Genpets

66

The perfect present for under the tree… These Genpets were designed to create a stir and it seems they did. Check out this site to see how they were advertised, and this site explains how they were really created and why.

“This piece is a mix of design, industry, art and science. The sculpture consists of nineteen plastic packages hung from store hooks displaying streamlined, mass produced Bio-engineered life. The setup is complimented by small video displays, posters, and a product catalogue, which display information and video clips about the products.

Each package consists of custom vacuum formed plastic surrounding a foam latex animatron; Strange animals, grown and altered, by bioengineering, but clearly mammalian. They are twitching, shaking, clawing, and head butting their packaging but twist ties keep them held in place. Feeding tubes supply the creatures with nourishment, as well as electricity for the glowing “fresh strips” and heart monitors. But these are not plastic toys, these are mass produced, copyrighted life; modified for consumption.

These animals have been deemed worthless and marketed as midrange children’s toys. Like curiosities, they are on display but not in glass jars, rather plastic. They are tethered, but for practicality, not for security, and these cables demonstrate their relationship of utter dependency and submission right away upon birth. They are asleep in their packages complacently waiting to join their new homes as one more possession as the latest and greatest form of consumable technology.”

Thanks Zalo


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66 Comments


  1. I saw these little guys at an open house that the Ontario College of Art and Design hosted. As awesome of a statement these li’l guys made, it was just creepy when I walked into the room– attracted by the hospital-like beeps of their individual life-support machines.

    It was pretty fun, though. They’d move every so often and there were different generations [ some were there whose shelf-life had expired 🙁 ]– very lifelike.


  2. This isn’t a year or two old?


  3. lol, I totaly want one! Oh wait, I already have a cat. Same differance. Personally I don’t find this very creepy. The idea of “re-pet” in 6th Day creeps me out way more than this does. They did a really great job on that display, tho.


  4. My god. This is going to change the face of toys. Instead of the toy industry tenatively dipping their feet in the water of life, these guys are half submersed. SuperTamagotchiFetusThing ACTIVATE!


  5. i heard these were a hoax i hope they aernt these little dudes are awsome but are they always on the cord?


  6. Thats so odd yet creepy i never saw 1 up close but the pics says it all wicked stuff!!! @_x


  8. this could be a new revolution in the way kids and grown kids look after and handle their toys creating a caring and sensitive way to life its self the idea comes across as a great one but i cant help feeling like my little dude is sort of dying and the way it is crampd into the packaging seems quastrohobic and painfull to say the least how ever i believe i can see the good in what the creater is trying to achieve over come the obsticles and deal with a nice approach you could well be onto a winner from skitz please chek out my music http://www.skitzo2u.com return the favour


  9. thats disguisting how can de keep livin tings like at… bastards.
    the concept shore as hell looks fake tank god for dat.


  10. Ah nice little guy what a big seller this thing is gona be whether it is true or just Art. But lets look at the truth, do we realy want to give a little thing that someone would fall in love with and after a year, dispose of it and go back to wall mart and get a new one, wouldn’t this teach kids that life is meaningless, love is meaningless lets just trow it away and it will be OK. is that realy what will make our kids care more for their things or just get them used to buying more in the futur, t he list is endless, Lets all Just Think before any of this gets out of hand.
    God save us all


  11. this is fake, a hoax, a fakeout.Most could tell that its fake. I can prove it. (go to web site)


  13. That site you list skittleskater, is merely the artists rendition of the actual product from genpets.com the real version isnt available yet due to not being able to get all the selling rights together. And to jd, yes it might teach some kids something along the lines that life/love is meaningless, but to others it might teach them the reality that death is also a part of life and to cherish all the moments you can have while its around.As for the creature stayin on the tube/cord, i would presume not though not entirely sure.Im sure that the nutrient packets could be fed through some sort of dropper like one would do for a baby squirrel or baby rabbit, therefore defeating the purpose of being continously attached to some tube. has anyone bothered to contact the company to find out more information about the genpet, ya know, before they said its a hoax. so far anyone whos said it was a hoax looked at the artists rendition page before they looked at the real page.


  14. Genpets do not exist. The dude created them as a way of saying there bioengineering might take the world one day…
    Mostly directed at those you didn’t explore and poke through his website.
    http://www.brandejs.ca/portfolio5/gp02.php
    lonewolf: It’s isn’t a rendition, it’s a fact that he created the genpets, they are robots.


