Can you identify this object?

[Blondie]

And if so, did you ever have a pair?

 

[dcgrumpy]

click clacks, I had a pink pair

 

[VirtuallyMe]

Clackers is what we called them- and yes I banged myself in the head with them a few times lol

 

[Andrea]

ok i give i dont know what they are lol

 

[Blondie]

We called them clackers, and I was never allowed to have them. My mom heard they were chipping and getting lodged in kid's eyes, so they were banned in our home!

 

[N.Bailey]

I think we called em ka bangers. Yes, I did have a pair. We all had em and loved em.

 

[sajetto]

Whoa, I thought that was totally different than what you guys are talking about

So can someone fill me in on what they really are and what you do with them?

 

[*Fantasia*]

clackers? never heard.. what does it do? is it a toy?

 

[Blondie]

Clackers
"The original pendulum ball toy!"
By Euphrates

Clackers are the toy with a jillion names. It was essentially two large marbles attached by a sturdy string with a ring in the center. You would put your finger in the ring allowing the marbles or balls to hang below. Here is where the fun starts. The idea was to get the two balls tapping (or clacking if you prefer) against each other by pulling up on the ring lightly. Once you got the hang of it, you could get them going faster and faster until they were smacking each other above and below your hand in a stunning arc. These toys are now legendary. They started finding their way into the schoolyards in the early seventies and in 1971 were yanked from shelves because kids were suffering eye injuries when the fragile, glass-like balls were shattering from the violence of contact with their mates. I believe a plastic version may have been released after the original and the more menacing version was pulled, but I don't think that it enjoyed the same popularity. One of the main obstacles in locating this toy today is knowing what to call it. There were supposedly over 80 copy-cat products on the market during Clackers hey-day. During your search expect to see names like: Bonkers
Clackers
Clack Clacks
Click Clacks
Crackers
K-Nokkers
Ker- Knockers
Klackers
Klick Klacks
Knockers
Mini Poppers
Moon Rocks
Popper Knockers
Rockers
Super Clackers
Quick Klacks
Quick Clacks
Quick Wacks
Wackers
Whackers
Whak KOs
Because of the abrupt halt in production and distribution there were truckloads of these toys dumped on the secondary market. This is good for collectors today because it means that there are lots of these toys out there still MIP selling in the $10-$20 range.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

Whoa, I thought that was totally different than what you guys are talking about

So can someone fill me in on what they really are and what you do with them?

You hold the top of the string, with the balls hanging down and then slowly start moving your hand up and down so that the balls start moving back and forth (this really isn't sounding very good ), clacking against each other. They can really get going and whack a person in the head.

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

Humm, I have vague memories of them! I think I may have had some. Apparently, I have the memory span of a goldfish.

 

[powellrj]

We called them clackers, and I was never allowed to have them. My mom heard they were chipping and getting lodged in kid's eyes, so they were banned in our home!

My mom banned them too! They were toys that you would hit back and forth and when you really got them going they would do a complete circle of clicking. I know I am not explaining it well.

 

[Blondie]

They can really get going and whack a person in the head.

Or put an eye out!

 

[Tigger&Belle]

My mom banned them too! They were toys that you would hit back and forth and when you really got them going they would do a complete circle of clicking. I know I am not explaining it well.

Reminds me of the plastic clackers that used to be popular when my older kids were little. Those were little plastic balls, mounted on a plastic pole and the balls were swung around. I never liked them and was sure that my kids were going to hurt themselves, but they were not as dangerous as these big boy clackers!

 

[Serena]

I had some. We lived dangerously. lol

 

[HOGFAN]

You hold the top of the string, with the balls hanging down and then slowly start moving your hand up and down so that the balls start moving back and forth (this really isn't sounding very good ), clacking against each other. They can really get going and whack a person in the head.

 

[kat3668]

oh yah I had a pair I think we called them click clackers... remember jamming my fingers constantly between those balls... And it HURT!!!! But I had to perfect them pain or no pain!
Boy we were tough back then

 

[KathyTX]

Yep, 1970 or 71. We had them, and they were obnoxiously noisy!

 

[N.Bailey]

I was 4 years old in '71, so I know we had them later than that. Maybe they were changed and put back out again? I'm almost positive I was in my teens when we all had em.

 

[waltsgirl]

Oh my Gosh, haven't seen those for awhile. All three of us in my family had clackers. Of course in those days they weren't considered dangerous! We could even take them to school. Now we would all be suspended for a year!