The present paper contains a comprehensive experimental study of the impact of solid spheres and liquid droplets on liquid surfaces. Particular attention is paid to the effect of making the Liquids slightly non-Newtonian by adding to a Newtonian solvent small concentrations of high molecular weight polymers such as polyacrylamide and xanthan gum and also small concentrations of carbon fibres. A number of multigrade oils are also studied. Of major interest is the effect of rheology on the height of the so-called Worthington jet, which is such a dominant feature of many ＇splashing＇ experiments. In passing, we propose the technique as a simple and inexpensive monitor of ＇resistance to extensional deformation＇.