Think back to your childhood — I’ll bet you had at least one toy that’s considered too dangerous for children today. I know when I was growing up, chemistry sets were already unheard of, and I had to wait until I had an actual chemistry class…what a bummer. Today, however, I find that there are a number of toys I had as a kid that are no longer suitable for child’s play. Some have even resulted in lawsuits, and worse. Here are some of the most dangerous toys from your childhood that your child will most likely not be playing with.
Buckyballs and Buckycubes
Buckyballs and Buckycubes were both high-powered magnets. Unlike Legos, they could build a number of sculptures without being restricted to a “square” shape. Unfortunately, there have been children who have swallowed these small but powerful magnets. They turned out to be very dangerous and can cause problems. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the results can be intestinal blockage, blood poisoning, holes in the intestine and stomach, and even death.
Chemistry Sets
If you had a chemistry set, it is likely that you spent hours mixing together concoctions. You may even have fond memories of a disaster or two. If you were lucky, you discovered more of the color wheel than you did burns and poisons. While later models phased out some of the more dangerous chemicals, there was never really a set that was perfected in terms of safety for children, and many old sets even contained reactive chemicals that could even pose a hazard to adults.
Banzai Inflatable Pool Slide
The Banzai Inflatable Pool Slide began as a great idea. It was to be used with in-ground pools as a more affordable and convenient alternative to other pool slides on the market. It is not uncommon for the slide to deflate during use, which can cause users to hit their head on the edge of the in-ground pool they are using. This can cause injury to the spinal cord, broken neck, leg fractures, paraplegia, quadriplegia, full body paralysis, and even death.
Lawn Darts
What do you get when you combine a mowed lawn, scoring rings, and sharp darts? Lawn darts, of course. This game was all the rage in the 70’s and 80’s — until it was banned. The problem with lawn darts was the sharp tip of the almost foot-long, weighted dart, which was sharp enough to puncture the ground, but also a skull if it had enough force behind it. When you combine the throwing of the dart with the effects of gravity as it arcs through the air, it can become a recipe for nothing short of tragedy. Their sharp metal tips were replaced with thicker plastic ones after their ban, but the game just wasn’t the same.
Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers were introduced in the 1960s. These labs allowed kids to use melted plastic and molds to make their own spiders, bugs, and various icky items. There were two major problems with this toy. First, it used sticky, plastic goop to make the bugs, which let off toxic fumes as they were cooked. Second, there was an exposed sizzling hot plate used to make the bugs, which could very easily cause burns. That said…expect a resurgence of designer insects in this, the age of 3d printers and the like.
Sky Dancers
These seemingly harmless toys involved a plastic doll and a wingspan. You put the doll on its base and pull a ripcord, sending it flying into the air. The problem is when the sky dancers came back down — any prevailing wind could drastically alter their flight path. About 150 injuries were caused before the product was recalled, including scratched corneas and temporary blindness, facial lacerations, chipped teeth, broken ribs, and even concussion.
While on the one hand we want our children to have fun in their youth, the reality is that it can be difficult to see where and when a given toy or activity can be dangerous to children, especially from our perspectives as adults. As a society, it is something that we do better with each generation, but it underscores the need for this kind of focus. Be aware of what your children are doing, be involved in their lives and play, and know where the nearest pediatric urgent care center and a hospital is, just in case.
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