Madballs
Gross-out foam balls that became a 1980s fad.
Madballs were foam or rubber bouncing balls with grotesque faces, first sold in 1986 by AmToy, a subsidiary of American Greetings (now Cloudco Entertainment). Each ball had a bizarre name and a short character description, leaning into gross-out humor. The line later grew into a franchise that included a comic book series, two direct-to-video animated cartoons produced by Lacewood Productions in 1987 and 1988, and a video game released for the Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS in 1988.
The original toy series had two waves, each containing eight balls, plus a set of larger Super Madballs shaped like other sports equipment—such as a football called "Touchdown Terror," a soccer ball named "Goal Eater," and a basketball dubbed "Foul Shot." The first series included characters like Screamin' Meemie (a screaming baseball with a large tongue), Slobulus (a drooling green creature with a dangling eye), Aargh (a blue Frankenstein-like monster with stitches and a missing eye), Horn Head (a horned cyclops with a nose ring), Dust Brain (a mummy with rotting teeth), Oculus Orbus (a bloodshot eyeball), Skull Face (a skull with tiny red eyes and exposed brain), and Bash Brain (a gory zombie head; note that 'Crack Head' was an early concept name, not a retail name). These toys were conceived in the early 1980s by the creative team at American Greetings Properties, known as Those Characters From Cleveland, including Ralph Shafer, George Chanter, Mark Spangler, Jim Elliott, Kim Hammeren, and Vint Gonser, with editorial by Clark Wiley and Tom Jacobs.
The second series featured Snake Bait (a gorgon with a forked tongue), Freaky Fullback (a mutant football player), Splitting Headache (a monster with half its face peeled off), Bruise Brother (an ugly biker in a battered helmet), Wolf Breath (a werewolf with rotten fangs), Fist Face (a severed hand clutching an eyeball), Swine Sucker (a drooling wild boar), and Lock Lips (a creature with its jaw locked shut and one eye covered by a plate). Super Madballs included the football-shaped Touchdown Terror, the soccer ball Goal Eater, and the basketball Foul Shot, which burst open to reveal a face with worms.
Quick Facts
- Inventor
- AmToy
- Country
- United States
- Company
- Cloudco Entertainment
- From
- 1986
- To
- present
- Materials
- Rubber, foam
- Slogan
- "Freaky fun for everyone!"
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Madballs toys were conceived in the early 1980s by the creative team at American Greetings Properties, formally named Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC): Ralph Shafer, George Chanter, Mark Spangler, Jim Elliott, Kim Hammeren, and Vint Gonser, with editorial by Clark Wiley and Tom Jacobs. The original series included characters such as Screamin' Meemie, Slobulus, Aargh, Horn Head, Dust Brain, Oculus Orbus, Skull Face, and Bash Brain (the name 'Crack Head' was an early concept, not a retail name).
Reader's Guide
Madballs were a passing fad in the 1980s, but their gross-out humor and distinctive designs made them memorable. The franchise expanded into a three-issue miniseries from Marvel Comics' Star Comics imprint (September–November 1986), which continued as a bi-monthly series until issue #10 (June 1988), and a Marvel UK annual. Two direct-to-video animated cartoons were released by Nelvana: Madballs: Escape from Orb (1986) and Madballs: Gross Jokes (1987), both only on VHS. A video game was released for the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, and Commodore 64. The toys were revived by Art Asylum (2007–2008) and Just Play, Inc. (2017–2019), and in 2016 Kidrobot released nine original Madballs in foam style, plus keychains and vinyl figure blind boxes. The line also inspired imitation toys such as Blurp Balls by ERTL, Weird Balls by The Mel Appel Company, and Spit Balls by Lanard Toys.
Did You Know?
- The original Madballs were conceived by the creative team at Those Characters From Cleveland (TCFC), a division of American Greetings.
- The character Bash Brain was originally named 'Crack Head' but was renamed due to the unpleasant connotations of the slang term.
- Two direct-to-video cartoons were released by Nelvana in 1986 and 1987, both only available on VHS.
- In 2016, Kidrobot released nine original Madballs in their original foam style, slightly modified, along with keychains and vinyl figure blind boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly are Madballs and when did they first appear?
Madballs are collectible rubber or foam bouncing balls covered in grotesque, exaggerated faces, first put on store shelves in 1986 by AmToy, a division of American Greetings. Every ball came with a goofy name and a short character blurb built around gross-out humor.
How many original Madballs were in the first toy line?
The initial run consisted of two waves of eight distinct balls each, plus a set of larger Super Madballs molded into other shapes. That gives roughly sixteen standard-sized characters in the core original lineup.
Did Madballs ever get animated or appear in other media?
Yes. The franchise grew into a comic book series, two direct-to-video animated shorts made by Lacewood Productions in 1987 and 1988, and a 1988 video game released for Amiga, Atari ST, and DOS.
Were Madballs ever revived after the original run ended?
The brand saw multiple comebacks: Art Asylum reissued the line in 2007–2008, Kidrobot produced vinyl figures and keychains in 2016, and Just Play, Inc. ran a new toy wave from 2017 to 2019.
Who was behind Madballs and what company owned the brand?
The line was created by AmToy, which operated as a subsidiary of American Greetings, the parent company that later became Cloudco Entertainment.
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