Most Dangerous Toys and Products Ever Made

These days, most toys are meticulously designed to be as safe as possible for kids to play with. But that hasn’t always been the case. From toys so dangerous they had to be banned, to some that make you wonder if their creators just hated children, it’s time to discuss some of the most dangerous toys and popular products ever made.

Easy Break Oven

First released in 1963, the Easy Bake Oven allowed kids to cook food all by themselves. However, before 2011, the ovens included 100-watt lightbulbs, which is what cooked the food. For comparison, most standard lightbulbs at home are less bright and still incredibly hot to the touch, at just 60 watts. But in the 2006 Hasbro toy, kids could also get their hands trapped and fingers stuck in the door.

The heat from the lightbulbs could then cause injuries as severe as second and third degree burns! Over 240 reports of injury were recorded before the model was recalled in 2007, after one poor 5 year old even needed their finger partially amputated after a severe burn. Even though it can reach temperatures of a standard oven, at 375°F, the newer versions now include a heating chamber. That chamber is used to direct and control the flow of gas and liquid, letting the hot air cool before exiting the top through ventilation.

Flubber

If you’re a film fan, a science nerd or just a 90s kid, you’ve probably seen the 1997 movie Flubber with Robin Williams. That was the story of a scientist’s gooey invention suddenly coming to life. The movie itself was a remake of ‘The Absent-Minded Professor,’ released in 1961.

To plug the hype of the sequel Son of Flubber in 1963, Hasbro decided to create their own real Flubber toy. It was made from butadiene a synthetic rubber, mineral oil, and green dye. But the final result was a fun squishy toy which could bounce, stretch and imprint and it sold millions of units. Soon, however, reports of reactions to flubber arose in the United States, taking the form of sore throats, skin irritation and whole-body rashes.

A poll later revealed 35% of kids who owned the toy developed a rash! At first, Hasbro outright denied that flubber was making people ill, but after 1,600 reports of rashes and dermatitis were received, then came the lawsuits, with one woman claiming that the Flubber-induced rash was so bad she had to rush her 3 year old and herself to the hospital! They then quickly recalled it in May 1963. And with that, flubber officially became a flop!

Cabbage Patch Kids

Today, trends come and go so quickly you can barely keep up. Whatever’s viral on TikTok at the moment will have everyone captivated. But back in 1983, there was no toy craze bigger than Cabbage Patch Kids. Those incredibly ugly dolls were the target of international adoration for some reason.

In 1994, toy company Mattel took over their manufacturing, and in 1996 their Snacktime Cabbage Patch kid was released. That doll was designed to "eat" the plastic food that you gave it, through metal rollers in the mouth. The food would then end up in a backpack on the doll’s back.

However, it didn’t differentiate between plastic chips and human fingers! Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported, but at least 35 incidents occurred where children’s hair and fingers were caught in its mouth. By 1997 Mattel had sold approximately 500,000 units, all of which they had to recall.

Sky Dancer Dolls

With the invention of Barbie in 1959, girl’s dolls became some of the most popular toys ever made. They were soon manufactured in different sizes, costumes, and occasionally came with their own houses. So, of course, the natural evolution of the doll was to make them fly.

Sky Dancer dolls were launched, quite literally, in 1994. Their launchers were attached to a cord which would spin so fast the doll would shoot through the air when you let it go but it was difficult to predict where it would fly and land. This video below of a doll flying into a fireplace never fails to crack me up.

Fireplace Fairy by Parker McCullough

But what could be worse? Well, instead of flying into a fire, what if it flew into your eyes. Despite the fact their wings were made of foam, they rotated at high speeds, causing them to be painfully hard on impact. Some reports claimed that the dolls produced scratched corneas, broken teeth, temporary blindness and even broken ribs. After 100 injuries were reported, 9 million Sky Dancers were recalled in June 2000.

Swing Wing

As a competition to the hula-hoop, which captivated kids in the 1950s, toy company Transogram created the Swing Wing in 1965. That consisted of a cap and three three long tendrils that flew around your head when you swung your neck. Transogram believed it would be the biggest toy sensation since the hula-hoop, but they were wrong!

RETRO COMMERCIAL-Toys-Swing Wing by Blaxstone

The commercial alone is enough anyone's head spin! Not to mention, they all look a little crazy waving their heads about. That toy was rumored to have caused serious injuries, ranging from concussions, to neck and head damage, and that it was recalled from the market.

However, there aren't any reports of those injuries unlike many of the other toys we’ve covered, and the Swing Wing itself was never pulled from market in relation to that. It’s likely Transogram quietly discontinued them when they didn’t prove as popular as they’d hoped.