  15. think its a hoax checkt wikipedia cause i wanted one


  16. hm. i don’t understand some things.

    after you buy the gen pet can you open the box? i mean.
    i dont understand why after i searched on google for more photos with the genpets i only found official photos. (i was looking for pictures people made after buying the genpet, amateur photos).
    anyways.. im not sure what to think abolut this.


  17. This isn’t real. I wish it was though.


  18. have you guys ever wondered if this could all backfire? If they could get smarter, or would want to kill us in our sleep????!!! Seriously, I think we should stop playing with fire because we might get totally burned!


  19. I read the page one http://www.genpets.com and it is a real thing. yes you can take them out of the packages when you get them and after 20 minutes they will come out of their hibernation stage and recognize the owners face as kind of like its mom and it will recognize you like that for the rest of its life ( one or three years depending on the model ) they also come in different personality’s. but they aren’t for sale just yet but the should be available soon.


  20. These things are totally real. I bought one for my little sister a few months ago. You can take them out of the package and they crawl around and make moaning sounds. My sister liked hers so much I bought one for myself and it makes me tea and sammiches! If you buy one I recommend not feeding it ice cream because it just scoots around and shits everywhere and now it doesn’t want to eat anything else. Overall, a very good product and well worth the money.


  21. AHHH IS SO FRICKING FAKE OMG REALIZE IT BUT I WANT ONE USYT TO BRING TO SCHOOL


  22. I am very interested in learning more and maybe one day purchasing one myself any info please forward. thanks diana


  23. As skittleskater and emu said above the genpets are a fake plz check the artists page in which he explains how he created the actual dolls and the site of Bio-genica: http://www.brandejs.ca/portfolio/Genpets/What
    In any case, the idea of creating a life entity and selling it for commercial reasons is highly unethical, and definetely against all laws of nature, of morallity , of God.


  24. JUST RESEARCHED INTO GENPETS

    some contain HUMAN dna and animal dna… this is a scandal and countries like England ban the reproduction of human DNA. This is so CRUEL and should be BANNED. They ARE LIVING THIBGS not toys and should NOT BE MASS- PRODUCED.


  25. This is the end ill of the word, those things will develop to become bigger,smarter and stronger and they might be used as destroying machines in Iraq and afghanistan.


  26. This is the end of the word, those things will develop to become bigger,smarter and stronger and they might be used as destroying machines in Iraq and afghanistan.


  27. Wael your right, if thses creatures evolve up, what would stop them from invading the earth and using us as slaves or kill us?!
    This are not toys these are creatures who should not exist, besides they look sick and alienish.


  28. At first i was totally freaking out. “this is gross… yet so god damn interesting” and i spent 30 minutes on the internet looking these creepy things up… and thank god they are NOT real. i was so freaked out. the worst bit was when it said they could feel pain… can you imagine all the screwed up little kids out there grabbing the kitchen knife or something sharp and just running it along its skin… just to see what would happen? im so glad they are not real… STOP PLAYING GOD!!!!! And for people my age (17) and older to want them…. what if it was a puppy… YOU SICKOS!!!!!


  29. Genpets are a mixed media installation art piece by artist Adam Brandejs. It is considered a hoax of exposure. The project has been shown in multiple galleries in Canada and Europe and has garnered some attention in the mass media.

    The creations were sculpted, automated creatures made of latex and plastic, and housed robotic circuitry to simulate slow respiration. They looked like small, baldskinned humanoids, and were intended to be displayed as living, but dormant, bioengineered creatures for purchase as pets. The fabricated packaging indicated a purchaser had a choice of colors, for different personalities and levels of activity, and that the creatures had a limited vocal capacity. The sculptures and packaging, along with the professional-appearing hoax website, are so realistic that observers are often fooled.

    In 2006, Genpets were featured on the weblog for The Museum of Hoaxes in San Diego, California. as well as broadcast on BBC news worldwide on a BBC program called ‘click’ as well as the Times (UK), the New York times and G4TechTV.

    All the work was hand done by the artist Adam Brandejs, with assistance from makeup artist Crystal Pallister for the colouring of the creatures. The pictures show the actual 19 genpet units that display at art galleries. Genpets have been displayed at multiple Fine Art galleries and museum displays in both North America and Europe.


  30. So glad it’s not real. Recently a Dutch magazine published it as being real and so it caught my attention and I even dreamt about it; more of a nightmare actually. Now I’m glad I looked further into it and I hope people will get a clue . . .


