Playgrounds are where we have fun and spend time with friends, and back in my day, they were even more than that. Playgrounds were built to help kids learn and gain character and even toughen kids up by giving little cuts or calluses. Compared to the older days, today’s parks are built with soft floors, walls and plastic toys. While some may call modern parks safe, those that lived through the 1960’s and 70’s will tell you that the parks constructed with tough materials taught kids lessons that no modern park could offer. Let us remember the old banned park toys.
Table of Contents
- 1 1. The Giant Stride: Reaching for the Sky
- 2 2. The Steel Slide Mountain
- 3 3. The Witch’s Hat
- 4 4. The Original Merry-Go-Round
- 5 5. The Towering Jungle Gym
- 6 6. The Original Seesaw
- 7 7. The Rope Swing
- 8 8. The Metal Monkey Bars
- 9 9. The Steel Rocking Horse
- 10 10. The Rocket Climber
- 11 11. The Metal Wave Slide
- 12 12. The Chain Bridge
- 13 13. The Steel Fire Pole
- 14 14. The Spinning Poles
1. The Giant Stride: Reaching for the Sky
Also referred to as the giant stride, this maypole-like structure consisted of a platform with a frame holding chains that kids would grab. Kids would run and in the process build up enough momentum to lift off the ground. This experience could result in broken bones and giant strides were removed from parks during the 1980’s.
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2. The Steel Slide Mountain
Ten foot slides that were made of metal were common. These slides would heat up on hot days, resulting in some very painful slides as the metal burned kids. These slides would eventually be replaced with shorter slides, made of plastic.
3. The Witch’s Hat
While this was more common in the UK, some American parks included a spinning ring. Kids would grab on to the ring and swing, causing the ring to spin. This may have been fun, but was very dangerous if someone lost their grip and fell off. Because of this, this toy was banned from American parks in the 1980s.
4. The Original Merry-Go-Round
All metal merry-go-rounds were a playground classic. They were fast, and injuries happened. Kids were thrown off, or jumped on to the merry-go-round, risking injury. Today all-metal merry-go-rounds are slower, and are required to have speed limiters.
5. The Towering Jungle Gym
Older metal jungle gyms stood around 8-10 feet tall- with no protective surfacing. These heights were dangerous when kids would fall off, but these jungle gyms were a playground staple until safety laws lowered the heights, and added softer materials to the ground.
6. The Original Seesaw
Older seesaws had no springs, or shock absorbers, and were made with either wood or metal. A partner could send the other crashing down by just hopping off. Modern seesaws are shorter, and are spring loaded to help keep injury rates down.
7. The Rope Swing
Rope swings have almost completely disappeared from modern day parks due to the liability of them, but offers an exhilarating challenge to swing far, possibly resulting in many bruised legs or scraped knees. They were fun.
8. The Metal Monkey Bars
Monkey bars were made of simple metal frames, and were usually placed over concrete. Kids were able to gain serious grip strength from using them, but risked a serious injury from falling, so modern day monkey bars are softer surfaces, and are lower to the ground.
9. The Steel Rocking Horse
Originally, these steel rocking horses (with a spring-mounted design) would bounce wildly when children played with them. They were found in most parks at the time, but the heavy steel construction was unforgiving, and hands could be pinched in exposed springs. More modern rides have replaced these and are constructed mainly out of molded plastic, utilizing safer mechanisms.
10. The Rocket Climber
The structures resemble rockets and are towering climbing structures. They are Inspired by the Space Age and can soar 15 feet or more. They are built out of steel bars and have provided multiple levels to climb and play. However, built out of steel can pose safety risks for children playing on climbing structures and playground safety regulations were built in the 1980s and 90s.
11. The Metal Wave Slide
Slides that feature waves and cause children to bounce down the slide are annoying to some but a thrill to dare devils. On hot days the slide gets very hot because the metal gets very hot. The ride is unpredictable because of the waves that cause children to bounce. Safety standards favor white plastic slides because they have gentler curves.
12. The Chain Bridge
Walkways made of metal slats and chains were built to be a challenge. Some people loved the thrill while some people were terrified by the swaying motion of the bridge. They have vanished from playgrounds today due to the absence of side rails and the ability to trap feet.
13. The Steel Fire Pole
Kids could imitate firefighters by sliding down fire poles that had little cushion to the landing. If the fire pole was not supervised, it could be dangerous and this is the reasoning behind removing most of them and redesigning them for safety.
14. The Spinning Poles
Some playgrounds have vertical spinning poles. The pole is part of larger structures and children can lose their grip and tumble. These playgrounds have vanished for safety reasons.
