Due to their heightened ability to take in information
children are extremely impressionable
their early experiences of huge lasts and impacts on their cognitive and social development and for this reason alone
What they are exposed to during the first years is crucial for their years to come
With this in mind and toys being such a large part of a childs early years, it makes you wonder
why some toys have been designed the way they have been?
given how vulnerable children can be
Either because of their downright creepy appearance or because of their dangerous designs that make them not safe for adults let alone children
So from a toy kit containing deadly materials to a disturbing doll, here are 5 creepy children's toys and horror stories
Hit the lights sit back and enjoy
The Evil Stick, in 2014
a young mother bought her two-year-old daughter a pretty pink plastic princess wand from a dollar store in Dayton, Ohio
It was positioned on a shelf with Barbie dolls
tiaras and other girly merch
so she had no thoughts of it not being suitable for a daughter
It wasn't until she got home that she realized it really wasn't a suitable toy for anyone let alone a two-year-old
Although the clue may have been in the name as the wand was called an evil stick, the packaging featured a picture of a character
from a Japanese anime series
After opening the toy and peeling off the protective flower shapes foil on the mirror part of the wand
the mother was horrified at what she found the foil was concealing a disturbing image
of what appeared to be a young girl with inflamed eyes cutting her wrists
After the story hit the headlines
it was revealed that not all the ones revealed such disturbing images
Some had characters from an anime series while others had weird zombie looking creatures behind the foil
However none of the pictures would have been suitable for a young adult
The wands packaging also quoted - "I can send out the luster of beauty and I can send out wonderful music"
Yet, although the wand did make a sound when you pressed its heart-shaped on/off button
it was definitely not wonderful
Further investigations revealed the toy was made in China and is believed the shiny foil flower was supposed to be viewed as a mirror but
distorted the users face
There was even a label on it stating it was suitable for ages three and up
The woman slitting her wrists in the distorted photo was revealed to be a French model named Aubry
Who is posing for a photo shoot in 2002 for French graphic artist Butcher Ludwig
The image was used without knowledge or permission of either and who manufactured and distributed the evil stick is not known
CSI fingerprint examination kit
In 2007, CSI the long-running and hugely successful American TV forensics crime series released a string of products
commissioned by the producers of the show
that were based on forensic investigations, a strange move considering CSI is not aimed at children
Anyway, one of the products was a CSI fingerprint examination kit that contained everything needed to dust for fingerprints and keep
records of potential criminals
It was the perfect gift for anybody forensic detective aged ten and over
but there was one problem... The fingerprint powder included in the kit
Contained up to 7% tremolite
one of the most deadly forms of asbestos; a toxic material that if inhaled can lead to asbestosis
lung cancer and other life-threatening conditions
The astonishing discovery was made by the asbestos disease awareness organization who independently tested the powder
however despite these conclusive results being available in November
2007, the product was not recalled until three weeks later
during which time in the run-up to Christmas the kit became a best-seller
Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper
The Colonial Viper was one of a series of Battlestar Galactica toys released in the 1970s
It came complete with small red plastic missiles
but fired using a spring-loaded action
The toy was labeled as safety tested for children over three years old and nothing seemed out of the ordinary
but shortly after Christmas in 1978
four-year-old Robert Jeffery Warren from Georgia was playing with the toy
thought to have been bought for his older brother that Christmas
As young children do Robert put the toy in his mouth
Unfortunately, it was the missile-firing part of the ship.
He then pulled the trigger and launched the missile, but then lodged into his throat
Robert choked and convulsed for about four minutes before falling unconscious.
He was rushed to hospital and the red piece of plastic was removed
but sadly Robert died two days later on December the 31st 1978
After the tragedy, further choking incidents occurred although thankfully no one else died
As a result, the toy maker voluntarily recalled the product and a number of lawsuits were filed against the company
Robert's death saw the end of spring loaded weapon firing on toys and was the reason that the much-anticipated
rocket firing Boba Fett's Star Wars figure was canceled and replaced with a non-firing one
In a twist to the story, the coroner mistook the toy as being from Star Wars and that was reported on Robert's death certificate and
again a later lawsuit hearing
This angered George Lucas as he didn't want Star Wars associated with the death
ironically though, if it hadn't been for Robert's death, it's likely that Star Wars merch would have had the same firing ability and
possibly another child would have lost their life
Death Threat Elmo
Everyone loves Elmo, the furry red monster with a high voice from children's TV series Sesame Street
so when in 1996 Elmo dolls were released
they became top sellers for toddlers around the world
however for one family
cute little Elmo turned creepy
The Bowman family from Florida purchased the Elmo knows your name doll for their 2 year old son James
He loved it and the pair were inseparable
This particular version of Elmo is programmed to recite its owners name along with other fun phrases and songs
After its batteries were replaced
James' mum was shocked when she thought she heard Elmo saying kill James
Sure enough with the squeeze of its furry belly Elmo is now saying in a cute voice kill James
Yeah
The family contacted the manufacturers who suggested changing the batteries again and resetting the doll
They did this but it made no difference and now that doll was saying kill James over and over without stopping
Before getting rid of it, 2 year old James started to repeat what Elmo was saying and was also saying kill James
This is the first time that has happened and although it's nothing sinister
for the family, tthe death threats from Elmo were not what they were expecting
Pupa The Doll
This list would not be complete without a creepy doll and they don't get much creepier than pupa
Pupa was made in the 1920s for a little girl from Italy
The doll was handcrafted
using a felt like fabric and real human hair
and stood around 14 inches tall and bore a striking resemblance to the little girl who she was made for
The girl who owned her always believed the doll was alive and the pair talked to each other
Pupa knew all of her secrets and was a great help to her throughout her life
Wherever she travelled, even as an adult, Pupa went with her
When her owners passed away in 2005, the doll became very active after she was put in a glass cabinet by the family
and according to them the doll hates being in there
They often hear the sound of tapping on the glass
They also claim the doll regularly changes positions and her arms and legs will often cross and then uncross
She also supposedly changes her facial expressions
One day while blowing on the glass to clean it
They were shocked to find the words Pupa hate written on the inside of the cabinet
Pupa has been investigated many times and she has been recorded moving but her movements are so slow they are not visible at the time
However when photos and videos are compared over a period of time.
They seem to show that she has moved
The dolls location is not known as the family like to keep that a secret
but many who have witnessed her believe she is haunted by the spirit of her dead owner who lives on attached to her beloved doll
So that's five horror stories involving children's toys.
I hope you've enjoyed and don't forget to follow top 5s on Instagram
We have a tonne of adventures planned next year and you don't want to miss out
Thanks for watching and as always I'll see you in the next video