Wet & Messy – Splosh! Magazine and the Birth of a Subculture
Splosh! holds a unique place in the history of British adult publishing. First released in 1989 and created by Clive Harris (better known under his pseudonym Bill Shipton), it became the defining magazine for Wet and Messy Fetishism (WAM). The publication featured playful photo sets and stories of models getting wet or messy with food, water, slime, pies and other harmless, tactile substances. It was light‑hearted, cheeky, and visually distinctive — and it was the first magazine to bring this niche out into the open.
Over its 40‑issue run, Splosh! grew into a full production house, releasing VHS and DVD videos and later expanding online. At its peak in the 1990s, the magazine had thousands of subscribers worldwide and was stocked in mainstream UK bookstores, making it one of the most visible fetish publications of its era. Many of its models went on to appear in video sketches and digital downloads as the scene evolved.
The WAM community itself is built around the sensory appeal of textures, colours and the visual fun of getting messy — often fully clothed, sometimes not, but always centred on harmless materials like custard, cream, mud or gunge. While the wider scene has since moved online, original print issues of Splosh! and similar titles have become highly collectible pieces of fetish history.
Wet and Messy – Sales Category