Klackers

When kids get bored these days, they reach for their phone. But kids of the 60s and 70s reached for their Klackers. They consisted of two balls on a string, which children would whip around and bang together to make a loud clacking sound, hence the name.

Asmr | Clackers Ball Toy hand Playing by Mari Fun Tv

However the glass-tempered versions could shatter explosively if banged together too hard. Naturally, shards of glass can end up everywhere, especially when they’re flying at speeds. Pieces can easily lodge themselves in skin, piercing the hands, face and even eyes.

But the acrylic plastic clackers could be just as dangerous, a brand of clackers called "ker-bangers" were recalled in 1985, with over 4,600 seized in the US state of Arizona alone. Despite claims that the ker-bangers were ‘shatterproof,’ they fell apart in tests, along with the plastic handles holding them.

The Austin Magic Pistol

The Austin Magic Pistol was sold in the late 1940s, designed to shoot ping-pong balls. However, when the trigger was pulled, it released actual fire. The gun was powered by explosive chemicals, specifically calcium carbide, a chemical compound composed of calcium and carbon. To fire the gun, you needed to place a "magic" crystal of calcium carbide inside. Then you would add water, or even use your own spit, inside the barrel.

FMK: Austin Magic Pistol - Vintage Toy by mrxenon68

That allowed the chemical reaction between calcium carbide and water to take place. When mixed, it expands into acetylene gas, a hot, flammable fuel gas that produces a flame once you pull the trigger. And you have a ping-pong explosion whizzing through the air. Despite the advertisement boldly claiming that it was harmless, by 1949 the US had classified it as a hazard. It’s no surprise those flames extended from the pistol muzzle for as long as eight inches.

Lawn Darts

Garden variety games are still popular, but back in the 1950s, lawn darts littered the green. The aim of the game was simply to throw the darts into the hoops laid out on the ground. Those weapons were 12 inches long and had sharp metal tips on the ends. The nature of the game being "throw those pointed objects all around the yard" soon caused some serious problems.

In 1970, the FDA classed them as a hazard, which prohibited their sale unless manufacturers put warning signs on the packaging. That should have been the red flag itself, but darts continued to be bought until the US eventually banned them in 1988.

But by then, it was too late over 6,000 Americans in the eight years prior to the ban had been hospitalized in dart-related accidents. At least 80% of the cases were children younger than 15, suffering from lacerations, punctures and even fractures to the face and head. Nowadays, a safer version of the game can be bought, making the darts rounded instead of sharp, if only they’d have thought of that to begin with!

Huggy Wuggy

As a kid, there was always that one teddy bear that was your ride or die. Don’t try and deny it, you took that thing everywhere with you no matter what! But you'll have a hard time wondering what possesses a child to want the one in the picture below. It looks evil.

That gruesome toy, Huggy Wuggy, became popular after featuring as a character in a horror video game called Poppy Playtime, released in 2021. Many parents were concerned about the nature of the game and the character itself, since the content wasn’t exactly child friendly, considering Huggy Wuggy chases and attack the player throughout gameplay!

Aside from generally looking horrific, in 2022 more than 400 Huggy Wuggy’s had to be recalled from the Hull Toy Fair in England. That was due to bad craftsmanship it had loose stitching, which could cause its stuffing to come out, and its eyes and arms to fall apart.

Fidget Spinners

Although first released in 1993, fidget spinners became a huge obsession in 2017. But, if you weren’t too careful, the toy could break and small parts could be swallowed, lodging in the throat, which happened to more than 5 kids. The most dangerous, however, were light-up spinners. Those contained lithium batteries inside them, which, if ingested, could cause internal burns.

When those batteries touch wet surfaces, like the inside of your mouth, they release their remaining energy which produces caustic soda. Also known as sodium hydroxide, that white, solid compound is highly corrosive and can burn human tissue. Some fidget spinners have been subject to recalls due to fears over choking hazards and internal bleeding ever since. It’s probably for the best, no one wants a spinner in their stomach.

Kite Tubes

In 2005 manufacturer Sportstuff released a speedy watercraft of their own. The Wego kite tubes were designed to be pulled behind boats like a para-sail, lifting you up and letting you soar above the water, with one crucial difference. There were no safety straps or harness, just a cord to hold onto and holes to plant your feet in.

