Thingmakers and Plastigoop
Thoughts on generational differences
in dangerous toys

The recent hubbub over dangerous toys has me thinking about the kind of playthings that most of the kids of my generation managed to survive…

At the tender age of two or three, us kids from the 1960s were regularly tossed out into the yard or driveway with Tonka Trucks. In case you are only familiar with the lightweight plastic versions that came out later, Tonka Trucks in the sixties were heavy die-cast iron and steel playthings with no discernible “rounded off” corners. They weighed in at about six pounds apiece, light enough for a little kid to throw but too heavy for his buddy to safely catch. Heck, the wheels on Tonka Trucks were little more than hockey pucks with sharp little steel hubcaps in the center.

In the sixties, Mattel encouraged kids to join the plastics industry with its Thingmaker oven, molds and plates.

At that time, there were probably no more than one or two items in the entire Tonka catalogue that couldn’t put your eye out. Dangerous? The Tonka Truck toy ambulance came with instructions on how to call the real thing in case your brother used it to bop you over the noggin.

Later, when my brother and I were older, my parents bought us the latest toy craze to sweep the nation: Lawn Darts! This ingenious invention combined the game of horseshoes with heavy sharp projectiles. It was fun while it lasted but I don’t think any of us Lawn Dart aficionados were too surprised when a few unfortunate incidents led to the toy being pulled from the shelves at K-Mart. I hear that you can still purchase Lawn Darts on the black market (read E-bay), if you are willing to part with enough cash and sign a disclaimer.

One of the best dangerous toys from my childhood was the Mattel Thingmaker. Introduced in the 1960s, the Thingmaker was basically an electric hotplate with little metal molds. You poured this colorful liquid called Plastigoop into the metal molds, heated them up, and made your own rubbery cockroaches, toads and other fishing-lure-esque items.

Every few months, Mattel would come out with a new series of molds for the Thingmaker such as “Creeple Peeple,” “Fright Factory” and “Fighting Men.” They even had a series of molds aimed at the young girl Thingmaker of the household called “Fun Flowers.”

Of course there were several important things to remember when using the Thingmaker. First, when you buy new molds, be sure to pick up a new bottle of Plastigoop. We were always running out of Plastigoop around my house. That forced me to find substitutes, none of which worked quite as well as the real thing. Plastic army men melted just fine in the Thingmaker, but they had a habit of sticking to the molds and stinking up the whole house. Ping-pong balls didn’t melt, they just sort of caught on fire.

Which brings me to the second important rule of the Thingmaker: Always unplug it after using it. I can’t tell you how many times I forgot to unplug the Thingmaker, only to have someone in my family step on it later in their stocking feet. Nothing got my dad steaming mad quite like a second-degree burn along the soles of his feet. Go figure.

While the dangers of yesteryear’s toys were pretty much straightforward, today’s parents are freaking out because of things like lead-based paint on Barbie accessories made in China. That’s a real concern because it’s something you can’t really see but can damage your kid from the inside out.

Until quality control in places like China enters the 21st century, my advice for parents is to give their kids as many plastic-free toys as possible. I know it sounds tough to avoid plastic while you’re perusing the toy aisles at one of the mega-stores, but there are plenty of places such as the Mast General Store, the Learning Tree and The Incredible Toy Company in Boone that have a wide selection of old fashioned wooden toys. Plus, you can always give kids art supplies and books to keep them busy.

This Christmas I’m making a concerted effort to avoid plastic and made in China items for the youngsters on my gift list. I’ll let you know how it goes.