Popperknockers. We loved 'em, we just didn't know what to call them. They were officially known as "Klackers," but most of us who carried the noisy, infernal, dangerous things around made up our own names, some a bit on the racy side. I preferred popperknockers.
According to Wikipedia, other names included Klick-Klacks, Whackers, Ker-Knockers, Whack'os, Bangers, Poppers, Knockers, Bonkers, Clackers, Clack Clacks, Crackers, K-Nokkers, Knockers, Mini Poppers, Popper Knockers, Rockers, Super Clackers, Quick Klacks, Quick Clacks, Quick Wacks, Wackers, Whak Kos, and Zonkers. Yeesh!
Their premise was the height of simplicity. Two acrylic spheres on a piece of string with a plastic handle located in the middle. They hung straight down, and upward and downward motions of your hand made them pop into each other, making one of the most familiar sound heard in the 60's and 70's.
They came with an instruction sheet, but there wasn't a whole lot of technique involved. Sure, you could do the razzle-dazzle stuff like reach back between your legs and do 180 pops, aka the surfer, of move 180 pops around in a big vertical circle, aka orbiting around the world, but for the most part, we pacifists used them as therapy. The steady pop-pop-pop assured us that all was well, and we walked around the streets and hallways (until they were ultimately banned from school) producing the soothing cadence.
Of course, not all popperknocker owners were so peaceful. Bullies relished the toys as weapons. Many a fat or skinny kid suffered black eyes or bruises at the wrong end of the plastic orbs.
Thus, they were eventually removed from all of our hands. In today's society where every item we buy comes with a warning label designed to keep drooling morons from injuring themselves with, say, a roll of toilet paper, the idea of heavy hard balls suspended on a string seems ridiculous, particularly in the hands of children.
Too bad. We stressed-out, overworked Boomers could sure use a reassuring pop-pop-pop to tell us that all is still well.
Comments (1)
Click...clack...click...clack...click...clack...click.claclackclackclack...remember?
I was about 12 years old when I got my first pair. Yeah-they were PINK!
Back then people didn't worry about silly little things like seatbelts, car seats, secondhand smoke or cholesterol.
So, it should come as no surprise that little attention was paid to toy safety. Heck, clackers were harmless
compared to some of the childhood toys I live through. I still have scars from a horrifyingly traumatic Creepy Crawly
Machine incident. You remember-metal mold trays filled with hot melted goo. And, boy did that little light bulb in
my Easy Bake oven get hot. Well, hot enough to cook brownies as well as fingers.
So, imagine my excitement when my daughter called me from an auction last weekend.
"Mom, there's a huge box of Ka nockers here. I am not sure what they are but they look old."
"Huh?" I replied. That's not what we called them so I had no idea what she was talking about.
"You know. I don't know. There, like, two balls on a string with a little ring." She said.
That triggered a flash flood of long repressed memories! "Get'em!...you gotta get'em!"
*must have must have must have* You know that little voice. Come on, I'm not the only one that hears the voice. Why are you looking at me like that? Okay, moving on...
Long story short-apparently I wasn't the only one who remembered these and the bidding was fierce but in the end she brought home the prize. About 100 sets of Ka Nockers!
Yeah we have a few bruises but how could we help ourselves. It only took me a few tries to recapture the skill level I had at 12. Okay...that's not saying much. Ouch!
If you remember Clackers-(otherwise known as Bonkers, Champions, Clack Clacks, Clackers, Click Clacks, Crackers, K-Nokkers, Kabangers, Ker- Knockers, Klackers, Klick Klacks, Klik Klaks, Klikies Knicker, Knockers, Knockers, Krazy Klacker, Kwik Klack, Mini Poppers, Moon Rocks, Nocknocks, Popper Knockers, Quick Klacks, Quick Clacks, Quick Wacks) you may want to check out my website. I'll be selling some but not as toys! These are collectables. Times have changed. We do not arm out children these days. These suckers are dangerous.
Posted by thevintagepeddler.com | July 23, 2007 10:49 AM
Posted on July 23, 2007 10:49