Growing up we did things that we wouldn't think twice about, but our kids look at us like 'WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT!'. We played with mercury, chasing it around our desks, now they shut the school down if a thermometer breaks! The toys we had lasted, they were metal and made to last, our tricycles and wagons had rust which added character. We never thought twice about our toys. Well, that is about to change as I found this list of the 10 most dangerous banned children's toys of all time. I know I had some of these growing up, did you?

 

  • 10

    Yo-Yo Water Balls

    Made from flammable diesel hydrocarbons, this stretchy toy could cause strangulation if wrapped around a child’s neck, and was banned in Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.

    As of December 13, 2007, the CPSC had received 409 reported injuries, 294 of which were classified as suffocation/strangulation. Yikes!

  • 9

    Clackers

    Also known as Knockers and Click Clacks, these heavy acrylic balls attached to weighty string had only one purpose: to be knocked together as fast and hard as possible. Clackers were officially banned in 1985.

  • 8

    Slap Bracelets

    Slap bracelets, also known as “slap wraps,” were popular in the late ’80s and early ’90s, but were banned in several schools after reports of injuries.

  • 7

    Sky Dancers

    These popular mid-’90s flying toys were recalled after just six years on the market following reports of over 100 injuries. That’s about 9 million Sky Dancers recalled! The problem was that the winged Barbie looking doll flew erratically and could cut a child or cause temporary blindness!

  • 6

    Candy Cigarettes

    While these are still legally sold at a variety of novelty shops across the country, they’ve raised plenty of concern over encouraging children to take up smoking, and were even banned in North Dakota from 1953 to 1967. Popeye Cigarettes marketed using the Popeye character were sold for a while and had red tips (to look like a lit cigarette) before being renamed candy sticks and being manufactured without the red tip.

  • 5

    Lawn Darts

    Lawn darts or also known as JARTS were heavy, solid pieces of metal that could easily impale someone. Responsible for a whopping 7,000 injuries, these lethal toys of death were banned on December 19, 1988 by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

  • 4

    Belt Buckle Derringer Toy Gun

    This toy hails from the year 1959 and actually fired a toy gun and cap when the user pushed his stomach forward, and while it was all in good fun, the caps could actually catch fire!

  • 3

    Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kid

    Not only was your childhood fun, it could have been traumatic with one of these creepy dolls which were programmed with “real chewing action”. They had some cannibalistic tendencies…as kids often got their fingers and even their hair caught in her mouth, and as a result, Mattel banned them in 1997.

  • 2

    Metal Playgrounds

    We all had one of these in the neighborhood growing up. The rust just added grit to grip better! Plus in the summertime, they got up to about a billion degrees sitting in the hot sun all day!

  • 1

    Atomic Energy Laboratory

    I've got an idea, let us let 8 and 9-year-olds play with radiation! Yes, believe it or not, the the U-238 Atomic Energy Lab was released in 1951 by Albert Gilbert (inventor of the Erector set), and included real radioactive materials! It was thankfully pulled from the shelves after less than a year.

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