  31. they will take over the world. give it 3 years


  32. OMG! im still debating wether they are real or not. and if they do ever even go fer sale. i feel like i want to buy one. have fun wit it for a while. and if i have the guts to. disect it after it dies to see if it was all animatronics and wires. or not. ill probably cut a little incision and peek take alot of pictures. and post them on the internet for the world to see~ but freakky….


  33. The gen-pets are FAKE they are made of plastic and have a micro chip in them to make them move alittle…

    FAKE!!!


  34. So well done love fake stuff like this shocking people freaking them out like bonsi kitten… 😉


  35. PLEASE TELL ME THESE ARE REAL…!!!!!!

    To the people who created such cute things I WILL PAY UP FRONT !! How Much do you want? $800 … $1000 please tell me i can have one… if you have response to my message please PLEASE contact me at and reply soon, i’m sure we can figure out a price range…


  36. Maybe It’s be DANGEROUS in future.


  37. Does it walks after few days !!!!!


  38. LOOK THESE ARE ON SALE IN THE UAE AND OTHER PLACES BUT NOT IN THE USA…


  39. NO their not on sale anywhere its a joke, a hoax, a very cloverly done piss take.

    Right i’m off to buy a Bonsi kitten…


  40. It’s fake, but after doing some investigation of the company name it traces back to “iodine & arsenic”, which was wierd because in one of their photos of the genpets in display is actually a photoshopped photo of an actual place in toronto ontario that styles hair.

    http://www.genpets.com/images/Genpets_iodine01.jpg
    above is the genpets on display in the store,

    http://streets.to/assets/recent/iodinearsenic.php
    these are actual photos of a store in downtown toronto called iodine and arsenic.


  41. C’mon people, how can you let yourselves be fooled by it!! do a little research and you’ll know they’re not real, they’re just an experiment to create masive madness… the concept its clever and the marketing thecnique its flawless but they’re just a part of an art work that someone created… I’ll give this guys props for it, who knows, we may be heading that way sooner than we think but not just know… the whole display in Toronto thing was part of the plan as well so the people involved couls see the reaction of the public..


  42. omg!! so der living things..?!? itz kina freakii bt it make me wnt one.. how are dei livin i kno dei gt dna bt i dont undastand how there actualli living?


  43. Omg. How can any of you want one of these? Thats horrible. THEY are horrible. Even if they aren’t real, its still such a disturbing thing to do.

    Its a horrible product and they should never have been made.


  44. Ok so having one of these as a pet would RULE… However it is not real and won’t be for some time, and theres no way they could just begin marketing these anomallies without some huge interaction with media and government, no fears im sure they will be coming out with many things that will stir up alot of feathers soon enough for everyone


  45. OMGFFS you’d think that after 2 years (first post on August 28th, 2006) poeple would realise these are not real and would also stop commenting on either facts that they are really grotesque or that they really want one.


  46. Seriously, do you people read? This is a work of art. They aren’t toys, and you can’t buy them. You’re completely missing the artist’s point. COMPLETELY. Get your heads out of your freaking consumerist asses.


  47. lol you guys are retads, is just art, it might give an idea to he world of creating one but this is not real and hose saying they might take over the world and stuff like that ya need to get of the tv more often


  48. Please, to those who really thinks that Genpets are real, just take a look for the truth, and check the webpage from the artist who made it, Adam Brandejs, and learn why he did it. And please think about… http://www.brandejs.ca/portfolio5/gp04.php And again GENPETS ARE NOT REAL !!!


  49. I think this is so unfair for the genpets if they are a live.. what cruelty is this packing them in a box with 3 air holes.. its a life people.. what the hell is this!!!


  50. And for you people who say is fake I Dare you to buy one and do an autopsy i bet you will find a brain a heart kidney and who knows what else!


  51. ITS ART IT NOT ALIVE YOU CANT BUY ONE AND IF YOU WHERE YOU GET YOUR HANDS ON ONE AND WHERE TOO CUT IT OPEN YOU’LL FIND IT’S RUBBER WITH SOME WIRES MAYBE AN LED AND A BATTERY…


  53. it’s not real


  54. I’m getting as much of a kick out of your reactions as I can imagine the creator of this piece is. It’s really amusing, and at the same time, disturbing to see you all post here. There are a few who realize that this is an excellent statement, those who didn’t check into it and state how horrified/angry they are about this “product,” and those who would embrace such a thing if it ever were mass-marketed. I don’t know whether I hate the human race or truly pity it for being such a silly and lazy group. My brain hurts.


  55. It is amazing that the toy becaomes more and more , and there is no this kind of toys in china.

    I think this toy can help the children lwarning more on themslf.