At $500-600, Sportstuff were essentially selling an expensive death trap. One anecdote from an internet user recalls their tube going 20mph and up to 40ft high before they were thrown off and crashed into the waves. By July 2006, 19,000 Wego kites had been recalled after serious injury reports surpassed 30. Among them were cases of broken necks, punctured lungs, body and face injuries, and even two fatalities.

Crocodile Dentist

Crocodile Dentist was first released in 1990 and its aim is to remove teeth from the crocodile without disturbing it. Originally, a pair of tweezers was used to take out the teeth, but they removed those hazardous loose parts and now, all you do is press down. If you’re too slow, the crocodile will lunge at you and trap your fingers in its grip.

When the toy was first made, there were fears that that lunge could cause injuries, so the toy manufacturers changed the speed and length of the lunging motion. But when tested, it took all the fun out of the game! So, before release, they switched it back. However, there are such fools out there that take the game to even riskier levels.

HigaTV! Extreme Crocodile Dentist! by Дана Никифорова

Magnetix

Magnetix was a colorful construction set with magnetic balls on the end of each stick, which could connect to each other to create various shapes. When they were released in 2003, they proved extremely popular. The problem was, those steel ball bearings could come loose and be swallowed. Then, they could actually attract each other inside your body. When they link together, they can form holes and get trapped inside the intestines, which requires major surgery.

It was first recommended that Magnetix sets be recalled in 2005, but they never were. In 2006, 4 million units were recalled. By 2007, 1,500 incidents of magnets coming loose were reported. To date, they’ve caused 27 intestinal injuries, one aspiration, and one death. Yes, classic case of money-hungry manufacturers wanting to make a buck instead of taking safety seriously!

Furby

If you were lucky enough to get a Furby in Christmas ‘98, you were the envy of every kid on the block! 14 million of those talking furballs were sold by 1999! The toys were programmed to speak their own language called Furbish, as well as phrases in English.

Over the years, Furby has been programmed to speak 24 languages. But a false fear soon arose that it could record and repeat speech, which became a concern for the National Security Agency in the US. They thought it could be used to repeat classified information, they accused furby of being the perfect undercover spy!

As absurd as that sounds, it’s nowhere near as absurd as evil furby. You could actually turn furby evil yourself by putting your finger in its mouth. When you did, it was liable to snap at you and act grumpy. But some furby owners reported that it started to speak in a demonic voice, or awaken without being switched on.

One parent even recounted that furby was speaking in a man’s voice, saying things like ‘oh baby’ to her 4 year old daughter. Resetting the toy wouldn’t always work, leaving it permanently cursed. On paper, furby was the dream toy but in reality, it could be a nightmare!

Water Beads

One of the most popular water toys in the world is aqua beads, you might have even heard of brands like Orbeez. Unfortunately, they can be easily ingested due to their squishy texture and colorful appearance. Who wouldn’t find it tempting to put it in their mouth?

Especially a child who has no idea those ‘water’ beads contain absorbent polymers like sodium polyacrylate. That is a material made from the reaction between acrylic acid, a corrosive liquid, and sodium salt. When you put those beads in water, they can grow up to 100 times their size. If they’re ingested, the liquid inside can cause them to grow, resulting in severe internal blockages.

With such huge health risks, it’s surprising they can still be bought, around 7,000 emergency injuries were reported from 2018 to 2022 alone. But make no mistake, brands of water beads have been recalled in the past 52,000 units of Buffalo Games’ aqua bead kits were taken off shelves in 2023. Moral of the story here: be careful with your water beads, kids.

Glass-Blowing Set

In the 1920s, the A.C Gilbert Company released their Glass-Blowing Set, which gave children a blowtorch to melt glass and make their own test tubes. It came with a special guide called Experimental Glass Blowing for Boys, which not only taught them that glass-blowing was somehow only a male activity, but also how to breathe into a blowpipe over a flame to create glass bubbles.

It even contains instructions on how to make tubes with the flame of a burning alcohol lamp, and advises that it’s ‘perfectly safe’ to use kerosene in it, a flammable liquid used as fuel. Glass has to become incredibly hot to melt, typically around 2000°F.

So, children must have been working with temperatures of at least 1000°F just to soften it. That heat could cause third-degree burns, and much worse. A kid handling alcohol and kerosene near flames could nearly cause an explosion. Not to mention the nausea and vomiting that could occur through breathing in or ingesting those substances.

Gilbert’s chemistry sets were eventually discontinued in 1967 but, unbelievably, not because they were dangerous. It was simply because another company, Gabriel Toys, bought Gilbert Co out and decided to stop making them. You can just wonder who was in the meeting when they thought, "yes, a child, an open flame, and some hot glass. What could possibly go wrong?"

