Squirmle on:
[Wikipedia]
[Google]
[Amazon]
Squirmles (also known as Snoots, Magic Twisty Worms, Wiggle Worms, or Worm on a String) are small, 
The original toy came in the colors pink, orange, blue, yellow, green, and purple. Later, new colors were made available, such as red, navy, black, white, and multicolored. There are many more colors now, and packages of 100 or 200 of these worms are available.
In late 2019, Squirmles rose in popularity as an Internet
Squirmles have gained a second life as a material used in
Squirmles (also known as Snoots, Magic Twisty Worms, Wiggle Worms, or Worm on a String) are small, worm
Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always).
Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete wor ...
-like toys
A toy or plaything is an object that is used primarily to provide entertainment. Simple examples include toy blocks, board games, and dolls. Toys are often designed for use by children, although many are designed specifically for adults and pet ...
with eyes, a furry body, and a hidden string used to imitate a live worm, sometimes used as a magic trick. A popular toy released in the mid 1970s by the Illfelder Importing Company
Illfelder Importing Company (formerly Berolzheimer, Illfelder & Co.), was an American toy company, founded in 1856, that created toys like "Squirmles" and "Good Time Charlie".{{Cite web, url=https://www.14to42.net/23street2.html, title=14 to 42 ...
, Squirmles come in a variety of colors and are measured at . They are typically found in discount stores in the United States. In 2017 they began being referred to mainly as "Worm on a String", and in 2020 as "wormies" or simply "worms".
The original toy came in the colors pink, orange, blue, yellow, green, and purple. Later, new colors were made available, such as red, navy, black, white, and multicolored. There are many more colors now, and packages of 100 or 200 of these worms are available.
In late 2019, Squirmles rose in popularity as an Internet meme
A meme ( ) is an idea, behavior, or style that spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural i ...
under the name of “Worm On A String". Often popular on websites such as Tumblr
Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
, Amino
In chemistry, amines (, ) are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia (), wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent s ...
, Pinterest
Pinterest is an American image sharing and social media service designed to enable saving and discovery of information (specifically "ideas") on the internet using images, and on a smaller scale, animated GIFs and videos, in the form of pinboard ...
, TikTok
TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes.
TikTok is an international version ...
, and Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, they have been used in art projects such as jackets, door beads, and earrings. Some multicolored versions consist of colors found on pride flags.
Use in fly fishing
Squirmles have gained a second life as a material used in fly fishing
Fly fishing is an angling method that uses a light-weight lure—called an artificial fly—to catch fish. The fly is cast using a fly rod, reel, and specialized weighted line. The light weight requires casting techniques significantly diffe ...
. Re-branded as "Dragon Tails," they can be tied onto a hook and the same properties which made them appear like live worms on land, make them appear lifelike to fish as well.
See also
*Googly eyes
Googly eyes, or wiggle eyes, are small plastic crafting items used to imitate eyeballs. Googly eyes traditionally are composed of a white plastic or card backing covered by a clear, hard-plastic shell, encapsulating a black plastic disk. The comb ...
* Weepul
The weepul (also known as a weeple, wuppie, or ) is a small, spherical, fluffy toy, with large, plastic googly eyes, and no limbs. come in various colors. Usually possess antennae and also large paper feet, with an adhesive layer on the bottom, ...
References
1970s toys Stuffed toys Novelty items {{toy-stub