Episode 716: The Dark Side of Sea Monkeys

On this episode of the world famous Sofa King Podcast, we talk about the dark side of the classic toy from the 1960s, Sea Monkeys. This is a tale of brine shrimp, a conman who hit the big time, millions of comic books, the Aryan Nations, false identities, and weapons deals. It all hinges around a man named Harold Von Braunhut. He dominated popular culture with Sea Monkeys, X-ray Specs, and other toys marketed directly to children. But when he developed Kiyoga Agent M5 Spring Whip, things went dark when he pledged his earnings to the Aryan Nations. So how did he help get a top white supremacist free from sedition charges? How did this Nazi get Sea Monkeys to live longer? What exactly were in those Sea Monkey pouches? Listen, laugh, learn. Visit Our Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_von_Braunhut https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-oct-01-tm-29473-story.html https://www.theawl.com/2011/06/the-shocking-true-tale-of-the-mad-genius-who-invented-sea-monkeys/ https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/17/magazine/the-battle-over-the-sea-monkey-fortune.html https://www.cnet.com/culture/sea-monkeys-documentary-explores-creators-dark-side/ https://pennylaneismyrealname.com/film/just-add-water/