#i like that globidens phosphaticus literally has like cartoon teeth. who knew cartoon characters were perfectly adapted for hard shells

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Ah, so many things!!! I am being treated, indeed!!

I like the idea of aquatic people having floaty toys :) We have kites. Underwater if something is less dense it's like a forever-kite! It makes perfect sense. Also mosasaurs I miss you :''(

Trick or treat!!

you get: floatie toy!

while more common in communities closer to the surface, floating toys or pull toys are small, usually animal- or merfolk-shaped toys, that have a light inner core made of a material less dense than water, an outer core that's denser and more resistant to wear, and a string or rope attachment at the bottom, usually with a handle or weights at the end. the general idea is that a merfolk can hold onto one and it will float up in the water above them, being pulled along by the merfolk and controlled by them, with some fancier versions having multiple articulating points to make them look like they're swimming. adding bells and chimes and other noise-makers is also popular, though these are limited by how much can be added before they start to weigh the toy down.

ideally, the weights at the end of the string are there to prevent it from floating up and away from the child, but this isn't always the case, and plenty of toys like this have been lost because their owner let go of them and didn't catch them again in time. most of the time they're created with this in mind, favoring less complex and time-consuming methods of creation, making those with weights usually on the more expensive and permanent side of things. risk of loss is also higher in communities closer to the surface, because a favorite pasttime is dragging them through waves from below, which increases the risk of them getting pulled out of someone's hands.

as ever, with all merfolk toys, they usually have a few tooth marks in them, where someone started to chew on the ends. even moreso if they were passed down a generation or two.

also because i was doing this last year as well, have a common descent episode and globidens phosphaticus: