Roadkill toys

Animal and cute toy lovers look away now. First came the toys which turned venereal diseases and parasites into the cutest of soft toys, now prepare for road kill toys. A toy designer has come up with a gory end for teddy bears and other cuddly animal toys.

The first to be launched is Twitch, the Roadkill Racoon, which comes complete with opaque plastic body bag to keep the maggots out and attached to its twitching toe is an identity bag giving details of its demise. According to its tag it was run over over by a milk float last Thursday, near the Hangar Lane Giratory system in London.

The toy's innards and blood can be stuffed in and out of his body. A zip on each side contains the blood and guts. Its eyes are goggling, tongue is lolling around and a tyre print runs across its back.

The toys' creators, Compost Communications, have styled themselves 'toy terrorists' and according to their website: 'We squash and burn and bludgeon and maim. But we're also toy fanatics like you. We love toys.'

Toy creator Adam Arber, 33, from London, said: 'I got the idea from looking at my mother-in-law's dog which is quite ugly and I thought it would make a great toy. A friend of mine had taken some pictures of road kill and the two things gelled into one idea.'

Mr Arber, who works in advertising and who has been creating the toys in his spare time, said: 'I asked my mother-in-law and wife what they thought. I thought they might be upset but they just laughed.'

He said he thought the toys, which cost £25, would appeal to people with a sense of humour and 'probably not anyone easily upset'.

He said coming soon were other characters including Grind the rabbit, Splodge the hedgehog and Pop the weasel and likely gruesome scenarios would include death by being run over by kebab vans and golf buggies.

The toys go on sale this weekend at Play Lounge in London and from mid-December on roadkilltoys.com.