# 10 most dangerous toys of all time **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368 "2007-01-02T02:00:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/1 "2007-01-02T02:00:47Z")
[Cool.](http://www.radarmagazine.com/features/2006/12/toys.php) Found the list on NPR. I think I had the derringer and fired it without mishap. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/2 "2007-01-02T02:20:09Z")
Very cool. I somehow survived lawn darts & the [Creepy Crawler Thing Maker](http://www.radarmagazine.com/features/2006/12/creepy_crawlers.php). The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab sounds really great. I cannot believe they discontinued it. šŸ˜‰ Jim ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/3 "2007-01-02T02:21:46Z")
Bah! Wusses! I grew up in the 1950s secure in the knowledge that with a little imagination and experimentation, ANY kid could make ANY toy dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/4 "2007-01-02T02:29:21Z")
I think itā€™s funny how the un-safeness of toys evolved over the years. First hot plates and uranium, then cap guns and cannons, then missle launching action figures and fairies with deadly wings, and hungry Cabbage Patch dolls. The only oddly out-of-place deadly toys were the Jarts and the motorcycle with no breaks. heh ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/5 "2007-01-02T02:33:52Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Very cool. I somehow survived lawn darts & the [Creepy Crawler Thing Maker](http://www.radarmagazine.com/features/2006/12/creepy_crawlers.php). The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab sounds really great. I cannot believe they discontinued it. šŸ˜‰ Jim [/QUOTE] Hah! I had the Creepy Crawler Thing Maker _and_ Creeple Peeple _and_ Incredible Edibles! And Iā€™m still kickinā€™ šŸ˜ƒ VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/6 "2007-01-02T02:43:07Z")
Hmm. I played with **Jarts** , and liked them, but I could see the danger in them. Iā€™ve seen the **Gilbert Radioactivity Set** at antique shops. I also have a reprint from World Book that explains in detail how to build your own cloud chamber from scratch. The radioactive pin (which had a small alpha source embedded in the head) was available from one of the national labs ā€“ all you had to do was write and request one. (And, at least until recently, smoke detectors and some other itemns had built-in alpha sources, too. ) The same heating element that was used in the **Creepy Crawlers** and **Thingmaker** was used in the **Vac-U-Form** , too. Great toy. Some kids canā€™y handle heat. They shouldnā€™t be permitted radioactive pins, either. Just ruining it for the rest of us. Iā€™m surprised about the **Sky Dancers** , though. I thought they were still selling those. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/7 "2007-01-02T02:48:18Z")
I found the list mostly depressing - depressing in that we are so panicked by the dangers of toys that our kids wonā€™t get a chance to play with some of the coolest stuff made. That atomic lab kit is super awesome, and completely harmless. It was one of a series of science kits that shared parts with each other so that by the time youā€™d bought all the ā€˜labsā€™ (electricity, chemistry, physics, etc) You had a pretty good assortment of parts to experiment with and build even more stuff. And they actually taught kids real science. I tried to find my daughter some good science toys this year. I would have settled for a good microscope. All I could find was plastic crap. I guess someoneā€™s worried that an actual metal microscope might accidentally get dropped on some sheltered little dearieā€™s toes or something. Same with the electricity kits and chemistry sets. Dumbed down, useless pieces of junk. Donā€™t want any pointy wires that might poke a kid in the eye, or a chemical that might be even remotely toxic, staining, abrasive, or anything else. And they didnā€™t even list the most dangerous toys of all - baseballs, baseball bats, skates, bicycles, toboggans, soccer balls, skateboards, pogo sticks, razor inline scootersā€¦ My kidā€™s schoool no longer has merry-go-rounds or teeter-totters. Too dangerous. And theyā€™ve banned tag at recess because some kid twisted an ankle running. Besides, some kids might actually lose, and we canā€™t have children worrying aboout winning and losing - it hurts their precious self-esteem. In protest, I bought my kid an airsoft BB gun and a target for Christmas. Sheā€™s having a blast with it - supervised, of course. ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/8 "2007-01-02T02:48:27Z")
