Clackers

Clackers
"The original pendulum ball toy!"
By Euphrates

Clackers are the toy with a jillion names. It was essentially two large marbles
attached by a sturdy string with a ring in the center. You would put your finger
in the ring allowing the marbles or balls to hang below. Here is where the fun
starts. The idea was to get the two balls tapping (or clacking if you prefer)
against each other by pulling up on the ring lightly. Once you got the hang of
it, you could get them going faster and faster until they were smacking each other
above and below your hand in a stunning arc.

These toys are now legendary. They started finding their way into the schoolyards
in the early seventies and in 1971 were yanked from shelves because kids
were suffering eye injuries when the fragile, glass-like balls were shattering
from the violence of contact with their mates. I believe a plastic version may
have been released after the original and the more menacing version was pulled, but
I don't think that it enjoyed the same popularity.

One of the main obstacles in locating this toy today is knowing what to call it.
There were supposedly over 80 copy-cat products on the market during Clackers hey-day.
During your search expect to see names like:

Bonkers
Clackers
Clack Clacks
Click Clacks
Crackers
K-Nokkers
Ker- Knockers
Klackers
Klick Klacks
Knockers
Mini Poppers
Moon Rocks
Popper Knockers
Rockers
Super Clackers
Quick Klacks
Quick Clacks
Quick Wacks
Wackers
Whackers
Whak KOs

Because of the abrupt halt in production and distribution there were truckloads of these
toys dumped on the secondary market. This is good for collectors today because it
means that there are lots of these toys out there still MIP selling in the $10-$20
range.