23 Children’s Toy Lines from the ’70s That Have Been Pulled for Safety Concerns
Childhood is filled with memories of playing in the park, in the garden, or at home with some of our favorite toys. Toys, mainly, played an essential part in our childhood. If you grew up in the ‘70s, it might surprise you that some toys you may have owned and loved had different safety concerns, making them dangerous for kids. These are 23 children’s toy lines from the ‘70s that have been pulled for safety concerns:
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Clackers
Clackers are a classic toy from the ‘70s. It consists of two plastic balls suspended by a string, and a tab is in the middle. The idea behind the toy was to swing the tab up and down and allow the two balls to slam against each other. The toy seemed innocent enough. However, it could be pretty dangerous when played with rashly. Children sometimes hit each other with the balls accidentally, or sometimes the balls shatter into tiny shards.
Swing Bikes
Swing Bikes were a unique kind of bicycle that kids who mainly grew up in the mid-70s rode. These bikes had a second steering axis, a banana seat, and wheelie bars, making it easy to perform stunts. The bikes looked cool and allowed riders to find new and unique ways of riding a bike that regular bikes wouldn’t allow. This also meant that it was more prone to causing accidents for children. The bikes were brought into the market in 1975 and discontinued in 1978 because of the safety concerns they presented.
Lawn Darts
Lawn darts were created from the inspiration of a medieval Greek and Roman weapon. They were large, heavy, and had metal spikes at the end. When playing lawn darts, children were put into two teams and tossed them toward a plastic ring for points. The nature of the toy and the materials used to create it made it a safety hazard for many children who would accidentally get hurt if a lawn dart strayed from its destination and hit another child instead. The toy was eventually and rightfully pulled off the shelves.
Various Craft Kits
Various Craft Kits were great kits that enabled teenagers to make a range of crafts using different supplies that were a part of the kit. These kits helped teenagers create new objects with crafty skills and creativity. However, apart from the items in the kits, children were also required to use different tools to create their crafts, including branding irons or tin snips. The use of these tools had the potential to cause serious injury to the children, which led to the kits being eventually pulled from production.
Battlestar Galactica Space Toys
Mattel released the Battlestar Galactica space toys with missiles in the late 1970s, and children seemed to love them. However, these toys came with multiple hazards, including small red plastic missiles that were supposed to be launched from the toy but presented a great choking hazard for younger children. The next year, the major toy manufacturer recalled the toys because of the safety concerns and accidental swallowing cases that emerged.
Super Elastic Bubble Plastic
The Super Elastic Bubble Plastic toy was manufactured in the 70s and became immensely popular with kids. It consisted of a tube and a straw to blow out semi-solid bubbles. These toys seemed like they did not have anything physically dangerous about them. However, the goo used to create the bubbles was made of polyvinyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and acetone, chemicals known to produce toxic fumes. These toys could cause dizziness and involuntary muscle twitching, eventually pulling the toy from production.
Dip-a-Flower
Dip-a-Flower was a resin art kit popular in the 1970s. Children used the kits to craft their own kinds of flowers out of the materials in the box. This fun kit allowed children to pass their time and stay entertained. However, it was discovered that the materials used to create the resin in the kit contained dangerous chemicals. The kits were eventually pulled back owing to the safety concerns they presented to the children who came in contact with these chemicals.
Disc-o-Punch
Disc-o-punch was like a vintage Nerf gun, except it consisted of miniature plastic discs or Frisbees that could be launched or shot at other people. The toy was made to allow children to run around and innocently shoot at each other. However, the toy had the potential to seriously injure someone when the disc was aimed at someone’s face or head.
Lego
Lego is one of the world’s favorite toys even today. Although they have the potential to be choking hazards to young children, they allow older children to create all kinds of structures using their imagination and skills. Legos made before the ‘80s usually consisted of coloring made from lead, cadmium, and other heavy metals, which were dangerous for anyone who came in contact with them.
Metal Playgrounds
Everyone loves a playground, no matter the materials used to build it. Unfortunately, the metal playgrounds popular in the ‘70s were made out of various metals, presenting different risks. The metal was hard and would cause serious injury if someone fell down on the equipment or hit a part of their body against it. Additionally, the metal slides would heat up and even cause burns on the hot summer days.
Mini-Hammocks
Mini-hammocks were created to allow children to relax while suspended in the air. A contraption tied on opposite ends to trees or poles helped. The hammocks were made of materials that made them prone to twisting and tangling, sometimes even if a child was lying in them. This was extremely dangerous, causing serious injuries and, in extreme cases, even asphyxiation.
