What are the most insane/unhinged kids toys?

2 days ago by cheese_greater to c/asklemmy

I think (Qu)easyBakeOven is such a crazy (good) thing, its kinda weird how kids need training wheels for using a microave lol but ok

artifex 33 points 2 days ago

You’re probably aware but for those who aren’t this is a pun/riff on the Easy Bake Oven, which has been selling since the 1960s (it uses the heat of an incandescent light bulb to cook stuff). It’s one of the most successful toys of all time.

As far as unhinged, I think the winner had to be the Atomic Energy Lab Kit with Uranium, which did in fact come with a chunk of (low-level) radioactive Uranium. It sold for $49.95 in 1950, which is equivalent to almost $700 today.

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cheese_greater 9 points 2 days ago

The kid actors/models always kill me 😂

Was the unit of uranium inert or could it cause health effects even at that level?

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artifex 10 points 2 days ago

It was a commercial flop (probably because it cost $700 in today's money and could do 4 only somewhat-interesting things), so even though it looks crazy today, safety wasn't the reason it was pulled off the market. That said, the U-238 samples came in tiny glass vials that you were instructed not to break. But if you did break them and then ate one of the chunks of Uranium it could do some pretty serious damage inside of you if it wasn't expelled quickly. But that point you'd also have broken glass and a rock-swallowing habit and probably other problems that would kill you before any kind of radiation-induced cancer would.

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cheese_greater 3 points 2 days ago

How could you even operate on the uranium if the instructions didnt allow you remove it?

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artifex 7 points 2 days ago

You weren’t “operating” on the Uranium in as much as observing its radioactive decay. The radiation (alpha particles, which are basically Helium nuclei) go through glass. So I think you’d put the vial in front of the Geiger counter and it would click. Or you’d put it into the little cloud chamber and you could see the trails of the alpha particles as they shot out.

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golden_zealot 1 point 2 days ago

IIRC it was not inert and over time with enough exposure, was radioactive enough to potentially cause health detriments.

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iusemybrain 7 points 2 days ago

I assume when you say "low-level" its < 1 microcurie. Thats asking for radiation poisoning otherwise (unless you are taking extreme precautions)

I ask this because uranium sources i use in lab are around the 1 microcurie to 10 microcurie range that i know you can get without a license.

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cheese_greater 2 points 2 days ago

Fid you patronize any other Gilbert Hall of Science(!) project-products?

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artifex 3 points 2 days ago

I’m several decades too young to have, thankyouverymuch. But there’s lots of info on them online. They kind of captured that early space age cultural zeitgeist of the time.

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cheese_greater 3 points 2 days ago

As they deserved to.

Now i just want to find out which executive was responsible for this 🤣 i cant even bring myself to condemn them, this is such a crazy and random thing,

kids probably enjoyed it with a cigarette and a nice port

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MalReynolds 14 points 2 days ago

Gonna go with (metal-tipped) Lawn Darts.

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anon_8675309 4 points 2 days ago

When we were kids we went on a vacation with our folks through the hills on the east coast (US). There were some cowboy and Indian type souvenir shops. Well we both (brother and I) picked bow and arrows for souvenirs. The arrows were target practice type arrows and we started ahooting them straight up and dodging them as they came down. Pretty sure we could have died had one actually hit us.

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cheese_greater 3 points 2 days ago

Its crazy its to be thrown underhand rather than oh

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emergencyfood 9 points 2 days ago

The heated inflatable bouncy castle some Chinese businesswoman was advertising on Twitter.

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treadful 7 points 2 days ago

That is not a bouncy castle. That's a military decoy. But yeah, that probably fits under "unhinged."

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emergencyfood 4 points 2 days ago

Hey, what do you have against Iranian children having a little fun?

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ramble81 9 points 2 days ago

I miss lawn darts sometimes. I’m just glad they all missed me.

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cheese_greater 2 points 2 days ago

Why not buy some?

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BassTurd 3 points 2 days ago

At least in Canada and the US, they are federally illegal to sell. There are safe versions out there now with balls for tips, but metal darts can't be legally purchased anywhere.

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cheese_greater 2 points 2 days ago

Seriously, what if you drtboard?

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BassTurd 4 points 2 days ago

Lawn darts aren't dart board darts. Metal tipped darts are legal for dart boards.

Lawn darts are significantly larger, thrown up in the air, and were the cause of many injuries back in the day.

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treadful 8 points 2 days ago

lightsaber toy

How about a smooth, round, vibrating lightsaber toy?

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cheese_greater 2 points 2 days ago

Why would be unhinged??

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treadful 3 points 2 days ago

To me, vibrating dildo shaped childrens' toys seem a little... weird.

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blartcap_ 4 points 2 days ago

It was the vibrating Harry Potter brooms that were pulled off shelves. Nobody was shoving these flimsy lightsabers up their ass, especially not kids.

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cheese_greater 2 points 2 days ago

Nuh-uh!

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bertlewirth 6 points 2 days ago

There was a science toy in the I think 40s or 50s they came with ACTUAL FUCKING URANIUM.

Edit. Oh, just saw someone else said this already with more in depth info

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RebekahWSD 6 points 2 days ago

I forget the name, maybe it was called slip and slide? Water Park at home!

Dangerous if you don't follow the instructions and easy to get fractures. Like the kids across the street who borrowed it, broke their wrist, and tried to sue us. I'm pretty sure it was ”yeah borrowers parents needed to supervise them".

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Pferdekuss 5 points 2 days ago

I don‘t even know what to tell you about this one:

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cheese_greater 4 points 2 days ago

The hell am i looking at?

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Pferdekuss 4 points 2 days ago

„Kacka Alarm“ Please don’t ask for a translation. And yes, of course i own one.

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