"I am Mr. Bucket; put your balls in my mouth…"
Do you remember this Mr. Bucket toy commercial from back in the 90s? I think this is the longest and most resilient surviving toy. He was hated and loved in equal measures. Playing this game was a total workout for the entire family. I remember we could run around the house chasing blue, green, and yellow balls coming out of Mr. Bucket’s mouth.
This was among the most underrated toys of the 90s from the creators of Jumping Jack, Shark Bite, Doggie Doo, Catch the Fox, and Pop the Pig.
Are you ready to take a walk back the memory lane to the 90s when Mr. Bucket was all new and exciting?
We would throw the colored balls into Mr. Bucket’s head who tried to block with his hands. Mr. Bucket would whirl randomly around the floor and spin while spitting the balls all over. He would spit the balls from his mouth. This was a fun game that brought together all the family members. Plus, it was a good one at the time because it involved a lot of physical exercises.
Looking back at the history of Mr Bucket and why it was so famous back then.
The original Mr. Bucket was a tabletop game that doubled up as a toy. It was published in 1990 by Milton Bradley but was later discontinued. Later on, in 2007, it was rereleased. Only to be discontinued and re-released again in 2017. Mr. Bucket has been through a fair share of challenges along the way since his first release in 1990.
The game is made up of a motorized plastic bucket that spits various balls out of his mouth. Players use plastic pads to pick up the balls and drop them inside Mr. Bucket’s head. His hand will continuously be moving over his head to block the balls from entering the bucket easily.
How to play Mr. Bucket game.
The gameplay was a little more physical and involved a lot of running around the floor, trying to scoop your ball with the plastic shovels.
- The goal of the game is to put all the balls inside Mr. Bucket before he spits them out of his mouth. The plastic balls came in four colors; Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red.
- The balls will be first spread on the floor to set-up the game.
- Every player selects a shovel that matches the color of the ball to pick.
- One player turns on Mr. Bucket to start the game.
- When Mr. Bucket has been triggered, players can scoop the balls that match the shovel's color and drop them into Mr. Bucket’s head.
- When the players pick the balls, Mr. Bucket will spit the balls that are inside his mouth.
- The winner of the game will be the person who will get all the colors of his or her balls into Mr. Bucket before he spits them out again.
The controversies surrounding Mr. Bucket game
Mr. Bucket became famous back in the 90s, which came with its fair share of criticism. The slogans used to describe the game were thought to be offensive. For example, “Balls pop out of my mouth,” is a controversial statement and humorous at the same time. This is because the male genitalia is also referred to as balls. Therefore, critics of the game thought that the reference to balls was a little offensive.
Why Mr. Bucket is good for kid’s health
Despite the controversies surrounding Mr. Bucket, it was named by OA Therapy Associates (a sensory problems treatment clinics) as one of the toys that can assist in hand-eye coordination. The game was highly recommended for kids, as it would keep them active and running around.
This was my favorite nostalgic toy back in the days. And I am glad that the toy made a comeback recently and has been received well. Despite the intense bashing from some parents, I still believe this is a good toy for a family fun time.
With the stay-at-home pandemic situation, such indoor games are most recommended. I am considering repurchasing it to appease my nostalgia gods and to show Gen Z how we used to spend our time back in the 90s when playing games meant physical games and not virtual electronic display screens that have dominated the gaming industry nowadays.
The Comeback of Mr. Bucket.
Mr. Bucket may not have been received well by all sundry, but it remains one of the toys that has stood the taste of time. My childhood favorite has made several comebacks for entertaining the new generation of kids.
The concept and gameplay has remained pretty much the same from the original 90s version. But the design of the bucket, shovel, and the mechanism of the bucket’s electronic system has seen some huge design upgrades.
The new Mr. Buckets are much smoother, and his random moves have been increased, and it is totally unpredictable compared to the initial release of the 90s. The game has also evolved to include some additional sounds, which makes it even fun to play.
As Christmas is almost here, this is a perfect gift for your kids. Not only will it improve their motor and response, but it will also keep them physically fit as they will have to run around collecting the balls.
Best fit for the long winter days.
Mr. Bucket is an ideal game for the long winter days when it is very cold to play outside. Plus, you can burn some steam playing this game indoors. It encourages kids to get up and move around! They will have to quickly chase the balls across the floor as the bucket spits them out.
I would laugh at my siblings as we played the game with my dad and mum. It was very funny to see them struggle to scoop their balls off the floor with little or no success. It is a game that is simple enough for the youngest player, but it is still difficult even for the adults.
Some toys become junk soon after you buy them, but Mr. Bucket was among the few unique toys that could stand the taste of time and still entertain you years down the line. All you have to do was to put batteries (life) on it and turn it own. This yellow bucket would move around, spiting the balls all over the floor in a fun manner.
Mr. Bucket is an easy to assemble game, all you need to do is to pop him out of the package, insert batteries, and he is good to go. Even a 7-year-old kid can assemble the game effortlessly. The only thing that the players should watch out for is the quality of the floor surface. Mr. Bucket works best on a perfectly flat surface.
Mr. Bucket Commercials.
One thing that stood out about Mr. Bucket's toys is the commercials. The creatives team at the toy manufacturer would come up with catchy, memorable, and sometimes very controversial TV commercials.
This particular commercial spurred controversies in the 90s that they had to change the words. I remember when I was a kid, anytime this commercial would come on TV around Christmas, I would go to the Christmas tree and ask Santa to bring Mr. Bucket with him.
The Pros and Cons of Mr. Bucket
Mr. Bucket became so popular in the early to mid-90s. The company made millions in sales of the toy. Mr. Bucket had his good and not so good characteristic.
Here are some of them
PROS.
- The game encouraged kids to exercise by running around chasing the balls.
- Improved the hand-eye coordination for kids.
- Good for indoor games
- The best toy for the entire family to enjoy irrespective of age.
- Its design was safe for kids.
- It comes packed in pieces and can be easily assembled.
Mr. Bucket did not lack some downside.
- Required a bigger space with a well-finished floor to play.
- The body was made of plastic and would sometimes break when it falls In the hands of really rough kids.
- When Mr. Bucket hits an obstacle, you are forced to push it manually to continue playing because he could not move in reverse.
- Cannot play on carpeted floors.
- The arms would sometimes fall off.
- Unsuitable for old guys who cannot bend or pick the balls under furniture.
- It uses three double AA batteries that drain very fast on extended play.
Final Thought
Mr. Bucket remains one of the best toys that you excercies almost all the muscles in your body. This is a good toy for kids to play indoors. Hand – eye cordination is a critical component in a kid’s developemnt, and Mr Bucket was the best at training kids on that.
Did you get a chance to play this gaem? How was it?
