Lovers of slime can gear up and get drenched at NYC pop-up

Slime, the bedazzled, stretchy sensation that has spawned its own social media influencers and fans of all ages, is taking up residence in New York City.

An immersive, 8,000-square-foot (743.22-sq. meter) museum dedicated to all things slime opens Friday for a nearly six-month celebration complete with a sticky barefoot lake walk and DIY bar.

There's also the opportunity to don goggles and a poncho and get doused in the stuff that has a big following but a questionable impact when it comes to disposal and the environment.

The brainchild of Karen Robinovitz, Sara Schiller and Toni Ko, the so-called Sloomoo Institute is the latest in Instagram-friendly pop-ups (hello "Friends" 25th anniversary and Museum of Ice Cream) to hit New York and then travel to other locales.

"The social media aspect of slime has really shown community," Robinovitz said. "There's a lot of sensibility in the world that social media can isolate people.

What we've seen in the slime world is that people are coming together."

There are slime conventions, online shops and meet-and-greets with top influencers that draw thousands of fans at a time.

Jackylne brings in between $5,000 and $10,000 a month from merchandise and slime-making supplies she sells online. That doesn't take into account her YouTube ad income and partnerships. She has nearly a million followers on YouTube.

"I consider myself more of a slime lifestyle personality," Jackylne said. "I don't just post slime. I try to keep it about my personality, so I'll film blogs of myself shopping for slime supplies or just out in the public making slime content."

 
A timeline of the history of slime is seen during a preview of the Sloomoo Institute in New York. 

Some variations are made with clay.

The varieties and scents are endless. Noting glitter and other potential eco-foes were deliberately left out of Sloomoo's slime, Robinovitz showed off varieties that pull like weightless clouds (fake snow is mixed in), crackle because of plastic beads inside or shine with a high gloss and a tough pull.

At the DIY bar, where 8 ounces of slime is included in the $38 base ticket price, scents include banana cream pie, Froot Loops and prickly pear. The get-slimed experience is $30 extra.

Mattel launched a jiggly slime as a toy in 1976. It came in a plastic garbage can.

Nickelodeon has been all in on slime for years, since it rebroadcast a Canadian show, "You Can't Do that On Television," starting in the 1980s. The show slimed participants who answered questions with "I don't know."

The network launched its own slimy show, "Double Dare," in 1986 and has been sliming celebrity winners of its Kids' Choice Awards since 1987.

Associated Press