Slime
For grown-ups
Slime without the mess
All the squishing and stretching of a tub of slime, none of the glue, borax or carpet stains. It wobbles, it bloops, and it always goes back into shape.
Settings for grown-ups
About this toy
A big, shiny blob of slime with two eyes sits in the middle of the screen. Grab any part of it and pull: the slime stretches after the finger, thinner near the finger and fatter further away, and its mouth opens into a little "o". Let go and it wobbles back into shape with a bloop. A quick tap pokes a dent that bounces out again. It has the squish of real slime without the mess, so it suits children from about three; older ones pull with two or three fingers at once. The round arrow brings a fresh blob in another colour.
How to play
Put a finger on the slime and drag. Pull with two or three fingers at once to stretch it in different directions. Tap quickly to poke it. The round arrow brings a fresh blob in a new colour.
A good first go
Pull one side far out to the edge of the screen and let go suddenly, then watch the whole blob jiggle. Or pinch it from both sides with two fingers.
Good to know
The slime can be stretched a long way, but it gets harder to pull the further it goes, so it never tears or leaves the screen. It is a picture on a screen: nothing sticky, nothing to clean up. With "Less motion" on, it settles faster and wobbles less.
How the sounds are made, with the numbers: how the sounds work.
Last updated
How the blob wobbles
The slime is a ring of forty points around its middle. Each point is tied by an invisible spring to where it belongs in the blob's shape, and to its two neighbours so the skin stays smooth. A finger pulls hardest on the points right under it and gently on the ones further away, which is why the slime stretches into a soft point instead of a sharp spike. When the finger lets go, the springs pull everything back, overshoot a little and settle: that's the wobble.
Ways to play together
- Stretch contest: how far can it stretch before it gets too hard to pull?
- Tug of war: one finger each side, pull at the same time.
- Poke the face: tap near the eyes and watch them jiggle.
- Colour pick: press the round arrow until your favourite colour comes round: green, pink, blue, purple and yellow.
What children try first
Almost every child starts by poking the eyes. Then comes pulling one side out as far as it will go and letting go to see the wobble, and then two hands pulling in opposite directions. Some like to press slowly and watch the dent form; others jab quickly to make it jiggle. All of these are the toy working as intended: there is no right way to play with slime.
Setting it up
The slime is drawn as large as the screen allows and sits in the middle, so it works in either orientation; a tablet gives the most room to stretch. For very small hands, a single finger pulling sideways is the easiest move; older children enjoy using two or three fingers at once to pull it into odd shapes. If the jiggling is too much for anyone, "Less motion" in the settings above makes it settle quickly. The round arrow is a good "new slime" button: each press brings the next colour.
Good to know
The squelch when the slime is grabbed and the bloop when it springs back are made on the device; a bigger stretch gives a bigger bloop. The page only animates while the slime is moving, so a blob at rest uses almost no battery. The eyes follow the finger that is pulling; nothing about the play is kept or sent anywhere. Sound details are on the how the sounds work page.
Questions people ask
Can the slime break or get lost off the screen?
No. It gets harder to pull the further it stretches, and it always springs back to the middle.
Can several children pull at once?
Up to three fingers can hold the slime at the same time.
How do I change the colour?
Press the round arrow at the top: each press brings a fresh blob in the next colour.
Is it the same as the slime games on game sites?
It is simpler on purpose: one blob to squish, no shop, no levels and no ads.
Does it work without sound?
Yes. The slime stretches and wobbles the same with the sound off.
Can I use a keyboard?
Yes. Focus the slime with Tab and press Space or Enter to give it a poke.