Well, I don't know how we found out there was GHB in the old ones but can't someone just do what ever they did again? Seems that would pretty much put any fears to rest.

Bummer ... no more high while I'm cleaning up the kids toys and sucking on an Aquadot :-(

AFAIR, Some kid kept getting sick/etc from ingesting aquadots and his doctor found GHB in his system.

I would think that just testing them would be the logical thing to do.

These are probably laced with LSD instead. ;0

Honestly this looks like the worst toy imaginable. Even an Etch-A-Sketch would provide more amusement value than this.

@YourTechSupport: Well, maybe the company could pay that kid like fifty bucks to eat a bunch of Pixos and see what happens.

Gotta do what you gotta do to clear your name. :)

Hey - I've got an idea and it solves this GHB problem and the lead problem in one fell swoop. Wait for it...don't let your kids put stuff in their mouths that shouldn't go in their mouths!

Some kids are just stupid, you know?

"The Australian company responsible for the toy, Moose Enterprises.."

There are Meese in Australia?

@PhoenixMI: I'm guessing you don't have children. I don't either, but I've had a psych class, so I'm dangerous. Children go through an oral obsession phase, according to psychological theory going back to Freud, and some get stuck there, such as alcoholics and overeaters. Others get stuck in another stage, which includes a "retentive" variation.

Plainly said, kids put things in their mouths, so stick it up your... compedium of knowledge for future reference.

Rebranding is not just good for the company, it helps prevent the sort of concerns we shared here in 2007 over Magnetix: Recalled sets still available in retail stores, and who knows about secondary markets from TJX Corp stores to eBay to yard sales. Magnetix are still sold on the primary market, just with better labeling (IIRC; please correct me if design improvements were made). "All Aquadots are bad" is a much simpler rule of thumb for parents.

That is said under the assumption that Pixos do not have the same problem. If they do -- knowingly or through negligence -- there is a special place in hell for their marketers.

As a parent of two young children I'm not taking chances with Pixos when they clearly look exactly the same.

@SaveMeJeebus - I advise you to ask your parents if as a child between the ages of 6 months to 5 years if you put things in your mouth. Children who are teething are even more likely to put objects in their mouth to sooth the pain and/or chew.

So, AquaDots went to rehab and came back as Pixos? And the new name means that there won't be a relapse, eh?

VOOOORRRMMM----VOOOORRRMMM----VOOOORRRMMM----P-I-X-O-S----VOOOORRRMMM----VOOOORRRMMM----VOOOORRRMMM----whoh... trippy

@bobpence:

Ugh, Freud.
You don't need a psych theory to figure it out. Your gums, teeth and tongue are very sensitive. Lightly bite your finger and then lightly bite your tongue using the same pressure. Kids stick things in their mouth when they're young so they can feel them. Really small children and babies have a whole mouth full of gums to explore the way things feel beyond what their hands can do. Also, it feels relaxing to chew and suck on things sometimes, especially if you're teething or growing new teeth. Sometimes I chew on pencils and stuff because the pressure against my teeth feels nice, not because I'm stuck in developmental limbo.

@Katxyz: Actually, now that you mention it, my gums are ticklish.

@PhoenixMI: Whatever, dude. Kids put stuff in their mouth no matter how well you supervise them. It's part of growing up.
As a parent and a consumer, I shouldn't have to worry that my child's toys are laced with deadly chemicals.

I guess im lucky. As a child I never put things in my mouth, at least not past the teething age when it was expected and my now 8 year old Son has never really put anything in his either.

From a business standpoint it makes plenty of sense. If you google for Aquadots you would find the company's page and a ton of stories about the GHB...probably not good for business.

As long as they've fixed the problem, I see nothing wrong with them doing this. It would be marketing suicide to NOT do it.

@homerjay: Kids swallowed them and fell into comas. Any volunteers? =D

@everyone: FWIW, it wasn't GHB (gamma hydroxybutanol) but rather 1,4-butanediol (GBL). GBL is a common solvent in many plastics and when consumed, behaves nearly identically to GHB and in fact, is partially converted to GHB. The difference is largely academic but it just so happens that chemistry was my chosen field in academia. And I did have some friends that liked to swipe GBL from the labs and drink it. GBL and GHB both behave very similarly to alcohol although the intoxicating effects, from what I've been told, are stronger and longer lasting than with alcohol and the hangover is often less severe. However, the dosages are also much lower which is why it has gathered the 'date rape drug' infamy. With just a few mL spiked into a drink, heavy intoxication and often even sedation can be achieved. And just in case anyone is wondering, no, I wouldn't touch the stuff. I like my booze and the ability to control my buzz as the night progresses. Not to mention that the lab stuff they would take was not fit for consumption (many organic solvents have other organics and heavy metal catalysts left over in amounts that probably wouldn't affect a lab synthesis but could very well lead to both long and short term health effects. Now pharma grade ethanol, that's where it's at. =D)

@bobpence: Are you telling us you believe in oral fixation?

Funny to think that the original toy had actually won some awards for innovation in children's toys... I'll say.

@dry-roasted-peanuts: MOOSEN! A flock of MOOSEN!

@tweemo: My point is that kids put things in their mouths; whether getting "stuck" in that stage, e.g. having an oral fixation, leads to overeating, alcoholism, and "biting" sarcasm, I'll leave to psychology majors. They should have time for it now that the Starbucks they work at is shutting down.

The horrible commercial man on the website says "Pixos are Tested! for SAFETY!!" He said it like that, with the caps and exclamation points.

Reiterating: NOT GHB in Aquadots. Never was.

During the commercial running on Disney channel, they also proudly proclaim that "Pixos are Tested! for SAFETY!" LOL.

@PhoenixMI:

Spoken like a person who clearly has no children.

@BytheSea: More like "4 SAFETY!!!!!!111onoeneonetwo"

Question...since when did Disney Channel starting airing commercials?

Of COURSE Moose Enterprises no longer laces their children's toys with GHB. That would be immoral and wrong.
The new toy is laced with Ketamine.

@PhoenixMi, I've got an even BETTER idea. If you're a toy company that's making toys for children - who, you know, tend to put stuff in their mouths - don't lace them with toxic chemicals!

Drugs or not: Aquadots really did not work well. The little balls do not stick together well, do not dry in any kind of uniform manner, and goop winds up on your fingers. Lamest unsafe toy ever.