Top 9+ Toys From the ’80s That Would Never Get Approved Today

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

The 1980s were a golden age of creativity when it came to toys, but many of those childhood favorites wouldn’t stand a chance under today’s safety standards. Back then, regulations were far looser, and manufacturers often pushed boundaries with sharp edges, small parts, toxic materials, and questionable themes. Some of these toys were pulled from shelves after injuries or public outcry, while others quietly faded away as cultural norms changed. Here are nine toys from the '80s that, due to safety risks or social shifts, would likely never get approved for production in today's world.

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

Lawn darts, also known as Jarts, were marketed as a fun outdoor game but came with dangerously sharp metal tips. Designed to be tossed into the air toward ground targets, they posed a serious risk of injury. Dozens of accidents and even fatalities were reported, mostly involving children. After public pressure and years of documented injuries, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission banned their sale in 1988. Today, any toy with such obvious impalement risks would be instantly rejected under modern safety guidelines.

2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

The original Creepy Crawlers let kids pour liquid plastic into metal molds and heat them with a real electric hot plate to make rubbery bugs and shapes. While it was undeniably fun, it was also a burn hazard waiting to happen. The heating element reached temperatures over 300°F and lacked proper child-proofing. In today’s toy market, anything involving high heat, toxic fumes, or liquid plastic would undergo rigorous scrutiny and would likely be reengineered or banned entirely for child use.

3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

The Snacktime Cabbage Patch Doll was introduced in the late '80s and featured a mechanical mouth that "chewed" plastic food. Unfortunately, it didn’t distinguish between a toy sandwich and a child’s finger or hair. Reports of kids getting their fingers or ponytails caught in the doll’s mechanism led to injuries and prompted a major recall. Today, toys with automated parts must undergo strict testing to ensure they can’t trap or injure body parts, making this particular concept obsolete.

4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

Slap bracelets were a playground sensation. Kids would slap them against their wrists, and the metal band inside would coil around the arm. However, the internal metal strip could sometimes poke through the fabric, leading to cuts and scrapes. Cheap knockoffs made the issue worse. After several injuries, many schools banned them outright. Modern toy standards now require coverings to meet durability and wear-and-tear guidelines, making old-school slap bracelets too risky in their original form.

5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

While He-Man and Skeletor action figures were hugely popular, the early versions of Skeletor’s battle armor included jagged edges and tiny detachable accessories that posed choking hazards. Some versions even had mechanisms that could snap fingers or pinch skin. Toy safety regulations now require all parts to pass small-parts testing for children under three, and sharp features must be rounded or softened. In its original form, this toy would likely be rejected for mass production today.

6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

Though not from the '80s, My Friend Cayla is worth noting for comparison. This talking doll was pulled from markets in the 2010s for collecting private data from children. If this had existed in the '80s, it likely wouldn’t have faced backlash due to the lack of digital awareness. But toys like Teddy Ruxpin, with their simple voice playback and mechanical mouths, were precursors. If any connected toy today lacked airtight privacy safeguards, it would be banned under COPPA and other child protection laws.

7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

The early models of the Easy-Bake Oven used an actual incandescent bulb to cook small cakes, which could cause burns if children touched the interior. Later versions replaced the bulb with safer heating elements and redesigned the insertion tray to minimize contact. But in its earlier days, the toy lacked sufficient insulation or heat shields. Modern safety standards for electrical toys are far stricter, and anything with a heating function now requires built-in fail-safes and strict heat emission limits.

8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

Action figures from the Battlestar Galactica line came with spring-loaded missile launchers, which unfortunately became a fatal hazard. In 1978, a young boy choked to death after swallowing one of the small plastic projectiles. This tragedy led to sweeping changes in toy projectile design. Since then, federal regulations require that any toy projectile either be too large to swallow or secured so it cannot detach. The toy industry learned a hard lesson that still shapes production today.

9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

1. Lawn Darts That Turned Backyard Fun Into a Hazard, 2. Creepy Crawlers with Real Heating Elements, 3. Snacktime Cabbage Patch Kids That Could Bite, 4. Slap Bracelets That Left a Mark, 5. He-Man’s Skeletor Battle Armor with Sharp Edges, 6. My Friend Cayla and Privacy Concerns, 7. The Original Easy-Bake Oven’s Scorching Design, 8. Battlestar Galactica Missiles That Fired Too Well, 9. Face-Changing Baby Dolls That Were Just Too Strange

Some '80s dolls featured rotating or removable faces, a concept that may seem harmless but left many children unsettled and even afraid. While not necessarily unsafe, these toys would likely not pass today’s consumer feedback standards due to their creepy design and emotional impact. The modern toy industry takes psychological development into account, favoring toys that are comforting and relatable. A baby doll with a removable face wouldn’t likely make it past today’s product testing or focus groups.

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