Thereā€™s a list that brought back some memories, none of them featuring any type of injury. Iā€™m surprised that the roller-blading Barbie that shot sparks from her rollerblades didnā€™t make the list. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/9 "2007-01-02T02:54:11Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] Iā€™m surprised about the **Sky Dancers** , though. I thought they were still selling those. [/QUOTE] I am sure they were a few years back, my daughter got one. I am guessing that maybe they made them safer. On the other hand I recall it coming with a painfully bad video that should have been prohibited. [The 2000 recall.](http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml00/00134.html) [Apparently Wal-Marts still sells them.](http://www.walmart.com/search/browse-ng.do?ic=12_0&ref=125871.220666+500528.4293906710) Jim ---
**Author:** ![Jayn\_Newell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Jayn\_Newell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayn_Newell)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/10 "2007-01-02T03:06:48Z")
Iā€™m a bit amused that **Sky Dancers** are on the list but the male counter-part isnā€™t mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/11 "2007-01-02T03:08:31Z")
[QUOTE=Sam Stone] In protest, I bought my kid an airsoft BB gun and a target for Christmas. Sheā€™s having a blast with it - supervised, of course. [/QUOTE] But sheā€™ll shoot her eye out! Or yours. šŸ˜‰ Anyhoo, I never had any of these, but I remember Mechano sets with eight billion tiny screws, and of course playing with magnifying glasses and that day we found we could take bricks out of the side of the houseā€¦ Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/12 "2007-01-02T03:25:37Z")
I sometimes imagine a scene in a possible parody of the **Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer** Christmas special: instead of visiting the Island of Misfit Toys, they visit the Island of Unsafe Toys, where all the toys that have been banned are exiled. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/13 "2007-01-02T03:30:31Z")
[QUOTE=Jayn\_Newell] Iā€™m a bit amused that **Sky Dancers** are on the list but the male counter-part isnā€™t mentioned. [/QUOTE] My first thought was that this was to be a vey unusual [Estes](http://www.estesrockets.com/) model rocket. My second that it would bea tthe hell out of firing Barbie from a potato cannon. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Lord\_Il\_Palazzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Il_Palazzo)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/14 "2007-01-02T03:41:39Z")
Is it wrong how much I want one of those Atomic Energy Labs? Why were all the cool toys banned before I was born? Add me to the list of those who were surprised by the presence of Sky Dancers and the complete lack of mention of their male-targeted counterparts (Dragon Flies, I think.) I guess that Dragon Flies were less likely to inspire eating disorders. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/15 "2007-01-02T03:48:00Z")
I had both jarts and the Bat Masterson belt buckle, which was perfectly safe in that it never actually worked. Burned by caps? Come on. The Jarts, OTOH, were definitely dangerous ā€“ I knew one kid who took one to the neck ā€“ but they were a fun game if used correctly. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/16 "2007-01-02T03:53:01Z")
[QUOTE=Veuve\_ClicquotNJ] Hah! I had the Creepy Crawler Thing Maker _and_ Creeple Peeple _and_ Incredible Edibles! And Iā€™m still kickinā€™ šŸ˜ƒ VCNJ~ [/QUOTE] I had the ā€œFighting Menā€ ThingMaker, when I was eight years old. I came through it OK, but then I was privy to the arcane secret that you shouldnā€™t put your hands on metal surfaces that feel really effing hot from a distance. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_meister](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolf_meister/32/15202_2.png) [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/17 "2007-01-02T03:53:36Z")
This year I neglected to start my ā€œ_Un_-Official Dangerous Toysā€ thread. You know, those toys we _all_ had as kids such as: ā€¢ Mr Bubbleā€™s Rock ā€˜nā€™ Roll Bath Time Electric Guitar (with 200 Watt Amplifier !!!) ā€¢ Amanaā€™s Ice Cave Exploritorium Okay, enough frivolity. _Anyway_, I find myself agreeing with **Sam Stone** on this one. Maybe this country has become so litigious that we are afraid of manufacturing any product or pursuing any activity that could have the slightest, faintest, 'snowball-in-Hellā€™s" chance of causing the tiniest minor injury to a child. :: stepping off the soapbox :: ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/18 "2007-01-02T04:29:04Z")
And yet the list failed to include the dreaded ā€˜Clackersā€™! A toy that could break bones, put out eyes, knock out teeth, cause massive swellings and brilliant rainbow bruises! My mom was never one to buy popular cool toys but she fell for this oneā€¦ prolly the $1.99 price tag. So little money for so much pain. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/19 "2007-01-02T04:56:46Z")
Iā€™m a little disappointed Bag Oā€™ Glass didnā€™t make the list. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368/20 "2007-01-02T05:04:05Z")
I love Radar Magazine. Iā€™m so gald they seem to have secured more stable funding. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/10-most-dangerous-toys-of-all-time/386368.md?page=2)