Ten Most Dangerous Toys of All Time December 14, 2006
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The most dangerous toy our parents gave us when we were kids was a potato. That, perhaps, explains our current obsession with shiny objects. In the spirit of reminiscing, Radar Mag has a roundup of the ten most dangerous toys in the last half century. These honestly don't stand up in comparison with the depression-era "Razor Flying Disc"—which was just one giant razor—or "Little Johnny's Smallpox Infection, Diagnosis, and Treatment Kit" that was so popular at the turn of the century.
Some of the more notable items Radar's list are Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy lab with actual radioactive specimens, Bat Masterson's belt gun that went off when pudgy kids relaxed for just a second, and the Fisher-Price Power Wheels Motorcycle that resulted in some Steve-O-like trips around the neighborhood cul-de-sac. – Jason Chen
Pray for Coal [Radar Magazine]
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
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Comments
The title of this article is a bit misleading. Only some toys are intrinsically dangerous. Others are dangerous only if misused. I have a set of lawn darts, and they've never harmed a single person. Why? We didn't let little kids downrange of them when we were throwing them! Jeez. They came with strident instructions that injury could occur if proper game play was not followed. Alas, here in America, responsibility for handling things according to their instructions does not exist anymore. No, it just HAS to be someone else's fault you didn't bother to follow the rules or instructions. Like the woman who put her infant in a rolling walker and then failed to block the child's access to the staircase while on the second floor. Who did she blame? The people who made the walker, of course. They should have manufactured a product usable by people who shouldn't be reproducing in the first place. Sigh. I live in a nation of idiots. No wonder lawyers/solicitors hang shingles out on every street corner. Wherever you breed idiots, you will have lawyers flocking to them to protect them from taking the blame themselves for their own stupidity.
And yes, I've had several opportunities to sue in my life, but I'd be embarassed to admit I did something stupid so I accept my responsibility as a necessary consequence. Got 13 stitches in my hand to prove it.
Mary Lynn J.