The summer heat beats down on any who brave the outdoors. People use awnings, fans, cool drinks, pools, fire hydrants, and all sorts of toys and games to stay safely cool. But there’s one toy that people won’t be using today, and that’s the original Water Wiggle, a staple of the ’60s now prohibited.
That’s because the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall for the wriggling toy less than twenty years after it hit the shelves. Anyone who had this short-lived toy remembers its wild, unpredictable movements, so why did it fly right into the danger zone?
Wham-O releases the Water Wiggle
The Water Wiggle’s story begins with the company behind its existence, Wham-O, founded in 1948 in Carson, California. Their first product was a slingshot, and their product line quickly came to include numerous classics, such as the Frisbee, Hula hoop, Silly String, Hacky sack, and more. The company’s products became such popular classics, they became genericized trademarks, meaning even though other companies may make a similar product, the original name is the default term. Think Band-Aids, originally from Johnson & Johnson, now the typical term for adhesive bandages made by anyone.
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Wham-O had some products for staying cool during the hotter months, especially with the use of water. Summer comes with as many hazards as sources of fun. Kids can play outside without combating the cold – but do you remember how hot those towering metal slides would get after baking in the sun? But with the Water Wiggle, kids could have fun right in their yard, no playground necessary. They just add the seven-foot-long plastic hose could be attached to a garden hose; it utilized an aluminum water-jet nozzle under a plastic shell decorated with a silly face. With the water running, the entire device – and hose – would fly, jerk, and swerve around through the air, meaning every play experience with the Water Wiggle was different.
The recall of the Water Wiggle
The Water Wiggle hit shelves in 1962, making this 60 years since its debut. It would last for only 16 of those years. Ultimately, the wild trajectory of this toy made it dangerous, and essentially like a hard projectile. For one thing, nearby people could be hit by the nozzle. But it presented another risk when, in 1975, a three-year-old drowned while playing with the toy.
Then, in March 1978, a four-year-old was playing with the Water Wiggle with some friends; the product was partially dismantled, and the nozzle became lodged in the child’s mouth with water still shooting from it. As a result, he drowned even while on land. That same year, the CPSC issued a recall, while also factoring in additional injuries the toy is reported to have caused. Consumers could return their products for a full refund, with the retail price listed at $3.50.
Did you have any toys that are no longer sold today for safety concerns?