GIANTmicrobes Plush Anabaena Algae

I own about fifteen of the GIANT MICROBES plush toys. My favorites include Listeria, Bedbug, Penicillium, Chicken Pox, and E. coli. Truly, these are lovable objects. I have 15 years of laboratory experience in microbiology, and have published my experiments on E. coli. S. typhimurium, P. cerevisiae, Pseudomonas sp., L. casei, and S. fecalis. My laboratory work with various species of bacteria has enhanced my appreciation of the GIANT MICROBES product line. However, the GIANT MICROBES Algae plush toy is too small, when compared to the other GIANT MICROBES plush toys. Algae has the potential to be loveable, but it is simply too small.

As the other reviews have said, this item may be a bit smaller than you might expect - it measures about 7.5" long and the smaller green "cells" are about 1.5" in diameter; the larger gray "cell" is about 2.25" in diameter. Each "cell" is roughly spherical and they are all sewn together. They are stuffed with a material that is more dense than your standard stuffed animal, but these are meant to be more for display than for snuggling so I am totally fine with that. This thing is adorable! I love me some algae and Anabaena is one of my favorites, so looking up and seeing this happy little guy sitting on the shelf looking back at me makes my workspace at least 85% more tolerable. I do hope they make a larger version of this item, and a GIGANTICmicrobes version would be awesome! I definitely recommend this item to someone who would "get" it.

Bought this and 2 other "giant microbes" for myself. I find them amusing, cute, unique, etc - and are good for the fun/playful side of me as well as the science-lover side. Wish I had a place (and the room) to really display them - I'd definitely buy more. Could make great gifts for scientists, doctors, etc. - and may also be fun-yet-educational tools for teachers/kids.

Our whole family adores these GIANTmicrobes, and this one is no exception. My son, five years old, collects them and it has really sparked his interest in learning about microbes. Algae has taken many field trips with my son. :)

This giant microbe is the favorite of both my son and myself from the giant microbes line. It is definitely the cutest in our opinion. We love it. Not suitable for younger children as it is a bit fragile and wouldn't be able to take a beating from a toddler. Product specifies not for use in children under three, but I would restrict this purchase to those who can take good care of their things. Be aware that it is smaller than it appears on the website but it is definitely cuter as well. As with all of the giant microbes products, the informational tag is very educational and readable.

Geeky daughter who is working in lab counting algae absolutely LOVES this thing. It's specific to a particular kind of nerd but it was her favorite holiday gift and will go back to the lab at school laughing all the way.

The stuffy was apart new in packaging

These are great prizes for science fairs or any class related project. I gave them to the top three place finishers in the New York State Science Olympiad "Microbe Mission" event. Both the MS and HS division winners loved them equally with the HS kids possibly more so.