Our story began in 1970 with a midnight swim off the coast of Zuma Beach, Malibu. Although the sky was dark, the ocean blazed with twinkling blue and green lights, and every stroke through the water set off a stream of brilliant sparks. That night, as we entered an ocean transformed by a neon glow, we discovered for ourselves bioluminescence—iridescent light produced by ocean creatures.

Our discovery led to a deep-rooted passion for bioluminescence and the mysteries of the deep sea. By isolating and cloning the protein that creates the neon glow, our family developed NanoLights for the medical and scientific communities. However, we still wanted to capture and share the magic of that midnight swim, so BioToy was born.

Creating a squirt gun that could emit bioluminescent water required years of research in biochemistry and engineering. (The final design, in fact, closely copies the structure of copepods, bioluminescent oceanic insects!) The end result is a squirt gun that emits glowing water and brings the magic and science of bioluminescence into your hand.

We are excited to introduce children and adults across the world to the glowing world of bioluminescence. We hope you enjoy discovering and experiencing this phenomenon as much as we have!

-The Bio Boys

Our Mission

Our mission is to excite children of all ages about science by developing toys that showcase the magic of our natural world.  We hope to ignite a sense of wonder and curiosity that will result in the appreciation and understanding of our toys that, while amazing, are not made with magic after all.  The biology and chemistry of our world is complex and sometimes mysterious and so we hope you consider us as your guide as we play with and explore biotechnology, from fun bioluminescent toys to ideas that can help cure and even prevent illness.