1. Lawn Darts
If you ever played lawn darts in your backyard, you were either brave or blissfully unaware. These heavy darts came with long, metal spikes that you’d toss high into the air, aiming for a plastic ring on the grass. But what often happened? Someone got hit. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, lawn darts caused at least 6,100 emergency room visits before they were banned in 1988. Families loved the competitive fun, but flying metal spears and little kids didn’t mix. Somehow, these managed to stay on shelves for years before common sense and lawsuits finally won.
2. Cabbage Patch Snacktime Kids
These adorable dolls were meant to “eat” plastic snacks you’d feed them through their mechanical mouths. The trouble? The dolls didn’t know when to stop. If a child’s finger or strand of hair got too close, the doll’s motorized jaw would suck it in and keep going. No off-switch. No mercy. Parents reported painful tugs and even trips to the ER. One mother told CBS News in 1997, “My daughter screamed as it pulled her hair. We had to cut it off to stop the pain.” Mattel eventually pulled the dolls after mounting pressure and growing concerns.
3. Clackers
If you were a kid in the ’70s, Clackers probably left a mark, literally. Two acrylic balls hung on a string, and the goal was to swing them up and down so they’d clack together. But sometimes, they shattered mid-air into plastic shrapnel. Kids loved the sound and the skill challenge, but eye injuries and broken fingers weren’t part of the appeal. One consumer safety report from the era simply called them “projectiles waiting to happen.” Eventually, the toy’s dangerous design couldn’t be overlooked, and Clackers were yanked off shelves in the early ’80s.
4. Creepy Crawlers Oven
At first glance, Creepy Crawlers looked like a science kit dream. Kids could pour “Plasti-Goop” into metal molds and cook up plastic bugs in a tiny oven. But this was no Easy-Bake. The heating element could get hot enough to cause second-degree burns. The molds themselves got scalding too. A nostalgic toy, sure, but one that gave many kids a hard lesson in heat safety. “My brother burned his hand so bad we had to wrap it in gauze for days,” one Reddit user shared. Eventually, safety standards caught up with the concept and shut it down.
5. Aqua Dots
Aqua Dots were a modern addition to the toy world but deserved a mention here for sheer shock value. Kids could create colorful designs with small beads that stuck together when sprayed with water. Fun, right? Not when they were coated with a chemical that, when ingested, metabolized into GHB, a date rape drug. The FDA reported dozens of children vomiting, slipping into comas, and being hospitalized. The toys were pulled in 2007, but the fact that they passed initial testing is still baffling. One parent told CNN, “I thought they were just craft beads. Then came the ambulance.”
6. Gilbert U-238 Atomic Energy Lab
In the early ’50s, toy companies thought kids could handle almost anything, including uranium. This lab kit came with four types of radioactive ore and tools like a cloud chamber to watch particles decay. Yep, radioactive materials for children. The creator, Alfred Gilbert, once said, “We trusted kids to be curious and cautious.” But radiation doesn’t quite pair well with curiosity. The kit only sold for a year before disappearing from stores, mostly due to public concern. It’s now a collector’s item and a cautionary tale in museum exhibits around the country.
7. Battlestar Galactica Missile-Firing Toys
Inspired by the popular space series, these action figures had spring-loaded missiles that actually fired. The problem? One child choked and died after putting a missile in his mouth. The tragedy prompted Mattel and other toy makers to re-evaluate projectile safety. “It was a wake-up call for the entire toy industry,” a 1979 New York Times article noted. After lawsuits and public outcry, these types of toys were recalled or redesigned with non-firing parts. It led to new regulations that still shape toy safety today, proof that change often comes with a heavy price.
8. Sky Dancers
They looked magical: fairy-like dolls that launched into the air with a pull-string base. Sky Dancers twirled, floated, and crashed. Right into eyes, pets, ceiling fans, you name it. The unpredictability was part of the thrill but also the main issue. Over 100 injuries were reported, including chipped teeth and temporary blindness. One child had a Sky Dancer land straight into her face, as reported by Consumer Affairs. The toys were recalled in 2000 after being deemed unsafe. They were enchanting, yes, but not worth the ER trip.
9. Monster Science Kits
Science kits are usually fun and educational, but these 1980s Monster kits leaned way too far into the mad scientist aesthetic. Some included real acids, flammable powders, and formaldehyde to “create your own monster.” There were minimal warnings, and no real protective gear was provided. A 1983 safety board statement called them “chemical time bombs for kids’ bedrooms.” Burns and toxic exposure became common issues, leading to quick bans and reworks. They might’ve sparked curiosity, but also sparked more than a few fires in the process.
10. CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit
Launched during the CSI craze, this kit encouraged kids to dust for fingerprints like real crime scene investigators. But tests later found the powder in the kit contained tremolite asbestos, a known carcinogen. The Environmental Working Group reported the danger in 2007, saying, “There is no safe level of asbestos exposure.” The toys were swiftly recalled, but by then, thousands had been sold. Parents were stunned. “I thought I was buying an educational toy, not a health hazard,” one mom told USA Today. It was a reminder that even seemingly harmless kits could hide real risks.
11. Easy-Bake Oven (Early Models)
This childhood staple let kids bake tiny cakes with a lightbulb, but earlier versions had a serious flaw. The slot where kids inserted pans was also the perfect size for small fingers. Over 77 children suffered burns, and one 5-year-old needed a partial finger amputation. The CPSC issued multiple warnings before Hasbro finally recalled almost 1 million units. “I just wanted to make cookies,” one little girl told ABC News. The Easy-Bake eventually got a redesign, but it’s one of those classic toys that straddled the line between sweet and scary.
12. Magnetix
Magnetix were marketed as building toys using small magnetic rods and balls. But if swallowed, these super-strong magnets could attract each other through intestinal walls, causing tears, blockages, or even death. Over 30 injuries and at least one death were reported before the product was recalled in 2007. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic warned, “Two magnets inside the body can be fatal.” Despite updated versions, the original toys serve as a chilling example of how something so small can cause so much harm. The risks were hidden, but the consequences were very real.
13. Jarts Jr.
After the original Lawn Darts were banned, some manufacturers tried to bring them back in kid-friendly form as Jarts Jr. They were smaller but still had pointed ends and the same tossing concept. Unsurprisingly, they were still dangerous. Eye injuries, head bruises, and pet accidents followed. It turns out, shrinking something hazardous doesn’t make it safe. The CPSC eventually banned all versions under the lawn dart umbrella, calling them “inherently dangerous.” It was a final nail in the coffin for a toy that just couldn’t be fixed.
14. Belt Buckle Derringer Toy
Here’s one that really makes you pause. This belt buckle looked innocent enough until a child pressed a hidden button and it shot out a plastic bullet. Yes, it actually fired. And yes, it looked like a real gun. In a time when toy realism was all the rage, this one crossed a dangerous line. Parents and police alike were concerned it could be mistaken for a weapon or teach kids to treat guns like toys. It was eventually pulled from stores, and rightly so. Some ideas are better left in the brainstorm stage.
This story 14 Banned Toys from the ’70s and ’80s That Somehow Got Released Anyway was first published on Daily FETCH