Hoverboard

Kids dreaming of becoming Marty McFly on his pink hoverboard were finally going to experience it for themselves in 2015! Turns out, it was a huge disappointment. For one thing, the hoverboard never lifted from the ground. Second, it proved to be more trouble than it was worth.

Very few managed to stay standing for more than three seconds and injuries to the body were inevitable. Over 26,000 children visited hospital in hoverboard-related accidents from 2015 to 2016, and 40% of them included fractures.

But did you know it’s also a fire hazard? Yes, hoverboards can catch fire, due to their lithium-ion batteries. Those contain a flammable liquid called an electrolyte. When batteries short-circuit and overheat, they can cause smoke and fire. Numerous recalls have been undertaken, with one of the most recent in 2022 withdrawing 53,000 units after a house fire.

The Gilbert Toy Company's Atomic Energy Lab

The terrible legacy of chemistry sets continues with another horrendous toy. The Gilbert toy company also released the Atomic Energy Lab in 1950. That set taught kids how to conduct up to 150 chemical reaction experiments. And one particularly terrible ingredient it contained was uranium!

Yes, it included, not one, not two, but four samples of uranium ores. Those were autunite, torbernite, uraninite and carnotite, all solid minerals composed of uranium, and all radioactive. Uranium is dangerous because it eventually decays into radium, which then decays to release a radioactive gas called Radon. When that decay occurs, energy is released in the form of radiation.

Ingesting the samples allows radiation to cause tissue and kidney damage, as well as increase risks of cancer. Either it wasn’t popular enough, or parents actually drew the line at giving children radioactive materials, because fewer than 5,000 kits were sold. Perhaps it was the price-point too, coming in at $50 that’s $650 today! Imagine paying hundreds of dollars for a toy just for your kid to succumb to radiation poisoning.

The Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup went viral after a woman shared a video of her burned-out car after a fire, surprising viewers when the cup was found completely intact. Since then, over 10 million have been sold to customers. But in January 2024 it was revealed that the creator of the Stanley was being sued over the product containing lead.

That is a toxic metal that can poison you: in children it can cause brain damage, slowed developmental growth, even learning and behavioral problems. It was discovered that Stanley Cups actually contain a lead pellet at the bottom, and the manufacturers never warned customers. Although it’s concealed behind a steel barrier at the base, the smallest exposure to lead can cause serious defects.

But Stanley isn’t the only case. Around 33,000 NUTRL branded tumblers were recalled in Canada in 2024. Trapped between the inner walls of the tumbler was a solution containing sulfuric and phosphoric acid, which could contaminate liquids when the cup is filled. Those harmful chemicals can cause tissue damage, burns, vomiting and abdominal pain.

CSI Fingerprint Kit

You’d think modern toy kits would be pretty safe to use. We know so much more about harmful chemicals and materials nowadays. But you would be utterly wrong! The CSI Fingerprint Kit was based off the crime drama show CSI, allowing kids the chance to become their own forensic investigators by dusting for fingerprints.

However, it contained 5% of an obscenely dangerous ingredient called asbestos, in fact, it was a rare type called tremolite. That is a mineral made up of small invisible fibers that, when breathed in, can increase risks of lung disease and cancer.

Despite the fact its use is widely discouraged, even banned in 55 countries, it somehow found its way into the 2007 fingerprint kit via the dusting powder itself. The toy manufacturers were forced to stop production and sales immediately. Thankfully, no children or adults were harmed by the asbestos, due to the quick recall that took place.

Tommy Burst Riffle

Mattel is practically synonymous with the Barbie doll. But did you know the company have also made toy guns? The Tommy Burst rifle was released in 1961 but it wasn’t just a toy, it was practically a replica! That ultra-realistic model was an imitation of Dick Tracy’s tommy gun. That was a police detective character in a comic strip first released in 1931, which was very popular with kids from the 30s to the 60s.

The gun worked by pulling back the bolt on the side, and squeezing the trigger so shots would fire from a roll of caps stored. Those caps are pieces of paper composed of aluminum powder and potassium perchlorate, a salt. Together, they create sparks and a loud noise when fired.

Mattel Tommy Burst TV commercial 1960s! by Charlie Aesque

That real firing sound made the gun all the more scarily true to life. Kids running around with that thing in their arms could have been mistaken for carrying a real gun quite easily. Which, if that went as well back in those days as it does today, probably didn’t end well for the kids.

I hope you were amazed at these dangerous toys and products from the past! Thanks for reading.