Crocodile Dentist

Lore & Background

Crocodile Dentist went through several changes during its development. Fuhrer and his technicians were told to tweak the length and speed of the crocodile's lunging motion so that the toy would not cause eye injuries. Fuhrer also added a pair of plastic pliers to quell fears that children would hurt their fingers. However, game testers later thought the toy lacked excitement, and though the pliers remained in the final product, Fuhrer restored the original lunging motion.

The goal of the game is to press down on the plastic teeth from a crocodile toy's mouth. Earlier versions required the player to instead remove the tooth with a pair of pliers; this was changed to avoid having small loose parts to make the game more accessible to younger children. If the 'sore tooth' is pressed or removed, the mouth will snap shut and lunge toward whoever pulled the sore tooth, and the person who caused the mouth to shut is the loser. The mechanism of pushing the tooth down was initially only used in the travel version, which lacks the ability to lunge, but was later incorporated into the full-sized version of the game.

Several commentators listed the product as one of the strangest new toys available. The York Daily Record's Mike Argento included it in his 1992 Bizarre Toy Awards. Twelve years later, however, Argento admitted that the game had 'passed into classic status'. The success of Crocodile Dentist led Robert Fuhrer to design several other crocodile-themed games, one of which, Crocodile Golf, became the popular Gator Golf.

Reader's Guide

Crocodile Dentist holds significance as a best-selling children's game that introduced a simple, tactile risk-reward mechanic—pressing plastic teeth until the mouth snaps. Its development involved careful safety adjustments, including altering the lunging motion to prevent eye injuries and adding plastic pliers to protect fingers, though testers found the original motion more exciting, leading to its restoration. The game's legacy includes spawning other crocodile-themed games by its creator, notably Gator Golf. It also entered popular culture, appearing in a 1993 episode of The Price Is Right where host Bob Barker triggered the sore tooth and yelped in pain, and in an episode of Men Behaving Badly. Initially viewed as bizarre by some commentators, it later achieved classic status. The travel version, released in 1993 and still produced by Winning Moves, introduced the push-down tooth mechanism that was later adopted by the full-sized version.

Did You Know?

• The game was conceived by Robert B. Fuhrer, who later created Gator Golf.
• Earlier versions required players to remove teeth with pliers, but this was changed to avoid small loose parts.
• The travel version, released in 1993, initially used the push-down tooth mechanism before it was added to the full-sized game.
• A 1993 episode of The Price Is Right featured a blooper where Bob Barker triggered the sore tooth and yelped in pain.

Origins & Development

Crocodile Dentist was conceived by Robert B. Fuhrer, a prolific designer who would go on to create Gator Golf and numerous other toys and games. The product was first published by Milton Bradley in 1990, targeting a young audience. The development process was anything but straightforward. Fuhrer and his team of technicians received specific instructions to adjust both the length and the speed of the crocodile's lunging motion, ensuring the toy could not cause eye injuries to small children. In a separate safety measure, Fuhrer introduced a pair of plastic pliers into the design, aiming to allay parental concerns about kids potentially injuring their fingers. However, internal game testers felt the revised version lacked the excitement needed to captivate young players. Fuhrer responded by restoring the original, more dramatic lunging motion while keeping the pliers as part of the final product. This iterative process of balancing safety, excitement, and accessibility shaped the game that would become a holiday staple.

Gameplay & Design Evolution

At its core, Crocodile Dentist asks players to press down on individual plastic teeth protruding from a crocodile toy's open mouth. The catch is that one of those teeth is the hidden sore tooth, and triggering it causes the crocodile's jaw to snap shut and lunge toward the offending player, who is declared the loser. The game's mechanics evolved over time to better serve its young audience. In earlier iterations, players were required to extract a tooth using a pair of pliers, a method that risked leaving small loose parts scattered around. The design was ultimately changed to the simpler press-down approach, making the game more accessible and safer for the youngest children. Interestingly, this pushing mechanism was initially exclusive to the travel version released in 1993, which omitted the lunge feature entirely. The full-sized game later adopted the press-down method as well. The travel edition continues to be produced today by Winning Moves, keeping the game in circulation for new generations of players.

Commercial Success & Critical Reception

The 1991 Christmas season proved to be a breakout moment for Crocodile Dentist, as the title emerged as one of the top-selling games of the holiday period and maintained strong sales figures in the years that followed. Yet the critical response was not uniformly celebratory. Several commentators singled out the product as one of the most bizarre new toys on the market. Mike Argento of the York Daily Record captured that sentiment perfectly when he quipped, "What kind of mind came up with this game?" while including it in his 1992 Bizarre Toy Awards. The game's odd charm, however, aged remarkably well. A full twelve years after his initial quip, Argento publicly acknowledged that Crocodile Dentist had "passed into classic status," a testament to how a novelty toy could transcend its quirky origins and become a beloved staple of children's play. The juxtaposition of its early reception as a curiosity and its later recognition as a classic underscores the game's enduring appeal across generations.

Legacy & Pop Culture Appearances

The commercial triumph of Crocodile Dentist set in motion a broader creative wave for its designer. Robert Fuhrer went on to develop several additional crocodile-themed games, one of which—Crocodile Golf—evolved into the widely recognized Gator Golf, extending the crocodile motif into an entirely different genre of play. The game also left a memorable mark on television. In a 1993 episode of The Price Is Right, the travel version appeared as a small prize in the Pathfinder pricing game. Host Bob Barker and model Janice Pennington decided to give it a try, and Barker unfortunately triggered the sore tooth. The crocodile's jaw clamped shut on his finger, prompting a very audible yelp of pain that became a memorable blooper. The game also crossed over into scripted comedy, appearing in episode ten of Men Behaving Badly, where the main characters are seen playing alongside Dorothy's ten-year-old nephew. These appearances cemented Crocodile Dentist not just as a children's toy but as a recognizable cultural touchstone.

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