gonk

{{short description|Furry creature toy}}

{{about|the generic toy|the plastic dolls known as "gonk trolls"|Troll doll|the mythical creature|Nisse (folklore)|the Herbert Chappell song|Dawn of the Dead (soundtracks)|the Star Wars droid|Gonk droid}}

Gonks are novelty toys and collectibles{{cite news|last=Macdonald|first=Iain|date=May 12, 1964|title=Just a Crazy Mixed up Gonk|page=12|newspaper=Evening Times|location=Glasgow|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p-RAAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DKcMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6023,1406112&dq=gonk+toy&hl=en|accessdate=September 5, 2015}} originating from the United Kingdom in the 1960s.

Created by English inventor Robert Benson, the toys gained popularity and were owned by celebrities including Ringo Starr and Peter Sellers. The Gonks' signature features include a small, spherical body, a furry texture and two googly eyes.{{Citation needed|date=August 2022}} Some Gonks had outfits such as those of Merseybeat rockers and were marketed as collectibles. They were popular with children and their success was attributed to how they "can be made from almost any material and of any size."{{cite book|last1=Greenaway|first1=Gladys|title=Toy Making|last2=Greenaway|first2=Kathryn|date=1973|publisher=Drake Publishers|pages=30}} The appearance of some of these toys has been compared to the op art movement.{{cite news|date=November 25, 1965|title='Living Dolls for Christmas|page=B-9|newspaper=The Beaver County Times|location=Penn.|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=7A4vAAAAIBAJ&sjid=stsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1776,5686012&dq=gonk+toy&hl=en|accessdate=September 5, 2015}}

File:Gonks from Australian fairground in late 1970s.jpgn fairground event.]]

Redesigned gonks (cylinders rather than spheres) were introduced into Australia by Tony Bell{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} in the 1970s. They were sold in skill testers and fairgrounds across New South Wales and Queensland.{{Citation needed|date=December 2021}}