Hooray for dangerous toys! Part 2

Lest you think that dangerous toys were just something kids randomly came up with, let me assure you that our parents and institutions encouraged us to hurt or kill ourselves with toys. The city government of my progressive Virginia town built us a cement playground that was ergonomically designed so that if you flew out of the swing you knocked out your all of your teeth AND all of your brains. 

Our parents conspired to do us in as well. They gave us real bows and arrows with sharp points which we shot at each other with an accuracy that could have gotten us into some medieval army. Oddly, no one was killed or even maimed, although we tried.

If death by arrow penetration didn’t finish us off, our parents also tried drowning. My best friend’s father built what had to be the worst raft in the world out of an old truck tire and a wooden gate. He tied the gate to the tire and then planted his youngest son, age 4, on top. Off we all joyously went to the creek across the street from my house from which this modern Abraham launched his little Isaac. 

The current immediately, and not surprisingly, pulled the boy out into the inlet while his father looked on, a surprised and befuddled look taking turns on his face. Oddly, it was other kids who saved the day by rowing out speedily in their own makeshift boat. Yay for self-possessed little kids.

I can go on forever about the other dangerous toys with which we played. Somehow we all survived but not without trying to kill and maim ourselves and anything else that moved and / or didn’t move.

Are safe toys better than dangerous toys? You bet! Are they as much fun? Naaaah.

Tell us about your favorite dangerous toys.