Footsie Toy
The Footsie toy was quite popular among children in the ‘70s. It consisted of a small ring connected to a string with a ball. Children were required to slip their ankles into the ring and jump over the cord. It was all fun and games with the Footsie toy until someone would accidentally fall and suffer serious injuries like broken bones, sprains, or bruises.
Shrinky Dinks
Shrinky Dinks are made from plastic sheets children can use to draw on, color, and bake in the oven to watch the drawings shrink from their original size. However, these toys were not inherently dangerous if older children played with them; young children who played with them without knowing how an oven works could lead to dangerous situations. These toys were trendy throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s and were eventually pulled.
BB Guns
Some people do not consider BB Guns toys, but children who grew up in the ‘70s were seen running around with BB guns and using them as toy guns. Often, the guns were used for fun and entertainment purposes among children; however, accidents occurred, and the guns sometimes caused different kinds of injuries to the children. The BB guns were never really pulled, but parents stopped buying them as toys because of the number of safety concerns that the guns had.
Chemistry Sets
Children who grew up in the ‘70s and loved to perform different kinds of experiments often had chemistry sets sold as toys for children. Children used these sets to explore their scientific skills, but the sets that existed in the ‘70s often had actual chemicals that were dangerous for children. Some sets also contained Bunsen burners filled with alcohol and glass equipment like beakers and test tubes. As time passed, all these materials were pulled from chemistry sets and replaced with safer materials, allowing children to experiment using safer equipment.
Toy Cork Gun
During the mid-70s, “Gun Fighter” toy cork guns were sold to children who were meant to use them as toys without the potential to cause serious harm. However, children discovered they could remove the protective plastic plunger cap in the toy guns to expose the two metal rods that would shoot forward when the gun was discharged. The toy cork gun was eventually banned because the metal rods could be propelled into a child’s face and cause a range of serious injuries.
Bow and Arrow Sets
Among the many unusual sets sold as toys to children who grew up in the ‘70s are the bow and arrow sets with arrows with actual metal spikes that were supposed to be shown at a specific target. Multiple times, these arrows caused all kinds of injuries when they were not appropriately aimed or even used to shoot at other children. Seeing the dangerous uses of these sets, the bow and arrow sets with the metal spikes were pulled and replaced with kid-friendly sets that could not cause any harm to children.
Easy-Bake Ovens
Easy-bake ovens emerged in the early to mid-1960s and became popular throughout the 70s and the following decades. They were toy ovens that children could use to bake things using electricity that would heat the equipment that came with the ovens. After decades of being popular, the easy-bake ovens were eventually pulled from production, with thousands of them being recalled in 2007 because of reports that the ovens would get too hot or that children’s fingers would sometimes get caught in the equipment.
Water Rockets
Water rockets were toys that children who grew up in the ‘70s commonly played with. They were made from sturdy plastic in the shape of a rocket, filled with water and air, and launched into the air. These rocket toys were a lot of fun for many children, but they had the potential to be overpressurized and even explode.
Metal Roller Skates
Roller skates used in the ‘70s were mostly made out of metal. Children would wear these skates over their shoes to skate around streets and driveways. Although they provided the wearer speed and fun, they could also cause severe injuries if the wearer accidentally fell because of the materials used to make them. Often, the metal wheels did not offer proper traction, which increased the risk of accidental falls.
Creepy Crawlers
Creepy Crawlers were toys initially released in the mid-60s and gained popularity through the 70s. Children used the toys to make molds of different insects using the different equipment that came with the toy. However, in the late ‘70s, these toys were banned because the oven used to mold the toys would sometimes get too hot and cause burns and the fumes released from the liquid plastic were toxic.
Spark Guns
Spark guns were popular toy guns in the ‘70s that released sparks when the trigger was pulled. Many children owned these toy guns and would often pull the trigger to watch the sparks light up dimly lit rooms. However, the guns posed many safety concerns because children would sometimes aim the guns at each other or touch the sparks that would be released.
Water Wiggle
Water Wiggle was a toy that had a curved nozzle enclosed in plastic. A garden hose could power the nozzle, and the toy would become airborne. Although it was meant to allow children to stay entertained and have fun, the toy could cause serious injury to children when not used correctly or under adult supervision. After the toy caused the unfortunate death of a young child in 1978, it was recalled and stopped from production.
18 Classic Movie Quotes That Would Spark Outrage If Said in Today’s Films
Whether or not you are a movie buff, you’re probably familiar with the famous classic movies that shaped generations. Classic movies often contain iconic lines that have become ingrained in popular culture. However, as we look back, we realize how some of these quotes were downright racist, sexist, or misogynistic and have not aged well with time. Here are 24 classic movie quotes that, if said in today’s films, would likely spark outrage and controversy.
