Man, even Hallmark uses the "Goop"

[Hiwatt25]

I got one of those really loud/annoying audio B-day cards the other day and so I had to rip the guts out to see what was inside.  To my surprise, there is "goop" covering part of the circuit.  Doesn't that tiny speaker just scream, RUBY!

[MKB]

In this case the reason for the goop is different, they most likely installed a bare die ASIC directly on the circuit board, then plopped on the epoxy to secure and protect the assembly.  It's an inexpensive assembly method that isn't really meant to hide anything.  You can see this in many inexpensive electronic assemblies such as calculators and those neat digital display watches from the seventies.

[Meanderthal]

 That'd be the dreaded(amongst circuit benders) black blob! They would replace one or both of those resistors with a pot, for pitch control... but what they really want is inside the blob forever. Think of it as a chip that can't be desoldered.

[caress]

the dreaded black blob!  ahhhhhh   

[markm]

My "easy-button" from staples has the same type of blob in it which is very unfortunate because my evil mind wanted to be able to change it from saying "that was easy" to something obscene!