Remember these toys? Somehow we survived

The toys of our childhoods were simple, usually required imagination, and some were — let’s face it — downright dangerous.

When you look at this list of common toys, you might ask yourself: How did we survive?

Lawn darts, sometimes called jarts: Were a game that involved 12-inch weighted and sharpened metal darts. Toss the dart in the target on the ground, and you get a point.
Problem is that they were dangerous. At least 1,000 serious injuries and three deaths were attributed to the game. By 1988, they were banned.

Chemistry sets: Sold since at least 1845, and the sets contained increasingly dangerous substances. Most chemicals were harmless, but some contained sodium cyanide, a poison. In the 1950s, atomic sets contained radioactive uranium (Fun for the whole family!). Glassblowing sets came with blowtorches. They were actually instrumental in the careers of some scientists. But by the 1970s, most were banned.

Clackers (early versions): Although still sold with different materials, these were heavy balls on each end of a string. In the 1960s and early 1970s, these toys were fun but painful. The goal was to swing them up and down, so the balls on each end of a string clacked together. If you missed, woe to you. In 1968, tempered glass spheres would eventually shatter, sending glass shards everywhere. Today’s models are lighter-weight plastic.

Then there was a whole class of toy guns that were foundational to childhood, such as cap guns, BB guns, and spud guns.