Just like Kylie Jenner's ass and Salt Bae memes, I can't get away from slime videos on Instagram.
Everytime I open my Explore page I'm met with videos of teens unwrapping, poking, squishing, pulling and prodding homemade slime. It took only one look at blue cotton candy goo to get me hooked and the next thing I knew I was following every account I could find, feeling the tension exit my body as I watched people pull apart foam-filled crackling slime.
The trend started over the summer in Thailand, when teens began posting video tutorials on how to make the stuff by mixing water, food colouring, glue and borax powder (a chemical used to kill cockroaches). The result, reminiscent of 90s toys like Creepy Crawlers and Nickelodeon Gak was then played with on camera, often adding extra ingredients like foam and glitter to give it a satisfying crunch. The results are strangely euphoric to watch, and the best slime videos feature sounds and visuals that can trigger Autonomous Sensory Meridian Responses (ASMR), a tingling sensation that starts on the scalp and moves down the spine.
Today, some of the more "slime famous" accounts have followers in the hundreds of thousands. Kids as young as 13 sell their products through e-commerce websites like Etsy and Mercari, receiving dozens of daily orders and raking in hundreds of dollars a week. People's love of goo is helping young entrepreneurs across the world pay for gas, contact lenses and college tuition. I love social media.
Thankfully, for the sake of our entertainment, the slime community isn't without it's weirdos and overzealous fans. The average comment on a slime or foam video ranges from "living for the crunch" and "imma fkn BUST A NUT." Nice nails and hands are one of the most important features of a good slime video and can cause fans to beg for "face reveals." Accounts dedicated to calling out drama and flaws within the slime community recently sprung up, and users have been known to beef over the names and credits of certain slimes. There's still a debate as to whether or not slime has a sexual connotation—some people I showed videos to expressed arousal, not relaxation.
I wanted to find out why we love to watch people touch goo, so I reached out to some of Instagram's most popular slime accounts.
Alyssa J., @craftyslimecreator, 157K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Alyssa: I am from Ontario, Canada and I am in high school.
What is it about these accounts that people find so satisfying?
There are many reasons why I believe that people find these videos satisfying, one of them being "autonomous sensory meridian response" or ASMR. I am not an expert, but these videos help to calm people and help with anxiety. Crunchy floam, bubbly slime, glossy slime, all different slimes have different sounds that people enjoy. Also, a lot of videos can be visually appealing, for me nothing is more satisfying than mixing colouring or pigments into slime. I love seeing the final product and I think other people do as well.
What's the weirdest comment you can remember receiving on one of your videos?
One thing I find strange is when people comment on my breathing because I have to breathe. Another thing that I find strange is when people make inappropriate, sexual, non-PG rated comments about the sound of slime.
Prim, @sparklygoo, 75.7K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Prim: I'm from Vancouver, Canada. I'm 22.
When did you notice the trend beginning?
I came across a slime video that's owned by a Thai slime account. I was fascinated by the way they look, I wanted to make purchases but I couldn't find them in the store anywhere not even online so I decided to try to make them as an art project over the summer. Thailand started this trend long before people of North America, they're the true trendsetter there's no doubt about that. I started to see the trend in North America since an art account @lovewatts started reposting these thai slime videos.
Where do you see your slime account going?
I am a huge supporter of any form of creativity, I have little kids messaging me they started making slime because they were inspired by my videos, knowing this is absolutely makes me happy. For this reason, I'm in the process of setting up a website dedicated to slime related things and my products along with tutorial videos to provide a platform for those who eager to make their own.
Theresa Nguyen, @rad.slime, 144K followers
VICE: How old are you?
Theresa: I'm 13.
How much slime do you have at your house right now?
I have about 50 different kinds.
What is the average price of your slime and how many orders do you receive?
A 4 oz is roughly $6.50 and an 8 oz is roughly $13. I normally restock on Saturdays with about 30-50 slimes and I make about $300-400 each time.
Are your parents aware of your account and what do they think of it?
Yes, my parents are highly aware of it. They think is a good thing that I sell slime. This money is going to help me pay for college.
Have you ever been in an argument with another slime creator?
Yes, but it was private and lowkey. There is an account called @slimeconfessions or something like that, that disrupts the community and creates lots of drama.
Desire Colio, @slimeclouds, 48.2K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Desire: I am from San Diego, California and I'm 23 years old.
What is it about slime accounts that people find so satisfying?
For me, at least, it is the sounds and the softness of the material that makes it so satisfying. It is like a much better version of a stress ball. It helps you with nerves, anxiety, stress, etc., and it is so calming and relaxing as well.
