Wow, that article brings back memories. My feelings at the time about the recall of the Battlestar Galactica missile toys in favor of models where the missiles popped out only about a quarter inch from their now-permanant dwellings before stopping dead can be summed up by this Onion article:
Fun Toy Banned Because of Three Stupid Dead Kids
It’s one of those Onion pieces where the rest of the article is at least as good as the headline":
Mrs. Shoshana and I were just talking about Creepy Crawler and Incredible Edibles on the 25th. ~36 years later, the smell of that goop cooking it still with me.
I remember being a kid with one of the Battlestar galactica toys. I was annoyed that, because of the recall, I couldn’t get the cool missile launcher like the other kids had and got the wussed-out one scotandrsn described.
Shoshana, it’s a shame that the edibles were removed because they would’ve made a great marketing option for Pixar: Mr. Incredible Edible. I guess for the ladies they could have sold a Plastic Fantastic Elastagirl.
Because they ran out of the FBI agents who shipped with each Atomic Energy Lab. 
Holy $%&*!! I totally forgot about the Creepy Crawlers! I now distinctly remember that rubbery smell… I got it for christmas one year. I must’ve been pretty young… But they were making those until at least the early 90s.
Wiki is saying that they were re-released in '92, which would’ve put me in 2nd grade. Yup, that sounds about right.
Sorry to post 3 times in a row… but the multicolored twirly light? Given to me a year or so ago as a gag gift because one room in my house had shitty lighting. We left it on for long periods of time and thought nothing of it. Eventually the motor broke and it was thrown out.
How’d you get the scar on your neck, grandpa?
Jarts.
Cooooool.
One of the Navabros got a Mazinger Z that shot missiles from his fists. 6 missiles, 3 per fist.
After a shot with particular good aim hit my temple during the birthday party itself, Mom took it away. Next day it was back, but the missiles didn’t quite fit in their slots any more.
Since I’m kind of fond of my eyes, I didn’t really mind, but it was still a pity, the doll itself was cool.
Reminds me of the Dan Aykroyd SNL Consumer Probe skits. Oily rags and a lighter, Invisible pedestrian, Johnny Combat Action Costume - Classics!
Ebay now and then has the Gilbert Atomic kits, the last one I saw, complete and in good condition, sold for around $2000. Ebay will not allow the sale of Jarts, however. I remember a neighbor kid who had the “clackers”, the only memory is him walking up and somehow wacking his elbow pretty good, and going home crying. Great toy!
Tater, is it legal to sell that? I can imagine that lighter stuff, stuff like you see in science classes and such, would be allowed… but U-238? You would probably need a permit to transport it at the very least, and forget about sending it through the mail if you were to purchase it online.
I dunno if it is illegal to sell them, apparently several have slipped through however. The ending price was a bit steep for something I admittedly don’t really “need”. I was crestfallen.
Well I guess I’m just asking if anyone knows the technical stuff on that… I know that low level stuff would never get you in trouble (I wouldn’t send H.S. science class stuff through the mail, but I wouldn’t worry about the cops knocking at my door if were, say, to post a video demonstration of a physics experiment online) but I’m kinda thinking that isn’t the case for U-238.
Wow, I had a Creepy Crawler Thing Maker! I’d forgotten all about it until now.
That thing was a lot of fun.
I also survived Lawn Darts.
My daughter had a Sky Dancer - she launched it one time and it landed on the roof of the house. After daddy retrieved it, I told her not to aim it at the house.
Damn you, cool toys. The Jarts and Creepy Crawlers were around when I was a yoot, but barely for the Jarts.
Sam Stone, I’m agreeing with you there. Maybe not so much about the ultra fun radioactive science set, but if a kid was relatively serious about science, it could be a very fun toy indeed.
Hell, even if the kid isn’t so serious. Making the family dog’s tail glow has to account for some points somewhere, right?
Not quite, as I recall, the classic one shown is the one my brother and I had. It was extremely hot and really did cause many burns. They pulled it for a few years but came out later with a lower heat version. I would strongly suspect you had the lower heat version if it was in the Nineties.
Sam Stone, another agreement on the lack of real chemistry sets. My daughter appears to be making up for it with Biology instead.
She has Hermit Crabs; the older has survived 18 months of her careful care. She got a new one for Christmas and we built a large cage together for both to share. She has raised and released eight Butterflies and plans on a new batch in June. She now has Aquasaurs growing in a small tank in her room with a 25-watt bulb and black construction to heat the tank. So far, her only failure is a worm farm.
For Chanukah, thanks to an excellent suggestion here on the dope, I gave both kids 10 unbroken Geodes that we broke open and cleaned up ourselves. They both really enjoyed this. My daughter also got a decent prism to start playing with light and a plasma sphere. Plenty of good science stuff out there, parents just need to work harder at it then before.
Jim
The geodes thing is really cool, especially if they’re into that type of thing.
It’s good that you’re being active. Maybe there is hope for your Yankee-loving soul after all.
I have Jarts, a Thingmaker, and a Strange Change Toy (which also has a heating element). When I was a kid I cooked hot dogs on my Thingmaker. But I have no recollection of ever having been burned by it. (But then, I was seven or eight years old so I knew not to touch the heating element.)
I never liked Sky Dancers. First, I was an adult when they came out; second, I’m not a girl. But I did and do like Puddle Jumpers, which are wooden or plasic propellers on a stick.
When I was nine or ten I got a Cox PT-19 Trainer. Yes, the prop on the .049 engine bit my fingers a time or two; but it never drew any blood. Nor did any of the other gas-powered airplanes I played with. And Estes rockets? Never got burnt playing with them – without adult supervision. You see, I was taught that I needed to take precautions and I was instructed as to where they’re safe to fly. And I had a bicycle. I rode it without a helmet! :eek: Really the protective gear I should have worn is a cup. When I was a kid I had a chemistry set. I don’t remember what was in it, except that it had sodium ferrocyanide. I’ve just googled it and found that it’s not dangerous:
Still, when I was a kid I thought it was neat that I could play with ‘cyanide’.
Now I’m wondering about things like Water Wiggles. Couldn’t they hit a kid in the head, or cause an injury to the eyes if it sprayed them? Slip-N-Slide? Kids intentionally throwing themselves on the ground! Twister? Why, it’s possible a child could get into a position where leverage could break bones! Life, Battleship, Monopoly? Choking hazards, all of them! Nerf Balls? Why, a kid could shove one in his mouth! It could expand and choke him! Lego? Ever step on one with bare feet? Not so bad… unless the kid pulls his foot up, loses his balance, and falls out of the second-storey window!
Honestly, how long were Jarts/Lawn Darts on the market? Three kids were fatally injured when they were misused? A friend of mine got a regular dart stuck in his forehead when his brother threw it over the roof of the house. And yet darts are still sold. These toys aren’t Bag-O-Broken-Glass. They aren’t dangerous when used as intended. Even when they are misused (and I misused plenty) the majority of injuries are minor and probably serve to instruct.
Do not Taunt Happy Fun Ball