Dangerous toys from Christmases past

[LuvOrlando]

I just remembered that my older cousin had a toy iron we would play with and it had a frayed fabric (probably asbestos) cord and was nothing more that a scalding bit of metal with a handle, no safety of any kind or even a safe plate to put it down into. Looking for photos and confirmed it was, indeed, a toy, but not seeing the exact one, no way was that a good idea.

 

[Her Dotness]

I just remembered that my older cousin had a toy iron we would play with and it had a frayed fabric (probably asbestos) cord and was nothing more that a scalding bit of metal with a handle, no safety of any kind or even a safe plate to put it down into. Looking for photos and confirmed it was, indeed, a toy, but not seeing the exact one, no way was that a good idea.

Huh. I had a toy iron that actually heated but only enough that it felt warmish. I thought it silly to plug it in since it wouldn't actually iron anything.

Maybe there was a short in your cousin's iron?

 

[LuvOrlando]

Huh. I had a toy iron that actually heated but only enough that it felt warmish. I thought it silly to plug it in since it wouldn't actually iron anything.

Maybe there was a short in your cousin's iron?

I don't think so, my crop of Gen X cousins had toys that would etch wood with a red hot iron so safety wasn't really a concern. Pretty sure it was working right, it was terrible judgement to give the iron to us, but it was likely working right.

 

[KayMichigan]

The toy itself wasn't dangerous, but everyone here who lived through the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of 1983 will probably remember that trying to get one meant taking your life into your own hands. Demand was so high for the toys that there were actual riots and broken limbs.