14 toys from the ’70s that kids today would never understand
There was a time when a smooth rock with googly eyes counted as a Christmas gift, and kids were perfectly happy about it. The toys of the 1970s were a product of a world that was looser, louder, and considerably less child-proof than today. Some made it to modern shelves. Others vanished after a few too many trips to the emergency room. Here are a few of them to boost your memory.
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Lawn darts
Each dart weighed about a pound and ended in a sharp metal tip. The government banned them in 1988 after thousands of injuries. Before that, they were the backyard staple of every American suburb.
Image credit: Wikipedia Commons/Mr.Nostalgic
Clackers
Two heavy acrylic balls on a string, swung until they clacked together at speed. The result was frequently bruised knuckles and shattered balls. Both the U.S. and Canada eventually pulled them from shelves.
Image Credit: Amazon.
Pet rocks
A smooth stone in a cardboard box with air holes. Pet rocks came with a care and feeding guide and were sold by the millions in 1975. The ad man who invented them made roughly $15 million in six months.
Image Credit: Etsy.com.
Weebles
“Weebles wobble, but they don’t fall down.” Introduced by Playskool in 1971, Weebles worked on a counterweight system that kept them upright no matter what a child did. It felt like magic when you were five.
Image Credit: Vintage Toys / Facebook.
Super Elastic Bubble Plastic
Blow a lump of plastic goop into a bubble through a straw. Simple enough, except the plastic was made from polyvinyl acetate dissolved in acetone, the main ingredient in nail polish remover. It disappeared from shelves once parents figured that out.
Shrinky Dinks
Color a sheet of plastic, cut it out, put it in the oven, and watch it shrink into a stiff little charm. Invented in 1973 by two Wisconsin moms as a Cub Scout project, Shrinky Dinks first sold at a local mall and eventually moved 365 million dollars’ worth of product.
Image Credit: Amazon.
Lite-Brite
A lightbulb behind a black pegboard, colored translucent pegs, and paper templates. The original Lite-Brite had a warmth that came from the heat of the bulb and the smell of warm plastic. Still sold today, but not quite the same.
Image credit: nostalgia / Reddit
The Water Wiggle
A plastic head attached to a garden hose that whipped in every direction at full pressure. Wham-O recalled it in 1978 after two children drowned in separate incidents. Adults mostly turned on the hose and watched.
Image credit: Nostalgia / Reddit
Fashion Plates
Released by Tomy in 1978, Fashion Plates let kids layer plastic relief plates and rub a crayon over paper to create outfit illustrations. Thousands of ’70s children designed entire collections before they knew what design was.
Image credit: Etsy
Knit Magic
A hand-cranked plastic loom that produced actual knitted tubes of yarn. It required patience and a tolerance for tangled thread, and it produced something real and wearable, which set it apart from almost everything else on shelves.
Image credit: Kylelovesyou / Wikimedia Commons
The Swing Wing
Introduced by the Transogram Company in 1965, the Swing Wing was a hat with a weighted ball on a pivot at the brim. You swung it in circles using only your neck. Chiropractors, in retrospect, should have been sponsoring the commercials.
Image credit: Wikipedia/Public Domain
Simon
Four colored panels, a sequence of lights and tones, and the creeping dread of forgetting what came next. Simon launched in 1978 and became one of the decade’s best sellers. It still holds up as a test of memory.
Image Credit: Ebay.com.
Star Wars action figures
When the film arrived in 1977, the figure line became a phenomenon of its own. Small and detailed, with accessories perfectly sized to disappear into the carpet forever. A complete original set in good condition is worth thousands today.
Image credit: Matthew Paul Argall/iStock
Atari 2600
Frogger, Pitfall, and Space Invaders on a home television. The Atari 2600 seemed miraculous in 1977. The graphics were blocks of color, and the sound was electronic beeps. Kids didn’t notice either.
Image Credit: MYSATURDAYM0RNINGS / YouTube.
Wrap up
Some of these were pulled for good reason. Others were retired by time. All of them required a child to use imagination, absorb physical feedback, and sometimes accept that the toy had won. For a full look at how dangerous ’70s toys shaped a generation, the history speaks for itself.
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Related:
- Everyday objects from the ’80s that cost a fortune now
- Nostalgic ’80s toys that are worth more than we thought (literally & figuratively)
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