Weird and Possibly Dangerous Childhood Toys

[Marka Ragnos]

Did you play with any strange and possibly hazardous toys? Perhaps you re-purposed something in a way it wasn't meant, and made it dangerous. Maybe you're a parent and you've stepped on a Lego piece and nearly killed yourself. My sisters had the infamous Easy Bake Oven. I do seem to remember some howls from minor burns. I owned Clackers/Klackers around 1977 or so. Excellent things. I don't remember anyone every hurt by them. Well, it's coming back to me. Kids would hit each other with them , but that was considered a no-turning-back aggressive move that would lead to fights.  I feel like I saw those things in change jars and utility drawers for decades later. Don't know what I ever did to lose them. They seemed indestructible.

 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Marka Ragnos

[il_serpente]

31 minutes ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Did you play with any strange and possibly hazardous toys? Perhaps you re-purposed something in a way it wasn't meant, and made it dangerous. Maybe you're a parent and you've stepped on a Lego piece and nearly killed yourself. My sisters had the infamous Easy Bake Oven. I do seem to remember some howls from minor burns. I owned Clackers/Klackers around 1977 or so. Excellent things. I don't remember anyone every hurt by them. Well, it's coming back to me. Kids would hit each other with them , but that was considered a no-turning-back aggressive move that would lead to fights.  I feel like I saw those things in change jars and utility drawers for decades later. Don't know what I ever did to lose them. They seemed indestructible.

 

I had a set of those.   Nice opening image for the video, by the way.

[il_serpente]

 

[GarethRDR]

 

[GarethRDR]

Not inherently dangerous in and of themselves, but I have very vivid memories of getting these for a birthday in the late 80's, my one-month-older cousin came round to play and he managed to fashion some form of sturdy plastic whip he then used to thrash me with.  Halcyon days.

[Marka Ragnos]

2 hours ago, GarethRDR said:

Not inherently dangerous in and of themselves, but I have very vivid memories of getting these for a birthday in the late 80's, my one-month-older cousin came round to play and he managed to fashion some form of sturdy plastic whip he then used to thrash me with.  Halcyon days.

Looks like a multi-coloured pile of trips to A&E. 

2 hours ago, GarethRDR said:

 

That cannot be real, right? That beggars belief.

[delboy54]

5 hours ago, il_serpente said:

I had a set of those.   Nice opening image for the video, by the way.

Why did she play with her clackers wearing her knickers????

The 1970's, I remember it well......

[ferguson1]

Has to be my early 80’s Chemistry Set. Quite dangerous stuff inside and stained everything.

Probably wasn’t the one below but something similar: 

The list of dangerous items that were once found in children's chemistry sets includes blowtorches, glass-blowing equipment, hot plates, cyanide and even radioactive uranium ore. One set featured copper sulphate, which came packaged in a container featuring a skull and crossbones and the words “Caution: Poison”.  

 

[bickster]

Clackers were banned iirc because kids started using them like…

 

[sidcow]

7 hours ago, Marka Ragnos said:

Did you play with any strange and possibly hazardous toys? Perhaps you re-purposed something in a way it wasn't meant, and made it dangerous. Maybe you're a parent and you've stepped on a Lego piece and nearly killed yourself. My sisters had the infamous Easy Bake Oven. I do seem to remember some howls from minor burns. I owned Clackers/Klackers around 1977 or so. Excellent things. I don't remember anyone every hurt by them. Well, it's coming back to me. Kids would hit each other with them , but that was considered a no-turning-back aggressive move that would lead to fights.  I feel like I saw those things in change jars and utility drawers for decades later. Don't know what I ever did to lose them. They seemed indestructible.

 

Why the **** is there a grown women stood in her underwear on Blue Peter? 

[mjmooney]

26 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Why the **** is there a grown women stood in her underwear on Blue Peter? 

Something For The Dads. 

[phily85]

A magic wand.

It must have been pretty dangerous because my uncle always made me wear a blindfold when I played it with it to protect my eyes

[Hobsons Choice]

Come on, hands up who only used hot wheels track to swordfight.

'Oh man, my ear. You hit me with a guide pin'

[tinker]

1 hour ago, sidcow said:

Why the **** is there a grown women stood in her underwear on Blue Peter? 

Jimmy Savile was in the dressing room? 

[tinker]

Swing ball, lull them in with some gentle swings then bang, Full power.

[sidcow]

3 minutes ago, tinker said:

Swing ball, lull them in with some gentle swings then bang, Full power.

Was much better before they added the plastic sleeve to stop the rope from wrapping round your neck.  Health and safety gone mad.

[sidcow]

Not a toy but candy cigarettes are an insane thing to the modern mind.  Making sweets to actively encourage children to pretend they're smoking.

[mjmooney]

14 minutes ago, sidcow said:

Not a toy but candy cigarettes are an insane thing to the modern mind.  Making sweets to actively encourage children to pretend they're smoking.

I used to get a 'smoker's set' selection box every Christmas - candy cigs, chocolate pipe and cigars, spun sugar 'tobacco', etc. 

[bickster]

1 hour ago, mjmooney said:

I used to get a 'smoker's set' selection box every Christmas - candy cigs, chocolate pipe and cigars, spun sugar 'tobacco', etc. 

The tobacco was grim iirc

[sidcow]

I mean, they used to give children soldiers made out of lead to play with.  An actual highly poisonous metal.  Good job children are not known for putting things in their mouths.  it's a miracle any boys made it to manhood in those days!