  56. *BANGS HEAD ON WALL*


  57. You guys are STUPID AS FUK!!! the reason why Adam created Genpets and Genpets.com its to show the world of how IGNORANT people are when it comes down to bioengineering…in AMERICA 80% of the food the people eat its GMO = Genetically Manufactured Organism/Foods.. so i ask.. is it really that HARD TO SEE THE TRUTH..? no its not.. but it is THE PEOPLE’S FAULT for being careless and ignorant on such topic.. right now Mexico.. Canada & Argentina are Suffering from GMO CROPS.. thanks to the MOFO behind it “MONSANTO CORPORATION OF AMERICA” these Tyrans/Animals have created BT corn.. corn GMO with its own PESTICIDE BUILT IN ITS DNA.. and thats what AMERICANS EAT!!! so i ask.. wheres the truth on Cancer cures..or Obesity??? when the same people that Americans Vote for ARE WORKING OR USED TO WORK FOR MONSANTO.. the CHEMICAL COMPANY which now its a FOOD COMPANY.. hahaha get it??? Adam its just trying to show you IMBECILS how bioengineering has messed up OUR WORLD! and how SOON WE WILL ALL ACCEPT AND SEE GENPET LIKE CREATURES BEING SOLD WORLD WIDE FOR.. $$$$$$$$$$$ which its the real truth behind it all.. ohh and lets not FORGET POPULATION CONTROL.. sell the idiots GMO food which Causes Sickness then they go to the same corrupt FDA and buy PILLS PILLS PILLS then get WORST with those POISONs which is what pills are and DIE.. FAST!!! its 2009 theres no cure for cancer.. aids nor anything else… JUST TREATMENTS and GMO Foods, Growth Hormones and plenty of other GMO SHIT.welcome to REALITY ZOMBIES die happy. keep eating MONSANTO’S GMO’S! REMEMBER 80% of the Food Supply in USA its already GMO in 2009.

    care to fight??? WATCH ON GOOGLE VIDEO:

    “CODEX ALIMENTARIOUS TAKING PLACE IN DEC 31ST 2009”

    “THE FUTURE OF FOOD”

    “Fox News Kills Monsanto Milk Story”

    “MONSANTO PATENT FOR A PIG”

    “CONTROLLING OUR FOOD”

    “THE WORLD ACCORDING MONSANTO”

    “A SILENT FOREST”

    GOOD LUCK ZOMBIES!!! SAVE YOURSELVES!!


  58. Manuel, you’re right. I’ve given up on preaching to people, though. Most people either don’t care or don’t have the means to spend extra money on non-GMO groceries these days. And it’s not as if they’re easy to identify, either. Grassroots education is great in theory, but without some serious collective action with a well-funded (and, unfortunately, inherently corrupt) financial backing, good luck chipping away at Monsanto.
    It’s not as if the people can boycott their products, can they? Think long and hard before you fire away an angry post claiming that it’s likely. The populous mindset just isn’t there. Education works to a point, but still leaves most of those who do the research and see the light looking like a group of madmen. The problem MUST be attacked from the top-down, and unless a major political force comes after it, you’re pissing in the wind. If you really want this to change, get some financial backing and some strong political ties. Lobby, lobby, lobby. Repeat. That’s how the system works in the US. Not that that’s a good thing.


  59. gen pets are most definitely real and i think its a tragedy for them to be creating life that lives in plastic to be taken into the hands of any freak that chooses to…living creatures being created with a ‘shelf life’ WTF…..i can’t believe its happening.. please don’t support this.. these little creatures have been given ‘brains’, they bleed when cut! i think this is about the most inhumane thing i have ever seen…….
    look for yourself http://www.genpets.com/index.php


  60. Words cannot describe the stupidity of that post. Has it ever occurred to you that the website is part of the ART INSTALLATION, you moron?

    Oh, wait… It’s on a website. It MUST be real! My mistake.

    Never mind the fact that there are no concrete ways provided on the website to obtain one of these “real” “living creatures.”

    Art, moron.


  61. wow..ok… No it did not occur to me.
    I should have researched (despite the fact that i do not have countless hours to spend on forums).
    You are quite right though your manner is poor.
    Whatever would I do without the people that live in front of their computer day and night correcting me in forums in a most rude manner..
    Thankfully we have people like you who have nothing better to do with themselves. 🙂 btw in hating the human race you are only hating yourself…and pity?.. grow up


  62. That’s an idea… Or you could read.

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