A Blast at the Time, Banned Toys Really Don’t Make Sense Now

Remember lawn darts? Well, you'd have to have a decent enough memory to do so since they've been considered contraband ever since the discontinuation of their manufacture in 1988.

We had a set of lawn darts. But they were never practical. The pointed tips were never sharp enough to pierce the earth. And that's where the problems began.

Clearly, we kids weren't the only ones who realized that, as the companies that made them had to sharpen those points so they COULD go into the ground. But that's really, really sharp. And there were injuries and even deaths.

They had to go.

Besides, horse shoes and cornhole and--here's an oldie but a goodie--washers are essentially the same game and much safer.

Chad recently went down the giant slide at Trunnell's Farm Market. When I saw that video, it reminded me of the Slip 'n' Slide we used to have when I was a kid--only a much safer version.

Since 1993, Slip 'n' Slides have been off the market. It's just as well, as far as I'm concerned. I have no business doing anything like that now. And here's why:

Unlike the Trunnell's Farm Market slide, you have to approach a Slip 'n' Slide at a dead run. And, if you're a certain size, you risk broken bones or even permanent damage to your spinal chord. Uh, no thanks.

Yeah, we had one. But I was a little kid and made of rubber. And Slip 'n' Slides were FOR kids, but there were adults out there who felt like they HAD to try it. And they were too big. And injuries occurred.

The various companies that made these toys decided it was just better to pull them off the shelves and let folks figure out other ways to have fun.

I think we did okay, don't you?