{{short description|Toy consisting of two balls on a string}} {{other uses}} {{Expand language|topic=|langcode=id|otherarticle=Latto-latto|date=January 2023}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2007}} {{Infobox toy|name=Clackers|image=Kliklak 02.jpg|othernames=Clankers, Ker-bangers, Latto-latto, Sisi's Balls|from=late 1960s|country=United States|materials=Glass ''(former)'', Plastic}} '''Clackers''' (also known as '''Clankers''', '''Ker-Bangers''', '''latto-latto''' in the Philippines and most of Southeast Asia, and numerous other names<ref>{{Citation |title=Clackers |work=ToyNfo |url=http://www.brtb.com/cgi-bin/toynfo.pl?clackersindex |contribution= |publisher=BRTB}}.</ref>) are toys that were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s.<ref>{{Citation | url = https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2001/jul/26/internet.shopping | title = Working the web: Retro toys | newspaper = The Guardian | date = 2001-07-26 | place = UK}}.</ref>
The toy is composed of two solid balls of polymer, each about {{convert|2|in|cm|0}} in diameter, attached to a finger tab with a sturdy string; the user holds the tab with the balls hanging below. Through up-and-down hand motion, the two balls are made to swing apart and back together, making the clacking noise that gives the toy its name. With practice and skill one can make the balls swing so that they knock together both above and below the hand.
In 1968, tempered glass sphere models were sold that could eventually shatter, injuring users or others nearby. In the early 1970s, manufacturers switched to using plastic.
Clackers are similar in appearance to bolas, the Argentine throwing weapon.
== History == The toys were created in the 1960s. Because it was "addicting" to some kids, millions of clackers were sold by the early 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-03-24 |title=Clackers, the Popular Toy That Was Banned in the 1970s Just Because It Injured Kids |url=https://vintagenewsdaily.com/clackers-the-popular-toy-that-was-banned-in-the-1970s-just-because-it-injured-kids/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Vintage News Daily |language=en-US}}</ref>
=== Safety hazard === thumb|1971 Dutch newsreel covering the toy's popularity as "Klik-klak-rage" Clackers were taken off the market in the United States and Canada when reports came out of children becoming injured while playing with them. Fairly heavy and fast-moving, and made of hard acrylic plastic, the balls would occasionally shatter upon striking each other.<ref>{{Citation |last1=Johnson |first1=Barb |title=More of this world or maybe another: Stories |date=20 October 2009 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pz8mD9Vn6OQC&dq=clackers+toy&pg=PA198 |publisher=Harper Collins |isbn=9780061944048}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=February 12, 1971 |title='Clacker' Injuries Reported by F.D.A. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1971/02/12/archives/clacker-injuries-reported-by-fda.html |access-date=5 January 2023 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> In the United States, they were classed as a "mechanical hazard" in ''United States v. Article Consisting of 50,000 Cardboard Boxes More or Less, Each Containing One Pair of Clacker Balls''.<ref name="case">{{cite court|litigants=United States v. Article Consisting of 50,000 Cardboard Boxes More or Less, Each Containing One Pair of Clacker Balls|vol=413|reporter=F. Supp.|opinion=1281|court=E.D. Wisc.|date=1976|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/413/1281/1660578/|access-date=2017-11-13}}</ref>
=== Revival === A redesigned version of Clackers enjoyed a revival in the 1990s. The new design used modern plastics which would not shatter and two free-swinging, opposing triangles attached to a handle, with weighted balls at the ends. They are often sold in bright neon colors as noisemaker toys or party favors.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kastor |first1=Elizabeth |date=1990-10-18 |title=THE TOY THAT DRIVES ADULTS CLACKERS |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/10/18/the-toy-that-drives-adults-clackers/cdc3ed7e-c5d0-4fa4-8fe0-a0c2dc055753/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref>
==== Egypt ==== In 2017, the original form of the toy was revived in Egypt and gained popularity among schoolchildren. It became famous under the name "Sisi's balls" referring to the testicles of the Egyptian president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. The police subsequently arrested 41 clacker sellers and confiscated 1,403 pairs of the toy which they considered offensive to the government.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-09 |title='Sisi's balls': Egypt cracks down on popular children's toy making fun of president's 'clackers' |url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2017/11/8/sisis-balls-egypt-cracks-down-on-popular-childrens-toy |access-date=2018-02-17 |website=The New Arab |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |title=Ägypten: Festnahmen wegen "Sisis Eier"-Bällen |url=https://derstandard.at/2000068831593/Aegypten-Festnahmen-wegenSisis-Eier-Baellen |access-date=2018-02-17 |work=derStandard}}</ref>
