9 toys from the 1960s that would be deemed too dangerous for today's kids

We all have fond memories of these toys.

Image: TolToys Kid

Growing up in the 1960s meant growing up with some of the best toys on the market. We had Hot Wheels, Barbies, G.I. Joes — not to mention all the adventures we had playing outside. 

Although toys were great in the 60s, they were also kind of dangerous. Looking back, it's hard to imagine how we made it into adulthood without being scarred for life with these nine toys. But alas, we made it! And these toys arguably made us stronger and ready for the real world. 

How many of these toys did you have?

1. Super Elastic Bubble Plastic

 

This toy, manufactured by Wham-O, was like a step above blowing bubbles. You squeezed out a little bit of liquid plastic, rolled it into a ball, and blew through a straw to create colorful durable bubbles. 

Sounds harmless, right? Of course not. The bubbles contained chemicals like polyvinyl acetate (found in glue) and ethyl acetate (found in nail polish remover). And if you inhaled it, you got a mouthful of toxic fumes. It's no wonder the toy was discontinued in the 1980s. 


Image: Remembering the 70s

2. Creepy Crawlers

 

Mattel gave us this gift in 1964. The danger factor not only included noxious fumes, but an exposed hot plate which kids were supposed to heat up to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

The point of this game was to create plastic bugs. In order to do so, kids poured a substance called "Plastigoop" into metal molds on the hot plate and let them bake. (Words like "Plastigoop" are never a good sign, right?). The instructions said to let the bugs cool off before removing them, but we're guessing kids chose to ignore those instructions. 


Image: YouTube

3. Little Lady Stove

 

The Little Lady Stove may be quaint and petite, but it packs a much more powerful punch than the Creepy Crawlers hot plate. In the 1960s, officials wanted to ban it because it generated too much heat — 600 degrees Fahrenheit to be exact! That's more powerful than most real stoves need to be. 

Image: icollector.com

4. Jarts

 

Jarts were heavy lawn darts with metal spikes designed to fly in the air, and they were also a recipe for disaster. The toy had already been banned once, but officials ruled they could come back as long as they were labeled for adults only. 

But that didn't stop kids from using it. In the late 1980s, a seven-year-old girl died after accidentally being hit with a dart. This prompted her father to successfully lobby to get them banned for good. Officials found that in the eight years leading up to the girl's death, a whopping 6,100 people went to the emergency room because of the lawn darts. 81 percent of those people were 15 and younger. It's probably good this toy isn't around today. 

Image: www.expertlaw.com

5. Water Wiggle

 

Wham-O is a repeat offender when it comes to dangerous toys. The Water Wiggle was a popular summer toy like the Slip 'n Slide, but it was a little more dangerous. The toy would whip around in every direction, sparing no one from its wrath. 


Image: Top of Texas Gazette

6. Swing Wing

 

It's like a Hula Hoop… for your head! Transogram Games developed the simple concept in 1965, and it probably gave kids vertigo, whiplash and neck problems for years to come. 


Image: YouTube

7. Sixfinger

 

Sixfinger was the quintessential "you'll shoot your eye out" toy of the 1960s. But not only was Sixfinger dangerous, it was also really bizarre. Obviously kids found it really cool to have a sixth finger that doubled as a toy gun, but did the manufacturers really think people would be fooled that a cold, plastic object could be mistaken for an extra finger?


Image: YouTube

8. Vac-U-Form

 

Another toy, another exposed hot plate. The Vac-U-Form was similar to Creepy Crawlers in the respect that kids got to create their own toys. To do that, they had to heat up a sheet of plastic, form a mold, and then suck the plastic down over the mold so the toy would form. 

Image: www.spookshows.com

9. Luscious Limbs

 

Luscious Limbs isn't so much dangerous as it is weird. The fun part was kids got to create body parts out of a mold... But that wasn't all. Kids also got to eat those body parts. That's right, hands, feet, and ears were fair game. We don't even want to think about all the chemicals kids consumed by eating those appendages.

Image: Flashbak

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10 Comments

oldiesmusicfan 28 months ago
Does anyone remember an art craft kit from the 1960's called a Mosaic Tile Set? You put the plastic colored tiles on a sticky board that had numbers corresponding to a certain color and it formed a photo of a horse. I had the horse kit but they had others that you could buy. It was like the venus paradise coloring set.
AnnieM 29 months ago
Ahhh...the wonderful smell of cooking Plastigoop.
ScottSmith 43 months ago
You forgot Clackers. Those things could knock someone out.
oldiesmusicfan ScottSmith 28 months ago
Hi Scott, You brought back memories just now of Click Clacks from 1971. I bought them when they were made out of glass. They had to take it off the market and started making them out of hard plastic to make them safer. Those were eventually taken off the market.
lespaulplayer 43 months ago
We survived though, maybe because we didn't have any Tide Pods to eat
DeniseC061612 52 months ago
That Water Wiggle nearly choked me in the 60’s! It was flying around like crazy and started wrapping around my neck, thank God my dad heard me screaming. That thing went right in the trash. 🙄😜
LeeHarper 54 months ago


Can't tell you how many times I got burnt. It was fun though.
oldiesmusicfan LeeHarper 28 months ago
I had the wood burning set around 1968 and I burnt my finger many times on the hot metal tip. I think they took it off the market. I also had the candle making kit in 1971 where you had to melt the wax in a pot on the stove. I never even used it and that also was taken off the market.
michael 69 months ago
My daughter, Sarah, has autism. As special as she is, I need to provide her with toys that is suitable and serve its function as therapy toys. I tried bubble machine, which is quite popular for autistic children. You can find infos about the best toys for them on the internet like https://mybubblemachine.com here which is where I got my information regarding what kind of toys should I get for Sarah.
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