Today’s kids might find these old-fashioned toys strange, but for Baby Boomers, they were once the most exciting things to own.
Clackers
Clackers were two hard acrylic balls mounted on strings that kids twirled up and down. When they were swung fast enough, the balls would crash together, emitting a loud cracking sound. The goal was to bounce them as rapidly as possible without losing control.
They were noisy, cheap, and addictive. However, they could break apart on impact, sending shards of flying glass into your eyes. Safety regulators clamped down on them and they were recalled, but many Boomers fondly recall learning how to control them on the playground.
Metal roller skates with a key
Long before the sleek inline skates of today, kids laced clunky, heavy metal roller skates over their sneakers. There were four metal wheels on these adjustable skates, held tightly by leather straps.
These came with adjustable leather straps that clamped onto the shoes. Adjustment was made with a skate key that tightened or shortened the length of the clamp on the shoes. Misplacing that key would certainly ruin your afternoon fun.
View master
Before tablets and smartphones, children were able to visit faraway places without getting out of bed with the aid of the View-Master. This simple plastic viewer used circular cardboard reels inserted into the side. Each reel was loaded with tiny color photographs.
When a child put the viewer up to their eye and flicked the lever, a small three-dimensional photograph magically appeared in view. Reels could be of famous landmarks, national parks, Bible stories, fairy tales and popular cartoons.
Transistor radios
Having your own transistor radio meant freedom for many Boomer teens. It was small and battery-operated, and no longer did everyone have to crowd around the big console radio in the living room.
Teens took them to the beach, schoolyards and neighborhood corners and listened to their favorite radio stations, waiting impatiently for their favorite songs to play. The transistor radio rode a wave of popularity along with rock and roll music during the 1960s.
Silly putty in a plastic egg
Silly Putty was about as simple as toys come, but it was tons of fun. Packaged in a little plastic egg, the slimy, stretchy substance was fun to mold into a ball and bounce on the floor. Kids could also stretch it into weird shapes.
Its signature party trick was picking up pictures from newspaper comic strips. Kids pressed it against a newspaper comic and peeled the putty back. The image printed on the newspaper magically appeared on the putty. Kids stretched it out and watched their favorite characters get warped into goofy shapes.
Spirograph drawing sets
Even people with no real drawing ability felt like artists thanks to the Spirograph. The kit consisted of plastic gears, circular rings, pins and colored pens that created geometric patterns when used together. Kids would insert a pen into a gear, then rotate it slowly around a larger ring. Beautiful patterns emerged from intertwining curves and scrolls. Experimenting with different gear/plug combinations would create new designs.
Pogo sticks
A pogo stick could make an afternoon in the backyard competitive. The spring-loaded device consisted of two footrests with a handlebar in between. Kids would bounce up and down on their feet and try to stay upright.
Beginners could usually only handle one or two jumps but with practice, some riders could stay on for a long time. Kids from the neighborhood would sometimes compete against each other to see who could make the most jumps in a row.
Cap guns
Cap guns were huge sellers back in the days when cowboys ruled the western genres of movies and TV. These plastic replicas of the cowboy’s trusty revolver created a popping noise with small paper caps that were embedded into the trigger or end of the barrel.
Some versions released a small cloud of smoke as well. Kids strapped on toy holsters and imagined themselves to be lawmen or villains having all sorts of wild escapades out in the backyard.
Troll dolls
Troll Dolls have big heads, tiny bodies, and wild hair sprouting straight up from their heads. There was no mistaking one for something else. Made in Denmark originally, Troll Dolls became a huge fad in the United States in the 1960s.
Kids collected them in all sizes and hair colors and even made clothes for some of them. Because they were so odd-looking compared to traditional dolls, some kids treated them like talismans. You could find troll dolls on shelves in bedrooms, on desks in school, and even attached to pencils.
Chatty Cathy dolls
Chatty Cathy was every little girl’s wish toy back in the early 60s. Manufactured by Mattel in 1959, this doll spoke when a string attached to a ring on her back was pulled.
Cathy uttered common sayings like “I love you” and “Please take me with you”. The doll appeared more realistic than your typical doll. Kids felt like they were conversing with another friend.
Etch A Sketch
Few toys were as common as the Etch A Sketch with its bright red frame and two white knobs. Children could create images by turning the knobs to slide a stylus across a gray screen. Turning one knob caused horizontal movement. Turning the other knob moved the stylus vertically.
It took lots of practice to draw circles or intricate designs. The best feature was that you could erase your masterpiece by flipping the toy over and shaking really hard.
Super Balls
This tiny ball of brightly colored synthetic rubber could bounce several times its height if tossed onto a hard surface. Children bounced them on sidewalks, classroom floors, and garage walls. They lost them when they flew over fences and got wedged under couches and appliances. Their erratic behavior was fascinating and aggravating.
Paper dolls with foldable outfits
Paper dolls were flat cardboard characters that came with paper clothes for children to cut out with scissors. Tabs on the outfits would secure the clothes to the doll’s shoulders and torso.
Girls dressed their dolls in outfits for birthdays, school, vacations or journeys through space. Dolls came in themes like movie stars, TV characters and trendy fashions. Kids even made their own outfits out of colored pencils and paper.
Creepy Crawlers Thingmaker
Creepy Crawlers Thingmaker, from Mattel, was one of the coolest toys for Boomer children throughout the 1960s. This toy created its own moldable insects, spiders and crawlers out of colored goo.
Children would insert metal molds into the Thingmaker and squeeze Plastigoop, a liquid material, into the mold. The assembled mold would then be placed on a heating unit that cooked the Plastigoop until it hardened into a rubber-like substance.
This allowed kids to create their own personal collection of ooey-gooey creepy crawlies to scare their friends and siblings.
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