Toys, when America wasn't such a WUSS

[Vaquero]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8fU3_VMeL8&t=348s
I can remember most of these.


RP

[cooperhawk]

Every boy wants a Remco Toy, (and so do girls).

[BigAl52]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9mUfvW1GAw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePDpdhOPIsM

How bout these do you remember either of these cool toys. I was lucky enough to have both of them. The tank sure did a number on some lincoln log forts

[markiver54]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8fU3_VMeL8&t=348s
I can remember most of these.


RP

How times have changed...

[Vaquero]

Al, I did have the tiger joe tank.
I remember it ran over one of my sister's barbie doll stands. Crushed it, and she wasn't happy about it.

RP

[Cofisher]

Those tank rounds were doing some serious keyholin! Great stuff guys.

[cooperhawk]

OK, you guys are a lot younger than I. I'm from the generation that had a stick and a can.
I envy you and I want those toys now.

[GFK]

Nice toys!!

[BrokenolMarine]

I had the Johnny Eagle 45. It was real enough looking when I got it, then I painted it later with my metallic model paints. Roughed it up playing with it and it looked VERY real. I actually had an officer come over when we were playing in the field at the Rec Center to check it out... I was using it as a weight on my big parachute I had made out of the weathering plastic we had taken of the windows that spring.

He congratulated me on the great job I had done with the paint, told me he was just making sure, and told us to play safe. I think I was ten or eleven at the time.

[markiver54]

Can't remember who made them but does anyone remember the bulb shaped little rockets with a launch pad. I think we would fill them with water and pump them up with air prior to launch. They would go pretty high. I guess those would be considered too dangerous these days as well.
I thought they were very cool at the time.

[Mags]

Can't remember who made them but does anyone remember the bulb shaped little rockets with a launch pad. I think we would fill them with water and pump them up with air prior to launch. They would go pretty high. I guess those would be considered too dangerous these days as well.
I thought they were very cool at the time.

Yup. Still have them. Red somewhat clear plastic rocket launched from a handheld pump. I don't fly them anymore. I think the plastic has gotten brittle with age. Probably explode if I tried.

[BrokenolMarine]

Can't remember who made them but does anyone remember the bulb shaped little rockets with a launch pad. I think we would fill them with water and pump them up with air prior to launch. They would go pretty high. I guess those would be considered too dangerous these days as well.
I thought they were very cool at the time.

I remember those, I had one. The clear bulbous body was red, and the fins and the lower body was white. Filled the body cavity with water, pumped up the air pressure and pulled the launch lever and the rocket launched streaming water out the nozzle on the bottom. It would go pretty high...

The caution on the box was probably the reason they were discontinued.

Caution: Designed for VERTICAL launch. Not to be launched in any other direction.
(In lawyer speak: Don't aim at your friends and pull the launch lever, can cause severe injury.. but they didn't say that because they didn't want to plant that idea in some kid's head....)

No one mentioned them yet, but JARTS, or Lawn Darts had to be the dumbest idea going, and WE had a set when we were kids. Those giant heavy pointed darts you threw across the yard like horse shoes, at the mini hula hoops while the opposing team stood waiting to see how you did. They were supposed to stand out of the impact area.

[RetiredSeabee]

Yeah I remember Jarts. We never had any injuries but came close a few times.
As Jeff Foxworthy said "If you catch one of those in the head you’re getting coloring books for Christmas for the rest of your life".

[markiver54]

Yeah I remember Jarts. We never had any injuries but came close a few times.
As Jeff Foxworthy said "If you catch one of those in the head you’re getting coloring books for Christmas for the rest of your life".

[markiver54]

Can't remember who made them but does anyone remember the bulb shaped little rockets with a launch pad. I think we would fill them with water and pump them up with air prior to launch. They would go pretty high. I guess those would be considered too dangerous these days as well.
I thought they were very cool at the time.

I remember those, I had one. The clear bulbous body was red, and the fins and the lower body was white. Filled the body cavity with water, pumped up the air pressure and pulled the launch lever and the rocket launched streaming water out the nozzle on the bottom. It would go pretty high...

The caution on the box was probably the reason they were discontinued.

Caution: Designed for VERTICAL launch. Not to be launched in any other direction.
(In lawyer speak: Don't aim at your friends and pull the launch lever, can cause severe injury.. but they didn't say that because they didn't want to plant that idea in some kid's head....)

No one mentioned them yet, but JARTS, or Lawn Darts had to be the dumbest idea going, and WE had a set when we were kids. Those giant heavy pointed darts you threw across the yard like horse shoes, at the mini hula hoops while the opposing team stood waiting to see how you did. They were supposed to stand out of the impact area.

Funny, those concerns DID cross my mind when JARTS were 1st introduced.

[markiver54]

Can't remember who made them but does anyone remember the bulb shaped little rockets with a launch pad. I think we would fill them with water and pump them up with air prior to launch. They would go pretty high. I guess those would be considered too dangerous these days as well.
I thought they were very cool at the time.

I remember those, I had one. The clear bulbous body was red, and the fins and the lower body was white. Filled the body cavity with water, pumped up the air pressure and pulled the launch lever and the rocket launched streaming water out the nozzle on the bottom. It would go pretty high...

The caution on the box was probably the reason they were discontinued.

Caution: Designed for VERTICAL launch. Not to be launched in any other direction.
(In lawyer speak: Don't aim at your friends and pull the launch lever, can cause severe injury.. but they didn't say that because they didn't want to plant that idea in some kid's head....)

No one mentioned them yet, but JARTS, or Lawn Darts had to be the dumbest idea going, and WE had a set when we were kids. Those giant heavy pointed darts you threw across the yard like horse shoes, at the mini hula hoops while the opposing team stood waiting to see how you did. They were supposed to stand out of the impact area.

[markiver54]

Can't remember who made them but does anyone remember the bulb shaped little rockets with a launch pad. I think we would fill them with water and pump them up with air prior to launch. They would go pretty high. I guess those would be considered too dangerous these days as well.
I thought they were very cool at the time.

Yup. Still have them. Red somewhat clear plastic rocket launched from a handheld pump. I don't fly them anymore. I think the plastic has gotten brittle with age. Probably explode if I tried.

Gotta try it out again at some point!

[Vaquero]

RP

[Mags]

The other rocket we had were those CO2 cartridges used in pellet guns. Placed a stopper with a nail in it in one end of a pipe. We'd drop the CO2 cartridge down the pipe like a mortar. After awhile, we'd sometimes hear them hit the next street over with a loud ping as they landed. As 2nd or 3rd grade kids we had no fear an knew no better. The novelty of doing that eventually that wore off.

And then there were the times we made Piccolo Pete fireworks into giant fire crackers.

[BrokenolMarine]

We made bazookas from beer cans, tennis balls, and lighter fluid...
... I heard later the more advanced folks used PVC pipe and potatoes.