Back in the ’70s, kids had a whole different set of toys and games compared to today. They were wild for a number of different reasons, mostly because safety wasn’t exactly top of the agenda. Let’s take a look at 25 of these classic games and what made them so dangerous.
A Sharp Game
Kids throwing giant metal darts in the air and aiming for a circle on the ground sounds like a recipe for disaster, and it was. Lawn darts were all fun and games until someone missed the target and found the neighbor’s pet. Or worse, another child. It’s no surprise this game was eventually banned.
Little Scientists, Big Risks
Back when kids could play mad scientist in their own rooms, chemistry sets had all kinds of chemicals that would shock today’s parents. Kids would mix stuff up and hope for a cool reaction, but they usually had no clue about what they were actually handling. Sometimes, things got a bit smoky or even smelly, but it was all in the name of science.
Fast Lane to Trouble
Nothing said “summer” like a Slip ‘N Slide. You just had to roll it out and hose it down before you went flying. But if you didn’t hit it right, you’d end up with a little more than just a splash, like broken bones or a trip to the ER. It turns out that jumping onto wet plastic isn’t always the smoothest of rides. Who would’ve thought it?
Click, Clack, Crack
Clackers were two balls on a string that you’d swing to bang together above and below your hand. It was super satisfying until they cracked because those acrylic shards were nobody’s friends. And if your clackers went out of control? Good luck. These toys disappeared from the shelves almost as quickly as they appeared.
Spin to Sin
With battling tops, you’d wind up your top, pull the ripcord, and watch them go at it in the arena. Unfortunately, these tops had a habit of going rogue and hitting other people, turning them into projectile weapons. It was fun to watch these toys, you just had to make sure you did it from a safe distance.
Burn, Baby, Burn
Who needed Play-Doh when you could make Creepy Crawlers? You just had to pour some goop in a mold and wait for it to heat up before you’d have rubber bugs galore. The only issue was that the “oven” was more like a mini furnace, and you had to be careful not to get burned while making them.
Flying High With Risks
Going on those old metal swings felt like we were launching ourselves into the air like astronauts, although we weren’t strapped in like them. Many of these great flights ended with a not-so-great fall when the whole set tipped over. The rush of going higher was fun until you realized that the landing wasn’t going to be so smooth.
Four Wheels of Fury
Skateboards hit the scene hard, and so did lots of us on the pavement. Early boards were hard to ride and even harder to stop since safety gear was more of an afterthought. Even so, you knew you’d had fun when you got a scraped below or bruised knee, with each one telling a story of a ride that was totally worth the pain.
High on Fumes
Super Elastic Bubble Plastic was pretty wild stuff because it involved creating your own plastic balloon. Sounds pretty fun, right? It’s too bad you were basically just inhaling toxic fumes. Of course, the excitement of seeing a giant bubble we’d made ourselves was enough to make us forget about those dizzy spells.
Walking Tall and Falling Hard
Stilts seemed like a great idea because you could walk around like you were ten feet tall. The falling part wasn’t so great, especially since without any straps or safety gear, it was only a matter of time before you’d take a tumble. Even so, there was something irresistibly fun about towering over everyone else, even if you knew you were going to fall soon enough.
Pedal Power Problems
Everyone had a bike in the ’70s, and we were all speeding around like there was no tomorrow. As for helmets? They were just something you’d wear if your mom insisted, but usually, we just felt the wind in our hair and the road on our faces. Yet, even with all the crashes, we got back on and pedaled even faster because the freedom of riding a bike was too good to give up.
Up and Down Again
Jumping on a pogo stick was essentially just trying to tame a spring using only your feet. If you missed even the tiniest of bounces, you’d end up sprawled on the ground. There was always that one kid who made the whole thing look so easy because they’d bound around like it was nothing.
Spin At Your Own Risk
In the ’70s, people would twirl those hula hoops for hours and compete to see who could last the longest. What could go wrong? Unfortunately, those dizzy spells and sore backs said otherwise, as it turns out that spinning in circles for too long can really throw you off balance. Everyone was always so addicted to being the last one spinning.
Not Child’s Play
To many kids, BB guns were just toys, but those things could really pack a punch. It wasn’t out of the question for a casual target practice session to end with a trip to the hospital. You had to think twice about what you were really shooting at and perhaps just stick to setting up cans in the backyard to aim it.
Up and Down Drama
See-saws look simple because you just go up, and they come down. But if someone decided to jump off mid-ride, it was a tough lesson in gravity. With all those bruises and bumps, you learned quickly to hang on tight to the see-saw. But even with all the risks, the rush of going up and down suddenly was too much to pass up.
Neil Armstrong-ing It
Moon shoes were meant to give us a taste of walking on the moon, but they mostly just gave us twisted ankles. After all, they were like mini trampolines for your feet, which sounds cooler than it actually was. More often than not, you’d end up bouncing right into a face-plant. We can’t imagine Neil Armstrong ever doing something like that.
Shocks and Vibrations
Electric football was meant to be like real football, just with less sweat. The tough part was that the vibrating field would often short-circuit, so you’d get a mild shock anytime you touched it. It wasn’t exactly the kind of touchdown we were hoping for, but seeing those tiny players buzz around was worth any kind of shock.
Discs of Doom
Throwing a Frisbee around sounds safe until you’re catching it with your face instead of your hands. Those plastic discs could come zooming at you pretty fast, but they didn’t always land exactly softly. Even with those occasional misfires, the thrill of a good throw, and catching it just right kept everyone coming back for more.
Hot Wheels With Real Heat
Hot Wheels were meant to go fast and get your adrenaline pumping, which they definitely did. They also gave you a little extra when the batteries started overheating. There’s nothing like a toy car that actually burns rubber, and maybe your carpet, too. You just had to keep an eye on that overheating warning.
Sun and Steel
Whoever thought metal playgrounds were a good idea forgot one thing, the sun. Those slides and monkey bars got scorching hot, and they’d burn anyone who touched them without checking first. But there was something about swinging across those bars that made the risk worth it.
Crafting and Burning
Giving a child a wood-burning kit as a present sounds odd, but it’s something that really happened. They were a way to show off your creative skills, and it all went well until you accidentally touched the tip or dropped it on your foot. That strange smell that it made? That was your skin burning.
Launch At Your Own Risk
Water rockets were pretty awesome once you filled them up and pumped them hard. You just had to be careful not to be in the landing zone, or else you could get a rocket to the head. Using water was meant to make them safe, but sometimes, things got a little bit too explosive to truly enjoy.
Small Bikes, Big Thrills
Riding a mini bike made you feel like a giant until you wiped out. Those little engines could go fast, and without much in the way of brakes or protective gear, spills were just as likely to happen as thrills. But feeling that engine roar beneath you was the best kind of thrill, even if you were going to crash.
Battle in the Sky
Kite flying sounds peaceful enough, especially on those summer days when you have nothing else to do. And that was mostly true, at least until you had a kite battle. Those strings could cut like knives and turn a fun day at the park into a fight with flying blades. But if you won, it felt like you had been crowned the ruler of the sky.
High-Flying and Risky Fun
If you wanted to feel like you were flying, there was no greater way to do it than by jumping on a backyard trampoline. Kids all over loved to bounce as high as they could and try to touch the sky. Unfortunately, safety nets and proper padding weren’t a thing yet, so hard landings and launches right off the trampoline were part of the process.
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