Instant Fish

They weren't really fish, but 'Instant Tiny Crustaceous Plankton Used for Live Food in Aquariums' isn't as catchy a title.

Harold Von Braunhut first unveiled his Instant Life in the USA in 1960. For 49 cents you could buy a kit that included water clarifier, nutrient and shrimp powder. Just add water and the powder would magically come to life.

By 1962 the Instant Fish (otherwise known as Sea Monkeys) were starting to make their way across the Atlantic, not by swimming as was traditionally the case, but in people's hand luggage.

Sea Monkeys were usually sold with accessories, the first being a mini-aquarium with built-in magnifying lenses and textured sea-floor. In 1974 the Deluxe Sea Monkey Speedway was released, in which you could race Sea Monkeys through plastic tubes.