Additional Coverage:
- 15 Old Playgrounds That Should Have Been Illegal (wealthgang.com)
Remember playgrounds? I’m talking real playgrounds.
The kind with scorching hot metal slides, jungle gyms that scraped the sky, and enough splinters to build a small house. Back then, a trip to the playground was less about playing and more about narrowly escaping death (or at least a serious injury).
It may not have been safe, but man, it was fun.
Here’s a nostalgic look back at 15 playgrounds that would never pass today’s safety standards:
- Defying Gravity (and Common Sense): This photo makes me wonder if the concept of gravity hadn’t been fully discovered yet.
- This Would Definitely Not Fly Today: I’m pretty sure this playground was designed by a team of lawyers’ worst nightmares.
- Playground or Circus Act?: Seriously, where do you even begin to climb on this thing?
- “Hot Slides and Giant Splinters. Those Were the Days.”: A sentiment shared by many (along with a few tetanus shots, probably).
- Conquering Your Fear of Heights, the Hard Way: Nothing like a rickety metal tower to help you face your fears.
- Seesaw Anarchy: On this seesaw, the only rule is there are no rules (except maybe “hold on for dear life”).
- Safety? What Safety?: The 1970s were a wild time.
- Overcrowding at Its Finest: How many kids can you cram onto a single play structure? The answer may surprise you.
- A Ladder to Nowhere (Probably): I have so many questions about where this ladder leads.
- Splinter City: Just looking at this picture makes my fingers hurt.
- **Don’t.
Let. Go.:** Words to live by on this playground.
- Metal Mayhem: When playgrounds were designed to double as giant microwave ovens in the summer.
- Bragging Rights Earned: Making it to the top of this monstrosity was a feat of strength and sheer will.
- Hamster Wheel of Doom: Is it exercise equipment or a torture device? You decide.
- A Wooden Wonderland (of Peril): Even as late as 1996, some playgrounds still embraced the “anything goes” mentality.
Read More About This Story:
- 15 Old Playgrounds That Should Have Been Illegal (wealthgang.com)