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Ebola's never been so cute

Leslie Katz Former Culture Editor
Leslie Katz led a team that explored the intersection of tech and culture, plus all manner of awe-inspiring science, from space to AI and archaeology. When she's not smithing words, she's probably playing online word games, tending to her garden or referring to herself in the third person.
Credentials
  • Third place film critic, 2021 LA Press Club National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards
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Leslie Katz

How adorable is the Ebola virus? Pretty darn precious when it's in the form of a stuffed animal-like plush microbe. Yep, start thinking about germs differently, friends. Did you know that a flu microbe blown up a million times looks just like a cuddly green caterpillar?

These stuffed little germs, made by Delaware-based Giant Microbes, come in a variety of ailments: sore throat, syphillis, ulcer, flesh-eating virus, stomach ache, ear ache, mono and more. ThinkGeek, which sells the critters for $5.99 apiece, has an amusing photo gallery of plush microbe owners with their germ of choice. One shot shows a girl smooching her mono microbe (caption: "kissing the kissing disease"); another shows a flu atop a keyboard ("Macs are impervious to viruses").

plush microbe
Credit: Giant Microbes
The common cold isn't just about
runny noses anymore.

Each 5- to 7-inch plush microbe has an instructional card with an actual picture of the microbe and information about the germ in its natural environment. Giant Microbes is marketing the critters as toys--and learning tools.

They'd also work as cubicle decorations or a gift to the guy who gave you that nasty cold. They've been out for some months, but we just got infected by them now.