=== Latto-latto === [[File:Bulac,_Santa_Maria,_Bulacan_29.jpg |thumb|upright|Lato-lato became a popular toy in the Philippines during the 2020s]] In late 2022, the toy became popular in Indonesia, where it is known as ''latto-latto'' or ''katto-katto''. (''Latto'' is a Buginese word which means a clacking sound, while ''katto'' a similar word in Makassarese.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Safhira |first=Vidia Elfa |date=2022-12-24 |title=Mengenal Latto-Latto, Mainan Tradisional yang Kembali Viral |url=https://www.pikiran-rakyat.com/teknologi/pr-016008464/mengenal-latto-latto-mainan-tradisional-yang-kembali-viral |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=Pikiran-Rakyat.com |language=id}}</ref>) The President of Indonesia Joko Widodo was also seen playing with the toy. Actor Paul Rudd was asked to play with the toy when he visited Indonesia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Guiao |first=Micah |date=2023-06-15 |title=Turns Out Lato-Lato Has Western Origins: What to Know About "Newton's Yo-Yo" |url=https://www.spot.ph/newsfeatures/trending/105200/lato-lato-craze-in-the-philippines-a5229-20230615?s=rjqvc2hfk9esufffm6hq95auio |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Spot.ph |language=en}}</ref>
Its popularity spread through TikTok to the neighboring Philippines in 2023, where it is known as ''lato-lato''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Santos |first1=Justine Nicholas |date=2023-06-01 |title='Lato-lato': What is it and why is it trending now? |url=https://pop.inquirer.net/345574/lato-lato-what-is-it-and-why-is-it-a-trend-now |access-date=2023-06-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=2023-06-04 |title=Lato-lato toy trends on TikTok; doctor shares safety tips when playing |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/hashtag/content/872006/lato-lato-toy-trends-on-tiktok-doctor-shares-safety-tips-when-playing/story/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |work=GMA News Online}}</ref> There were several lato-lato competitions in Luzon, with high cash prizes.<ref name=":0" /> A government-launched tourism competition was held in Cainta, Rizal, with kids included.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maramara |first=Kyzia |date=2023-06-14 |title=Lato Lato, the Toy That Has Taken Philippines by Storm |url=https://8list.ph/lato-lato-philippines/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=8List.ph |language=en-US}}</ref> The toy was also popular in Singapore, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong playing the toy.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sukri |first=Hazeeq |date=2023-04-21 |title=Clack clack! What's the story behind lato-lato, the viral toy craze that's in full swing in Singapore? |url=https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/lato-lato-history-facts-indonesia-singapore-354851 |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=CNA Lifestyle |language=en}}</ref> In 2024, the toy became popular in Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news |date=2024-08-11 |title=Clackers a threat to children's safety |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1851422/clackers-a-threat-to-childrens-safety |access-date=2024-08-21 |work=Dawn}}</ref>
== Description == Clackers were two plastic balls, each about {{Convert|2|in|cm|abbr=off}} in diameter. The balls are attached to a tab with a strong string. The player swings the balls back and forth, creating the clacking sound that describes the name.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |title=Clackers: the Toy of Doom |url=https://www.instructables.com/Clackers-the-Toy-of-Doom/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Instructables |language=en}}</ref>
==In popular culture== {{unsourced section|date=November 2022}} Clackers have also made some appearances in pop culture media. Clackers are a plot point in the 1993 "Love and Sausages" episode of ''The Kids in the Hall'' TV series. They were also used as weapons by Joseph Joestar in ''Battle Tendency'', the second story arc of the 1980s manga series ''JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''; their appearance there is anachronistic, as ''Battle Tendency'' takes place in 1938. They also reappear in the eighth story arc of the manga, ''JoJolion'', in the final chapter released in 2021.
The toys are featured in the US television shows produced by Dan Schneider, most notably in the 2007 ''Drake & Josh'' episode "Megan's First Kiss," and in the 2008 ''Zoey 101'' episode "Rumor of Love".
Clackers were also used as weapons in the 2015 Telugu film ''Bahubali'' directed by S. S. Rajamouli.
==See also== * Conkers * Eskimo yo-yo * Newton's cradle
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Clackers}} *[https://www.bbc.co.uk/videos/ced00pe18edo "Clackers" 1971 report] from BBC ''Nationwide'' * [https://qz.com/871228/clacker-popular-toy-recalled-because-it-explodes Clacker balls: the exploding toy from the 1970s that is responsible for a generation of helicopter parents]
Category:1970s toys Category:Physical activity and dexterity toys Category:Toy instruments and noisemakers Category:2020s fads and trends