The Stinkor Saga

I remember being given a toy by a teacher around my kindergarten years because she erroneously thought that it was mine. I wasn't about to argue, and its original owner was never found. But the bigger mystery was its identity. At least in retrospect, I'd come to believe that it was akin to some random, anonymous figure of the type that can be found on the fringes of pharmacy aisles. You know the kind. A few steps below the likes of Go-Bots. Big steps.

But then I came across this picture on a blog I'd been following and immediately recognised the character on the right from that hazy memory. I did a bit of research and discovered that he was actually an action figure in the He-Man franchise, ignored by most media because of the fact that his primary attribute, that of assault by odor, was too contemptible. Apparently, the toy was made to smell authentically bad to match this gimmick through the use of special oils that retain their fragrance for decades. This thing was made in 1985, and though I didn't discover it till the early 90s, I do seem to recall being warned off it by caretakers who feared that its stench, combined with its mysterious origins, betokened some manner of contamination.

You were called Stinkor, creature. Your name now joins your shape and scent in memory.

Best stink? 

Success! 

Though as my father fondly noted, the skunk's scent really isn't too bad either. Its stubbornness, in combination with notable potency, seems like a more fitting culprit for its infamy.