In the 1970s, long before government regulations and overprotective moms sucked all the fun out of our playground equipment, most neighborhood parks included some sketchy swings, slides, and jungle gyms that, despite the hours of entertainment they offered, were admittedly fraught with hidden – and not so hidden – dangers. Yet ‘70s kids were a hearty bunch! We trotted ourselves to the closest playground, journeying several blocks without parental supervision, to meet our friends for an afternoon of injury dodging masked as childhood innocence on many of these unsafe playground features.
#1: Metal Slides
Under the right conditions, metal slides were awesome! They were slick and smooth so youngsters could satisfy their need for speed. Sadly, conditions were rarely perfect. The blazing summer sun turned the slide into a griddle that seared a child’s tender back-thigh flesh. So, metal slides were replaced with hard plastic ones that are a conduit for static electricity. Improvement?
