued, with the Koosh Kins aiding Zak in his acquisition of a girlfriend, and the aliens discovering a taste for hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and pizza
Pizza
Pizza is an oven-baked, flat, disc-shaped bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings.Originating in Italy, from the Neapolitan cuisine, the dish has become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria"...
.
Koosh Kins Characters
T.K. - the stereotypical cool character, this toy's molded face sported perpetual sunglassesSunglasses
Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent bright sunlight and high-energy visible light from damaging or discomforting the eyes. They can sometimes also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist, featuring lenses that...
. In the comic, he often abbreviated his long strings of slang
Slang
Slang is the use of informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's language or dialect but are considered more acceptable when used socially. Slang is often to be found in areas of the lexicon that refer to things considered taboo...
into a series of letters standing for each word. His colors were a light blue face and hands paired with a darker blue body.
Scopes - the only character without a humanoid
Humanoid
A humanoid is something that has an appearance resembling a human being. The term first appeared in 1912 to refer to fossils which were morphologically similar to, but not identical with, those of the human skeleton. Although this usage was common in the sciences for much of the 20th century, it...
face, Scopes had two periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
-style eyes, similar to cartoon depictions of a crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
, rising from the top of the Koosh ball. In the comics, he never spoke, but featured word balloons with question marks from time to time. His eyestalks and hands were dark blue, and his ball was green.
Grinby - all yellow (hands and faces), Grinby was the down-to-earth but physically strong character.
Slats - almost the Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle
Reggie Mantle is a fictional character in the Archie Comics book. His full name is given as Reginald Mantle, but he is usually called by his nickname Reggie, and sometimes refers to himself as "Mantle, The Magnificent." The character was introduced in 1942...
of the group, Slats was portrayed as sly. His colors were green for face and hands, and purple for his ball. He is shown in the comics as sweet on Gee Gee.
Gee Gee - the female of the group, she featured a predictable pink hue on her ball, with darker pink hands and face. In the comics, she's displayed as sweet and long-suffering.
Boingo - with a predilection for parties and pizza, Boingo was the stereotypical wacky member of the group, always ready to explode into feverish energy. His coloring was red.