Did you have these where you lived?
What were they called?
Here they are. These are my Missus'. She still loves 'em!
During the Clackers craze in the Seventies here in the UK I remember clearly adoring that clack-clack-clack machine gun sound when you got the balls smacking well in a perfect circle.
Only one of them, the green ones, has a Clackers grip label. Its says Satellite and Catch a Star. What were they? Games?
The red ones have a blue plastic ring to grip. Was this normal?
I seem to recall Clackers being banned everywhere. Is that right?
i have had them,with a ring... my parents have hated them.. :)) EW
ReplyDeleteYes, I think parents were afraid they would explode EW! Maybe some did!
DeleteThe early versions were made out of hard acrylic plastic. While this produced a nice sharp clack sound, the repeated impacts would fatigue the plastic start it to chip and eventually crack and fragment in an "explosion". The new versions made recently are made from non shattering polymers (thanks SCIENCE!) so they are safe. Unless you count the ability to whack your self on the wrist/hand as you learn how to do it as dangerous.
ReplyDeleteYes I remember there being some controversy about the originals shattering Lance although I never saw it happen. I just remember kids trying for that perfect prolonged clack salvo! I had no idea they were still going!
Deleteweird co-incidence time - i found a set in the back of a drawer the other day, had a quick go with no broken fingers but my Mrs moaned at me so I gave them to my youngest to play at which stage his fiancee said that if he took them home she would shortly be his ex-fiancee! The oldest son's girlfriend also professed dislike for them - I suspect there's a story to be told in there...the toy that's too tough for girls!??? - but frankly I'm scared to ask all these crazy wimmen about it.
ReplyDeleteha ha, looks like clackers are just too hot to handle full stop Mike! I imagine the noise got to people but I've only just thought of that. They were nothing compared to the lucky kids who got toy drum kits out of a catalogue at Christmas!
DeleteStill got mine blue clackers with blue tab
ReplyDelete