Way Back WhensDay: Astrosniks

Just a few Astrosniks

By Kevin Hunsperger
@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents

Regular readers of this blog know of my obsession with the Smurfs.  About a year or so after the little blue guys made their debut here in the United States, McDonald's Happy Meals started featuring a similar creature.  They were little green martians called Astrosniks.

The green guys wore purple suits, and just like the Smurfs, each had its own personality and subsequent name.  I remember collecting many of them as a child and having them interact with my Smurfs (and California Raisins from Hardee's).  However, unlike my Smurfs, I somehow let the 'Sniks get away.  To this day I have no idea what happened to the collectible little toys.

Not Smurfs, but international Astorsniks
Photo from: figuritasdesergio.blogspot.com

Even though we here in the USA only saw Astrosniks with the Happy Meals, the toys date back to the 1970's and started in Germany.  According to my research, that line of Astrosniks were different colors than the green ones we had here.  Although I remember a gold colored robot Astrosnik and a female one, as well as a dragon that was presumably the little aliens' pet.

I don't know that Astrosniks ever developed into anything more than those little plastic figures.  Maybe the public wasn't ready for something to compete with the Smurfs, Snorks, and other out of this world creatures.  Or perhaps, the company that created the Sniks (Bullyland) had no desire to take them beyond the toy.  Regardless, these little green toys had a big impact on my childhood as I'm sure many of you remember playing with the Astrosniks too.