12 Toys That Were Dangerous to Play With
These toys from recent history found their way or nearly made it onto the banned list for being the most dangerous.
A dangerous toy that tends to injure the people you’re marketing it to is never a good business move. Here are some toys that found their way onto the banned list or were pulled before they made it there.
Atomic Laboratory Kits
The Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab was an early 1950s toy that was one of the most dangerous toys of all time because it was radioactive. The set contained four samples of naturally occurring radioactive uranium ore: autunite, torbernite, uraninite, and carnotite.
The set also included a Geiger-Mueller radiation counter, other tools, and a comic book featuring Dagwood from the Blondie comic strip. The comic book was titled, “Learn How Dagwood Splits the Atom.”
YoYo Ball
The YoYo Ball was a popular toy at the start of the 2000s, but by 2003, reports were beginning to come in that it wasn’t as much fun as previously thought. Over 400 cases of near-strangulation were reported using the YoYo Ball.
The toy had a colorful ball attached to a cord of bungee-like material. The cord was getting wrapped around the necks of kids and, in some cases, causing them to blackout. To make matters worse, the cord material was somewhat sticky, making it difficult to release if it did get around a neck.
Canada, Brazil, France, Australia, and the United Kingdom banned the YoYo Ball, and the State of Illinois did as well. Many large retailers in the U.S. quit selling them, but the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found that the toy did not meet congressionally mandated standards to issue a recall based on the number of incidents, the low likelihood of strangulation, and the risk of injury. The cord length was later reduced to meet new standards and can be bought today at many large retailers.
Kite Tube
Though this item wasn’t specifically a toy but more a recreational device, it still became one of the most dangerous items sold for fun. The Kite Tube was a ten-foot wide, flat tube that allowed riders to go airborne when they pulled on a cord. The problem was that once the rider was in the air, there was little way of controlling the tube. There was also no way to protect a rider from forcefully plummeting back to Earth. The result was two deaths and many injuries. The company, Sportsstuff, voluntarily recalled the tubes before the U.S. CPSC could take action.
Aqua Dots
Aqua Dots were arranged into designs, and when given a spray of water from a handy dispenser, the design formed into a cohesive unit. The problem with the magical dots was that they contained some particularly hazardous chemicals. Kids could suffer seizures, drowsiness, or even become comatose.
One of the chemicals in Aqua Dots, when ingested, metabolized into gamma hydroxybutyrate, or GHB, which is also known as the “date rape” drug. Over four million of the toys were recalled, and it was later found that the Toronto-based maker of Aqua Dots, Spin Master, knew their product formed into the drug. The CPSC fined them $1.3 million.
Snacktime Kid
The Cabbage Patch Kids were huge in the 1980s, but this one wasn’t as big a hit as it tended to clamp down on children’s fingers.
The Snacktime Kid had a motorized mouth that would munch down on plastic goodies fed to it, but it didn’t take long for little fingers and hair to get caught up in the action. Plus, there was no way to turn the munching off since the toy had no off switch. Once something got in the Snacktime Kid, it would keep going. Mattel pulled them off the shelves as it became apparent this doll wouldn’t get full with just some little plastic pieces.
Polly Pockets With Quik Clik
Polly Pockets were miniature dolls and playsets in compact cases that became a hit in the 1990s and were produced by Mattel. In 2004, Mattel expanded the line and introduced its “Quik Clik” Polly Pockets, which were larger sets and a departure from the compact cases.
These sets had tiny magnets inside the dolls and accessories that could fall out and be swallowed or placed by a child in their nose or ears, causing serious injury. Mattel voluntarily recalled about 7.3 million sets starting in 2006.
Clackers
In the 1970s, a toy called Clackers seemed harmless enough, but in no time, it was found that the toy posed an injury risk. Clackers did just what the name implied. The toy made a “clacking” sound when the two balls attached to a string were hit together. However, a problem arose when the two balls broke apart or the string broke when clacked. This increased the chance of injury to a child’s face.
There were many safety warnings about the toy, but it was never banned after the material the balls were made of was changed. Clackers had a resurgence in popularity in Indonesia in 2022 because of videos on the social media platform TikTok, which showed people playing with the toy. This trend spread to other Asian countries. Clackers are known as “latto-latto” in Asia, which is derived from the Buginese word “latto,” meaning clacking sound.
Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper
In 1978, Mattel created the Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper, based on a spacecraft from the television series Battlestar Galactica. The toy had a missile that could be fired, but later in the same year the toy came out, a 4-year-old boy accidentally shot the part into his mouth and choked to death. Mattel recalled the toy in January 1979. The boy’s parents sued Mattel in March 1979 and won the case. This toy is why there is a requirement for choking warnings on toys today.
Slip ‘n Slide
Slip ‘n Slide was a summer recreational item invented in the 1960s that allowed kids to cool off during the summer months. Kids could slide down a plastic sheet that had its own water sprays. More than 9 million were sold between 1961 and 1992, but the problem occurred when the item started being used by teenagers and adults who were too big to use it. They would slide down and get neck injuries, with some leading to spinal cord injuries.
Slip ‘n Slides were recalled in 1993 by the CPSC but not banned and were able to stay on the market, though it was strongly recommended to be only used by children with proper safety precautions.
Easy-Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven has been around for a long time, cooking up semi-delicious treats. Amazingly, the oven hadn’t had a recall until recently. A model introduced by Hasbro in 2006 quickly began having reports of kids’ fingers getting caught in the oven and causing burns.
Seventy-seven burns were reported, with 16 being severe. In total, 249 incidents were reported, with one little girl requiring a partial finger amputation. Hasbro had to recall one million Easy-Bake Ovens only a year later, in 2007.
Rollerblade Barbie
Rollerblades started to become popular in the late 1980s and peaked in popularity in the 1990s, and to get in on this trend, Mattel released a Barbie wearing rollerblades. But what was different with these rollerblades was that when it was rolled on a flat surface, a cigarette lighter-like device in the doll’s skates would produce sparks. This led to some problems as the sparks could ignite something flammable. Mattel recalled the toy in 1991.
Lawn Darts
No banned toy list is complete without the mother of all dangerous toys, the lawn dart. These pointed projectiles caused over 7,000 injuries and four deaths. They were originally weighted at one end so they would stick in the ground, the object being to see who could get it in a circle on the ground and not into the body of an opposing player.
The toy lasted through the 70s and 80s until the CPSC implemented a full-on ban in 1988. Jarts, one of the original lawn dart makers, finally came up with a much safer version with rounded tips made of plastic. Now, everyone can re-enjoy a game where people once took their lives in their hands to play.
Honorable Mention-The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
While it wasn’t exactly a toy, a product by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the agency that looks out for toy safety, had its own recall. In 1974, the CPSC had to recall 80,000 lapel buttons promoting toy safety that it had distributed because the buttons had sharp edges, had paint with too much lead, and the clips could break off and be swallowed. It just shows you that making something safe isn’t as easy as everyone would think.