#3: Jarts (1950s-Late 1980s)
Lawn darts, or Jarts, were introduced around the 1950s. It is a game in which you throw darts at a target. They’re still around. I’m specifically talking about the lawn darts with sharp tips on the ends. Since they were promoted as a toy for children, many kids were injured or outright killed due to those darts being thrown in ways they shouldn’t have been.
In the late ‘80s, Jarts were banned in the US and Canada. This was mainly due to a tragic incident where a 7-year-old was killed by a lawn dart hitting her head. They were banned in the US in 1988 and Canada in 1989. The lawn darts sold today have dull edges or plastic tips. And in a way, it was a sign of the times. The ‘80s were the last decade where most kids would have unsupervised playtime with dangerous items.