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From Loom Bands To Clackers: Nine Unexpectedly Dangerous Children's Toys!

It's all fun and games, until somebody loses an eye...or a tooth...or their marbles.

So much for the iPad generation.

Despite reports that children are wasting their hours staring at computer screens, gradually letting their brains wither to mush, it seems this is actually not the case.

This generation's tweens are actually being feverishly industrious, fashioning loom bands into an impressive arsenal of weaponry!

Danger, DANGER! [REX]
Danger, DANGER! [REX]

Loom bands - tiny hoops of colourful plastic - have risen to stratospheric popularity in recent months, with even Kate Middleton sporting a sneaky loom band on her recent trip to New Zealand.

Sneaky loom band visible on Kate's right hand! [Getty]
Sneaky loom band visible on Kate's right hand! [Getty]

But loom bands aren't as innocent as they seem.

Recently, poor Kyle Lwrence was nearly blinded in a scary loom band attack!

Kyle Lawrence whose left eye was injured by a loom band bracelet (SWNS)
Kyle Lawrence whose left eye was injured by a loom band bracelet (SWNS)

So here's a peek at nine toys that look perfectly innocent, but are actually super dangerous.

1. Loom bands

Whether they're flicked at eyeballs, used as tourniquets or left around for the dog to swallow, loom bands pose a stealthy threat to hoseholds everywhere!

2. Sky Dancers

Dainty little fairy-things, that whizz off into the air when you pull their chord.

But their circling wings and flailing hands have been known to cause broken teeth, facial lesions and even concussion.

[Galoob/eBay]
[Galoob/eBay]

Basically, they're as scary as the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.

Galoob recalled almost nine million of these in 2000.

3. Conkers

Trust children to take a good old game of conkers, and ratchet it up to playground warfare.

Some opponents have even been known to put their conkers in the freezer overnight - all the better for skull-cracking!

4. Bucky Balls

Magnetic balls that sit snugly together to make all kinds of fun shapes!

Unfortunately though, children have a fond habit of putting anything small in their mouths. And Bucky Balls bond together just as strongly through intestinal walls, as they do on the playroom floor.

[magnetpole.com]
[magnetpole.com]

Ouch!

5. Inflatable Baby Boats

Weren't these just the BEST THING?!

Apparently not as, often, the little plastic gusset that divides the leg holes was often feeble enough to break, causing our precious ones to slip through into the water beneath.

In 2009, four million of these boats were recalled after 30 children nearly drowned.

:(

6. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Doll

Woweee, a doll with a mechanised mouth that chews anything you put in it - including fingers and puppy ears.

Innocent dolls? Not so much. [REX]
Innocent dolls? Not so much. [REX]

Not cool guys, not cool at all.

7. Clackers

Believe it or not, some genius somewhere decided that clackers - the balls-on-a-string that you bouncer together to make a "clacking" nose - should be made out of glass.

Clack, clack, clack, ouch!
Clack, clack, clack, ouch!

So inevitably, when "clacked" hard enough, they shattered into a million tiny glass fractures.

Using them was a little bit like daring your eight-year-old to go punch a window.

Luckily, plastic has taken over as the material of choice.

8. Easy Bake Ovens

"Unsupervised", "child" and "oven" - three words we'd rather not put in the same sentence.

Lo and behold, in February Hasbro and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 985,000 Easy Bake Ovens after reports of children accidentally baking their finger into pies.

9. Pogo Balls

Jumpy jumpy fun?

Nope!

[Amazon]
[Amazon]

Turns out the near-impossible balancing act involved in using these flying-saucer shaped toys meant they were really good at catapaulting children into bannisters, pavements and hardwood flooring.

 [Snapchats and PDAs: Yahoo LIfestyle's Guide to Modern Manners]

[Why An Autism City Would Be Good For My Family]

Do you have any suggestions to add to the list? Let us know in the comments!