Giant Microbes: Cute Plush Toys of Deadly Diseases

By Alex in Health, Toys on Apr 13, 2009 at 1:54 pm

A few years ago, Drew Oliver got a Eureka moment. He was reading a memoir by scientist Richard Feynman. In it, the physicist wrote about being amazed looking at a water droplet through a microscope to see a microbe swimming about. This gave Drew a multimillion dollar business idea: a line of plushy germs for the scientifically-minded.

With the help of his brother, Drew launched Giant Microbes, which makes dozens of cute plush dolls of germs that cause some of life's most miserable diseases like ebola, HIV, flesh eating bacteria, ... and yes, even STDs!

We've recently gotten our shipments of Giant Microbes, so if there's someone close to your heart that could use a little herpes, mad cow, or even the black plague, here's your chance: Link


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  1. nickolas_warner
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 2:29 pm

    Oh god, I typed in herpes virus to google images to see if they were accurate and I got far more than I barganed for… Cool products though!

  2. Jezebel
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm

    I myself sleep with Ebola every night.

    I also owe the plague and the common cold. It’s a great treat around winter to leave it places and go ‘OH GOD! COLD GERMS!’

    I’d really love to get my hands on a flesh eating ‘lil bugger, however :D

  3. Ajan
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 3:03 pm

    hehehe!! Nice toys for scienctists’ kids..
    Do they make sounds?

  4. Bonehead108
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

    My university sells these in the student store; I myself am the proud owner of a fat cell. I got it mostly so I could throw it at people and yell, “YOU GOT FAT!”

  5. starfrog32
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 4:31 pm

    My friend gave me a flesh eating bacteria last summer. I keep it on my computer desk, to laugh at and to throw to unsuspecting guests. I love their reactions when I tell them what it is.

  6. Evilbeagle
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

    These are cute in a very strange way. Definitely my sort of weird.

  7. Tempscire
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 6:35 pm

    I got Ebola off the ground in the alley behind my apartment. The year before that I gave my boyfriend Syphilis. :)

    Ajan, nope, no sounds.

  8. Beezy
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    I gave my mom the common cold for Christmas.

  9. Joyous
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 7:54 pm

    I love the flesh-eating bacteria. It comes with a little knife and fork.

  10. Essie
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 9:17 pm

    I’ve been sick with mono and my cousin was telling me about these, I impulsed bought the “kissing disease/mono” one a few days ago off ebay.. so excited it was featured here!

  11. Kelsey
    Apr 13th, 2009 at 10:13 pm

    My teacher has about 20 of these hanging from the ceiling in her classroom, currently i have the pleasure of sitting under the bed bug.
    http://www.giantmicrobes.com/us/files/images/productdetails/bed-bug.jp g
    isn’t he cute?!

  12. CelticCatEyes
    Apr 14th, 2009 at 12:32 am

    I have a cute little Polio on my bookshelf. They had a booth at Comic Con, so I bought a bunch for family and friends! I remember them selling out at the convention too…

  13. JamesM
    Apr 14th, 2009 at 12:44 am

    http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/6708/

    ThinkGeek has been selling these for quite some time. Could never bring myself to, uhm… find disease calling bugs cuddly, though.

  14. Kalel
    Apr 14th, 2009 at 11:31 am

    Talk about viral marketing!

  15. nihil
    Apr 14th, 2009 at 8:08 pm

    I love these things!

    My husband (friend at the time) got me the mono plush because I was so sick with mono. Although, the plush version is cute the real thing is awful. I don’t think I really ever got compltely over it to be honest. He also got me the flesh eating bacteria for some reason.

    He got the flu plush so he can go around touching people with it giving them a “touch of the flu.”

    We’re both computer techs (geeks) joke giving people viruses in plush form for fun.

  16. chudez
    Apr 14th, 2009 at 11:17 pm

    is it wrong that i find the Flesh Eating Bacteria a little bit cute?

  17. Sid Morrison
    Apr 15th, 2009 at 8:40 am

    I got “Common Cold” for our 2 year old a while ago and he really likes it. It’s named “Ah-choo”

  18. HurlGurl101
    Nov 19th, 2009 at 3:07 pm

    i really want he swine flu SO CUTE XD!!!

  19. junuhtunuh
    Dec 4th, 2010 at 8:32 pm

    My co-worker Wendy gave me Chlamydia the other day to cheer me up…I’m STILL laughing.

    Went to the website, and want to give everyone I know one of these microbes, especially ones like “Bad Breath”


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