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Clackers
Clackers
Clackers
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Clackers
Other namesClankers, Ker-bangers, Latto-latto, Sisi's Balls
CountryUnited States
Availabilitylate 1960s–present
MaterialsGlass (former), Plastic

Clackers (also known as Clankers, Ker-Bangers, latto-latto in the Philippines and most of Southeast Asia, and numerous other names[1]) are toys that were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s.[2]

The toy is composed of two solid balls of polymer, each about 2 inches (5 cm) 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

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The toys were created in the 1960s. Because it was "addicting" to some kids, millions of clackers were sold by the early 1970s.[3]

Safety hazard

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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.[4][5] 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.[6]

Revival

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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.[7]

Egypt

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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.[8][9]

Latto-latto

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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.[10]) 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.[11]

Its popularity spread through TikTok to the neighboring Philippines in 2023, where it is known as lato-lato.[12][13] There were several lato-lato competitions in Luzon, with high cash prizes.[11] A government-launched tourism competition was held in Cainta, Rizal, with kids included.[14] The toy was also popular in Singapore, with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong playing the toy.[15] In 2024, the toy became popular in Pakistan.[16]

Description

[edit]

Clackers were two plastic balls, each about 2 inches (5.1 centimetres) 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.[17]

[edit]

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

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References

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Clackers

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Clackers are a novelty consisting of two solid acrylic or spheres, each approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, connected by a cord or string to a central or directly to each other, designed to be swung rhythmically so the balls collide and produce a loud clacking . Invented in the late , the toy surged in popularity during the early , with one manufacturer selling over a million units within months of production. Despite their appeal as a simple skill toy reminiscent of the Argentine weapon, Clackers faced significant safety scrutiny due to the balls' tendency to shatter upon forceful impact, generating sharp fragments that could lacerate skin or eyes. This hazard prompted warnings from the U.S. in the early and eventual classification as a banned toy under Product Safety Commission regulations for non-compliant models, leading to recalls and market withdrawal in the United States and by the mid-. Exemptions were later granted for redesigned versions meeting stricter durability standards, though the original fad-era toy's risks underscored early enforcement.

Origins and Development

Invention and Patenting

The Clackers toy, comprising two rigid acrylic or spheres tethered by strings to a finger loop, first appeared in the United States during the late 1960s, though no single inventor has been definitively identified in contemporaneous records or subsequent historical analyses. The design's simplicity—relying on basic physics to generate rhythmic clacking sounds—likely contributed to its rapid adoption without formal attribution to an originator, resembling adaptations of earlier percussive toys or implements but lacking direct precedents in documented toy patents from the era. Commercial production accelerated in late 1970, when American operator Mike Brown initiated manufacturing of the in December of that year, achieving sales of one million units by March 1971 amid surging demand. This early mass-market entry underscores the 's organic emergence rather than a patented breakthrough, as multiple independent producers quickly replicated the concept without apparent legal barriers. No foundational U.S. for the core Clackers mechanism appears in records from the or early , suggesting the design entered the effectively upon introduction, which facilitated widespread imitation by firms including those marketing variants like "Crazy Clappers." Subsequent addressed modifications or derivative clacking devices, such as U.S. 10,617,966 (issued April 14, 2020) for a modern clacking ball with reinforced components, but these postdate the original proliferation and do not claim priority over the iteration. The absence of proprietary protection aligned with the 's explosive popularity, as evidenced by over 3 million units sold across variants within months of peak hype, prior to regulatory scrutiny.

Initial Commercialization

Scotti, Inc., a division of Spatz Fiberglass Products, Inc. based in Yorklyn, , spearheaded the initial commercialization of clackers in the late under the brand name "Clickers." Led by Scotti Lee, the company manufactured the toy using two heavy acrylic balls approximately 2 inches in diameter connected by a braided string with a finger tab, marketing it for its hand-eye coordination benefits and rhythmic clacking noise produced by swinging the balls in alternating arcs. The design's simplicity allowed for inexpensive production via molding techniques, enabling rapid market entry and initial sales to children aged 6 and older. The toy's addictive gameplay—requiring users to master escalating speeds to achieve continuous clacking—drove immediate demand, with Scotti Inc. reporting it as their hottest seller shortly after launch. This success prompted quick imitation, as the absence of robust enforcement on the basic mechanism allowed competitors to flood the market; by , variants like Klackers from Method Toys appeared, promoted through television advertisements emphasizing the toy's hypnotic motion and skill-building potential. Global sales surged into the millions by the early , with hundreds of manufacturers producing unlicensed copies using similar acrylic or balls, often in vibrant colors to appeal to fad-driven consumers. The low —requiring minimal materials and no complex assembly—facilitated this proliferation, though it also introduced variability in durability, setting the stage for later safety scrutiny. In regions like the , importers such as James of stocked large inventories, further amplifying distribution through retailers and department stores.

Design and Operation

Physical Components

Clackers consist of two solid spherical balls, each approximately 2 inches (5 cm) in , constructed from hard acrylic or . These balls are designed to collide forcefully during play, producing the characteristic clacking sound upon impact. The balls are connected by a single sturdy , typically made of or braided material, which allows the spheres to swing freely up and down relative to a central holding point. The is knotted or fixed securely to each ball at one end and to a finger tab or loop at the midpoint, enabling the user to grip and manipulate the with one hand. The finger tab serves as the handle, often a small plastic or molded loop integrated into the string assembly, facilitating rhythmic up-and-down motions to propel the balls. This simple construction emphasized durability for repeated impacts, though the acrylic composition in early models contributed to fracture risks under stress.

Mechanics and Physics

Clackers operate by suspending two rigid spheres, typically 5 cm in diameter and made of acrylic or similar polymer, from strings approximately 30-40 cm long attached to a central finger loop. Vertical oscillations of the hand-held loop drive the spheres into anti-phase pendulum swings, causing them to collide repeatedly at the bottom of their arcs. The characteristic clacking sound arises from the acoustic impulse of these high-speed impacts, with collision velocities reaching several meters per second in skilled operation. The underlying physics approximates two coupled simple under , where each sphere's motion follows the for a : θ¨+gLsin⁡θ=0\ddot{\theta} + \frac{g}{L} \sin \theta = 0, with angular displacement θ\theta, g≈9.8g \approx 9.8 m/s², and string length LL. For small angles, this yields with period T=2πL/gT = 2\pi \sqrt{L/g}
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