Do you think there's real money in slime?
I wouldn't call this a stable job, it's just a way to bring more money in especially
for me since I am a broke college student and this really does help me out with bills and
necessities at the moment.
What exactly do your slime sales cover in your budget?
Mainly my car insurance, gas, and car repairs. Basically I mostly use it for my car. But I also use it to pay off my contact lenses and then of course little things like food, entertainment, etc. But very little at a time, I don't make that much a week so I have to keep track of it.
Casey Duke, @fruityslimefactory, 18.3K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Casey: I'm from Florida and I'm 14-years-old.
You call yourself the "creator of pop rocks slime", what is that?
Pop rocks slime is clear slime with little blue fish pebbles inside to make a pop rocks sort of crunch.
Do you get any sort of extra recognition for inventing a slime?
If you start a trend in slime, such as 'fishbowl' created by @anathemaslime, you will get a lot more followers. She became slime famous over that.
Is it weird to be known for making slime?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Some people think it's really cool, but other times when I say I have a slime account, it's kind of embarrassing. I mean I am playing with glue and borax hahah.
Aristotle K, @spiffyslimes, 74.4K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Aristotle: I'm from a small town in Wisconsin and I'm 18 years old.
Why did you start making slime?
I began making slime as a way to relieve stress. I was in a really rough place with school, money, housing situations, family stuff, and for some reason out of all the things to latch onto for coping, I chose slime.
I noticed "slime review" and "slime fan pages", do you have any crazy fans?
No crazy fans. Although, I do get a ton of compliments about my hands and there is an overwhelming amount of people pressuring me to do a face reveal.
Will you do it?
I do have a private personal account where I post very few pictures of my face. I let people know what that username is and moderate who I let follow me. As of now I'm a bit uncomfortable with sharing my face directly to 85,000+ followers. Perhaps someday in the future I will do a more proper face reveal, but for the months ahead of me, I don't see myself doing that.
Do you think there's a sexual element or one of physical attraction in slime?
I think the vast majority of the compliments I receive don't come from a place of sexual attraction. Although, I have received blatantly sexual direct messages from one anonymous user recently. But I'm pretty certain they were just a troll. Either way, I take them as compliments and don't mind too much.
Conor McKeirnan, @theslimeyshop, 158K follower
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Conor: I am from Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania and I just turned 15 years old.
Describe the slime community.
The slime community is a pretty chill and low key super popular trend that is constantly growing. It's such a big community in fact, there are "slime drama" accounts or "slime confession" accounts that post drama about slime accounts. Most of the slime community is chill though.
What's the weirdest thing you've seen go down within the community?
I think the weirdest thing that I've ever seen go down with the slime community is when there are arguments over who made up this type of slime first or if the person should give credits to the "creator" or not. I personally don't really care because it's slime but it happens all the time.
Ryan Joseph, @SlimeCaptain, 75K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Ryan: I am from a small town in New Jersey and I'm 16.
Why did you start making slime?
I started making slime because I wanted to provide people with the same excitement and interest that I felt when I first fell in love with slime videos. As you watch slime videos, you become more relaxed and a lot of stress is released through the satisfying auditory sounds. Slime serves as a calming method that aids many in coping with the stresses of life, even if you only get to see a 60 second video.
Do you think there's real money in slime?
Absolutely. I've made a large amount of profit in a short period of time that sprouted from selling my slime. Each month I donate half of my profits to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, as Cancer has been present in my family. With an abundance of money, it is my responsibility to spread some good in the world and set an example for many.
Kaitlinh Nguyen, @SlimeSherbet, 69.2K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Kaitlinh: I'm originally from Texas, but now live in the East Coast. I am 13.
How much money have you made so far?
I'm not sure the exact amount but it's somewhere over $1,000.
Do you have any crazy fans?
Yep. There are definitely some out there that beg me for my phone number and ask for my address.
Bella, @theslimenation, 92.6K followers
VICE: Where are you from and how old are you?
Bella: I'm 14 and I'm from the US.
How much slime do you have right now?
I currently have around 600 ounces of slime made that I'm getting ready to sell.
What is the average price of your slime and how many orders do you receive?
My average prices for slime depend on the number of ounces. The biggest size of slime I offer is eight ounce which I would normally sell for around $10. The number of orders I receive would depend on how many and how often I Restock my slime, but if i were to guess I'd say anywhere from 100-300 orders monthly.
What's the weirdest thing you've seen go down in the slime community?
There are a lot of weird things that go down in the slime community. A few examples would be people poking slime with their toes, adding food or grass to slime, or making drama pages "exposing" slime creators.
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