RECALLED TOYS

Abril Olivo

Are toys fun or lethal? Toys these days have explicit warnings and age labels on them to let people know what’s safe and not safe for children of all ages. But at one point those safety measures weren’t as good as they are today. Before, people could buy their kids uranium in chemistry kits or Mini Bake Ovens that kids could burn their hands with if they stuck their hands inside. These toys were recalled after multiple injuries, but it makes you wonder what other toys got recalled for causing serious injuries.

Columnist, T. S. | L. (2018, November 23). Stawar: Trouble in Toyland. News and Tribune. https://www.newsandtribune.com/opinion/stawar-trouble-in-toyland/article_0add4512-edcf-11e8-9e48-772ce70f90a4.html

Mini Bake Oven

Who thought letting kids play with hot mini stoves was a good idea? Hasbro did and that’s how hundreds of little kids got their hands burned. There have been 249 reported injuries and a partial finger amputation caused by Mini Bake Ovens which caused Hasbro to recall them. Even after this failure Hasbro has released 11 more versions of the Mini Bake Oven with each of them meeting safety requirements. Hasbro should just throw in the towel and admit that letting kids play with hot little ovens was never a good idea.

Mattel 1978 Battlestar Galactica Stellar Probe Colonial Viper Firing Missiles. eBay. (n.d.). https://www.ebay.com/itm/255563378920\

Rollerblade Barbie

It might appear as common sense that sparks could cause potential fires. But not everyone has common sense and Mattel released Rollerblade Barbie, when her roller skates are rolled on a flat surface they produce sparks. Barbie is dressed in a classic 80s roller rink outfit with Ken wearing the same thing. These toys were recalled because parents reported that the sparks could cause potential fires. Even though Mattel said Barbie can be anything they probably don’t want her to be a fire starter.

YouTube. (2023, January 14). Snacktime cabbage patch kid doll eating hair - most dangerous banned Kids Toy Ever. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04_n5lt6eAg

Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab

Everyone wants their kids to grow to be little Einsteins but this toy might have taken that dream a bit far. The Gilbert Atomic Energy Lab has actual uranium in its samples. Uranium is one of the most radioactive elements that we have to date so letting kids freely touch and play with them was shocking. This toy was recalled not because of its dangerous element but because it didn’t make enough profit. It cost $49.50 in the 50s which in today's money is $530 not a lot of people bought it because of how expensive it was. If this toy had been cheaper, who knows how many kids could have been exposed to this radioactive ore and would have suffered the health issues it came with.

Dakss, B. (2007, February 6). Easy-bake ovens recalled. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/easy-bake-ovens-recalled/

Battlestar Galactica

Small parts are every parent's worst nightmare. They’re scared their kids will shove the parts up their noses, in their ears, or even worse in their mouths. Safety precautions also weren’t as good as they are today but there must have been a reason that they’ve improved so much. Battlestar Galactica toys are the reason toys now have choking hazard labels. A boy shot the little bullet that these toys come with into his mouth and it got stuck in his larynx. He died due to his injuries. After his parents sued the toy company all Battlestar Galactica toys were recalled to prevent any further incidents.

The Blume Saloon podcast on Instagram: “Rollerblade barbie had literal sparks shooting out of her boots and things got fiery. ‘Last year, my two daughters received presents of two rollerblade Barbie dolls by Mattel. on March 8, my 8-year-old daughter was playing beauty shop with her 4-year-old brother. after spraying him with hair spray, the children began to play with the boot to Rollerblade Barbie. my little girl innocently ran the skate across her brother’s bottom, which immediately ignited his clothes.’ 😱 so then of course David Letterman had to try for himself. 🔥.” Instagram. (n.d.). https://www.instagram.com/p/CBvubvqAh4R/

RECALLED BUT REMAIN

Jose Alvarez

There have been many toys over the years, some that were an amazing part of everyone’s childhood or some that were boring, today we will be talking about neither, we will be talking about toys that have been recalled because they were a huge danger to children.

Amazon.com: Scione Fidget Spinners toys 5 pack, sensory hand fidget ... Amazon. (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/SCIONE-Spinners-Adults-Sensory-Packs-ADHD-Anxiety/dp/B071KZS7H1

Body Harm

Some toys may have been recalled but are still being sold the same as clackers. Clackers are two balls made of hard acrylic plastic attached to a long and strong string, the way you play with this is by holding the string and moving the hand up and down which makes the balls hit each other and bounce off each other. Many parents had reported this toy for the amount of hands that had been broken and damaged thanks to this toy along with these balls often shattering and launching the pieces everywhere which would hit someone, even though these toys may have been recalled some places still sell them. Similar to Clackers there is another toy that was recalled but is still being sold in certain places. I am talking about fidget spinners, these spinners were very popular in stores though there wasn’t much they did except spin and look cool. These toys were hazardous to small children because the little things that they had on the sides would often fall out and they would be a choking hazard. These spinners were recalled and yes they are still being sold but they are no longer as popular or dangerous mostly because they got rid of the ones that had those little side pieces.

Hombremagnetico, & Instructables. (2023, January 10). Clackers: The Toy of Doom. Instructables. https://www.instructables.com/Clackers-the-Toy-of-Doom/

Explosive Toys

Some toys were recalled for safety reasons for example the easy bake oven was recalled for the burns children and some adults received, some of these ovens would often cause house fires because they would be left on for hours or they would randomly explode, though nowadays some of these easy bake ovens are still being sold most of them are safer for children and are mostly used for pretend. Sadly, some of these recalled items have caused fatalities due to some Hoverboards made by a company called Jetson Rogue, these hoverboards may look and act like every other hoverboard made by other companies but these specific boards if charged for too long would explode and catch fire which have caused homes to be lost and for some lives to be lost or severely harmed.

Ailes, E. (2015, October 13). How the “hoverboards” took off - in spite of laws against them. BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34053740

End

These are a few of the many toys that have been recalled. If you have any questions or want to know more about these recalled toys please don’t ask me, go watch some old news about these recalled toys or ask an expert. Or better yet ask a family member about their experience with old toys and what harm they would cause.

Sources

Mulligan, Mr. (2020, September 19). The tiny red missile that shook up the toy industry in 1979. Vintage Toy Emporium. https://www.vintafetoyemporium.com/post/the-tiny-red-missle-that-shook-up-the-toy0industry-in-1979

New Easy-bake oven recall following partial finger amputation; consumers urged to return toy ovens. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. (n.d.). https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2007/new-easy-bake-oven-recall-following-partial-finger-amputation-consumers-urged-to-return

Holiday toy shopping during the 1950s looked a bit different than during the 2020s. Energy.gov. (n.d.). https://www.energy.gov/lm/articles/holiday-toy-shopping-during-1950s-looked-bit-different-during-2020s

20 most dangerous toys of all time - banned Kids Toys - Good Housekeeping. (n.d.). https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/childrens-products/g22851411/most-dangerous-toys/

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