Instructions for Clackers

General

• Clackers first appeared in the 1960s, although their popularity among children came primarily in the early 1970s. Many companies produced them, and although commonly known as Clackers, the toy became known by many other names. This included, among others, Knockers, Klick Klacks and Kerbangers. Millions of the toy sold in the early 1970s, with kids around the world enjoying the Clackers fad.

Description

• Clackers basically comprised two small acrylic balls, usually less than 2 inches in diameter, set on two pieces of string around 12 to 18 inches in length. The two pieces of string connected on a small ring at the opposite end from the balls. The balls for Clackers came in a variety of shades, from clear acrylic to vibrant colors.

How to Play

• Playing with a set of Clackers involves placing a finger through the ring, with the balls hanging down below. By gently moving the hand in an up-and-down motion, the balls swing apart, and then back together, with the distinctive clacking sound when bouncing together, which gives the toy its common name. Keeping the up-and-down hand motion going increases the momentum, so that the balls move farther apart with each successive swing. This allows the balls to bounce together harder on each swing, which also helps increase the momentum.

Ultimate Aim

• The aim of playing with Clackers involved having the balls bounce together as many times as possible without missing. While it took a little practice and skill to get the balls to continually bounce together below the hand, the ultimate aim involved building the swing momentum to the point where the balls bounced together below and above the hand. The trick was then to keep doing this for as long as possible, and keep score of how many times the balls bounced together.

Safety

• While fun to play with, safety became an issue with Clackers after a spate of accidents in which the acrylic balls shattered during play. This led to the FDA issuing a warning in early 1971 about the dangers of playing with the toy, and eventually a ban on Clackers using balls that were not shatterproof. Many stores still sell Clackers today; if buying the toy, make sure the balls are the safe shatterproof variety.