GenPets have caused quite a stir!   These are actually bizarre, altered, bipedal mammals sealed in a plastic bubble where they uneasily rest in some kind of induced hibernation.

A series of glowing and beeping heart monitors on the packages gives a hint that they are alive. The rising and falling of their chests as well as their occasional twitching, shaking and clawing, albeit limited by the tie-wraps, which keep them in place, confirms the life of these creatures.

They are there, ready to take home and add to your life as the next entertainment gadget; bioengineered creatures, mass-produced, and pre-packaged for your convenience.

Genpets are living, breathing mammals. Bio-Genica is a Bioengineering Company that has combined, and modified existing DNA to create the Genpets lineup. Genpets are flesh and blood just like any other animal.

How do they do it?

Bio-Genica use a process called "Zygote Micro Injection" which is quickly becoming a favourable method to combine DNA, or to insert certain proteins from different species.

Most notably it was used in 1997 to splice mice with bioluminescent jellyfish and has since been used to create glowing rabbits, pigs, fish, and monkeys. Since then, human DNA has been injected into chimpanzees, spider into sheep.

Yep, and now, Genpets have arrived.

These are being displayed in a store where hordes of teens wanting a bioengineered pet met confused, baffled, or even shocked looks from parents.  Of course, animal rights activists are protesting the way these small Bio-genetically engineered creatures are kept trapped in plastic!

Want one?  Shocked?  Want to protest?  READ MORE!

But...are they real?

Sounds too good to be true?  Here's how they were 'made'!

Media:

Styrene Plastic, Co-Poly Plastic, Latex rubber, Polyurethane Foam, Kryolan SFX Make-up, Microchips, Motors, Printed circuits, Steel, Acrylic Plastic, Creatix airbrush paint, Paper, Screen printed acetate, Fimo, Sculpy, Video, 3DS Max4, Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Adobe Indesign.

Process Media: (molds + original sculptures)

Silicon rubber, Hydrocal Plaster, Clay, Roma Plastalina, Smooth-on 300 series plastic.

Scale: (each package)

298 x 244 x 76 mm, 11.8 x 9.5 x 3 inches

Pricing:

$1200 animatronic / $800 non-moving /Currently available at V-Gallery Basel Switzerland, or from me. Limited series of 19.

More info here...