Gunge

Gunge as it is known in the U.K., or slime as it is known in the United States and most English-speaking areas of the world, is a thick, gooey, yet runny substance with a consistency somewhere between that of paint and custard. It has been a feature on many children's programmes for many years around the world and has made appearances in game shows as well as other programming. While gunge mostly appears on television, it can also be used as a fundraising tool for charities, youth and religious groups. Gunge tanks have appeared at nightclubs and Fun Days. The British charities Comic Relief and Children in Need, supported by the BBC, have used gunge for fundraising in the past. In the U.S., slime is sometimes associated with Nickelodeon, even having several game shows revolving around it, such as Slime Time Live. In most countries, being gunged is seen as a forfeit with the aim to cause embarrassment. In contrast, being slimed in the U.S. can be a good thing as well as a bad thing. Overall the main point of being gunged or slimed is to cause mess.

The gunge that is widely used on television is an industrial powder thickener called Natrosol, mainly used in production of the sauce for apple pies. Alternatively, other items can be used for "gunge", for example eggs, sauces, as well as other messy items, but Natrosol as seen on the gunge used on TV shows is regarded as the authentic gunge. In many cases, the gunging occurs in a gunge tank, a transparent booth with a means for storing and releasing the gunge. Due to Natrasol having industrial uses as a food thickener used in soups and stews, this makes gunge safe to eat, provided the colouring is also non-toxic. Oobleck, a mixture of cornstarch and water, is also a non-Newtonian fluid like Natrosol. Xanthan gum, another food additive, is also a common gunge ingredient.

The iconic green slime of the Canadian television series You Can't Do That on Television was developed by accident, according to producer Roger Price - the original idea had been to dump a barrel of food leftovers on a young boy chained in a dungeon, but before it could be used, the contents of the barrel had turned green with mold. The noxious mixture was dumped on the young boy anyway, and overnight the series had its trademark gag. The show subsequently went through several different slime recipes incorporating ingredients such as lime gelatin dessert powder, flour, oatmeal or Cream of Wheat, baby shampoo, and even cottage cheese (not all necessarily at the same time). On the show (and subsequently on Nickelodeon since then), the composition of the slime was treated as a closely guarded secret, and some episodes revolved around the cast members trying to discern what the slime was made of.

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