In 1982, someone at Knickerbocker Toy Co. had a brilliant idea: let children recreate E.T.’s glowing finger with a rubber finger that lit up when pressed against a surface. On the box, in complete innocence, it read: “Finger Glows When Pressed” (the finger glows when pressed).
The problem is that no one at the factory seemed to look at the finished product through adult eyes. The texture, color, and elongated shape of the toy turned an innocent tribute to the film into something no parent wanted to see in their 4-year-old child’s hand at the family table. Complaints and public mockery soon followed, and within a few weeks stores began returning the stock.
The E.T. Finger Light lasted only a few months on store shelves, and that same year Knickerbocker — the company that also created Raggedy Ann — closed its doors. Today, a sealed unit sells for up to 100 dollars among nostalgic collectors.