The AC Gilbert "Atomic Energy Lab" gets a worse rap than it really deserves. First off, it was a very very mild radioactive isotope was only strong enough to be readable, not something that would cause you cancer by playing with the toy or growing a third arm. Nobody ever died from one, either. Also, it cost around $500 in 1950's money and very few were ever sold. There's only a few known in existence- one in DC somewhere, and I've seen one over at the Toy Shack in old town Vegas up high on the top shelf above the cashier. That said, it wasn't the best idea for a toy.
Wow, now there's a kit? I just got the fork or screwdriver out of the kitchen or dad's toolbox. I half melted his favorite 6 in 1 screwdriver and got my ass beat thoroughly for that.
Back in the sixties, my favorite thing was a screwdriver. I was toddler and got zapped many times from taking the wall outlets out of the wall. Before I could walk, I took a bunch of kitchen cabinet doors off. A couple were from the top ones - or so I'm told...
Not much more dangerous than many of the "toys" sold to us as pre-teens growing up.
ReplyDeleteThe original 1960s Creepy Crawlers with that open-top electric oven. Chemistry sets with genuine radioactive samples. Jarts.
An old SNL skit had Dan Aykroyd as a toy company exec selling items such as "Bag of Broken Glass".
The AC Gilbert "Atomic Energy Lab" gets a worse rap than it really deserves. First off, it was a very very mild radioactive isotope was only strong enough to be readable, not something that would cause you cancer by playing with the toy or growing a third arm. Nobody ever died from one, either. Also, it cost around $500 in 1950's money and very few were ever sold. There's only a few known in existence- one in DC somewhere, and I've seen one over at the Toy Shack in old town Vegas up high on the top shelf above the cashier. That said, it wasn't the best idea for a toy.
DeleteWow, now there's a kit? I just got the fork or screwdriver out of the kitchen or dad's toolbox. I half melted his favorite 6 in 1 screwdriver and got my ass beat thoroughly for that.
ReplyDeleteBack in the sixties, my favorite thing was a screwdriver. I was toddler and got zapped many times from taking the wall outlets out of the wall. Before I could walk, I took a bunch of kitchen cabinet doors off. A couple were from the top ones - or so I'm told...
ReplyDeleteI joined the two items together while still in a high chair (wooden - which is why I survived). Ended up becoming an electronics engineer.
ReplyDelete