Noisy Toys

by YankeeJim | December 16, 2009 at 09:53 am

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When I was about five years old, my Grandfather Roy Irons arrived early Christmas morning with Grandma to watch us boys open our presents. This was the year when Grandma gave my brother and me one each small box to open first.

We both tied into those packages, ripping off the fluff and getting down to business: Howdy Doody theme wash cloth puppets. The fact that they were puppets made this gift OK. I got Howdy and my brother got Mr. Bluster, and that was appropriate as there was much blustering when he had to wash his face.
Thank you Grandma, that was thoughtful and practical.
Then, Grandpa said, “Jimmy, this big one is for you!”
Mother and Dad and brother all watched with much excitement. The box was heavy and I was careful with it. I looked inside and it was a Mickey Mouse Ferris wheel. There was no assembly required, just set it upright and wind a large key. This would wind a spring and when I let go, the Ferris wheel went round and round with seats turning just like the one at the fair.
In addition, a large bell like an alarm clock rang continuously throughout the ride until it was time to wind the spring again. My gosh, this was some present.
All through the morning, except for a breakfast time out, I was winding the spring and watching the wheel go round. I was glued to this activity and cannot even tell you what my brother got that day.
A few days into this experience and my Dad, an aerospace engineer, had enough of the bell ringing. It was bad enough to awaken every day to the alarm clock, now I am ringing all of the time. So, he fixed it. Out came the black electrical tape. He silenced it.

According to the article below, that may have been a good thing.

PS: I found one on EBAY for $625

Parents may think that noise is a problem they need not worry about until their child reaches the teenage years. Not so. Some toys are so loud that they can cause hearing damage in children. Some toy sirens and squeaky rubber toys can emit sounds of 90 decibels (dB). These sounds can be as loud as a lawnmower and dangerous to a child's hearing. Workers would have to wear ear protection for similarly noisy sounds on the job.

The danger with noisy toys is greater than the 90 dB-level implies. When held directly to the ear, as children often do, a noisy toy actually exposes the ear to as much as 120 dB of sound, a damaging dose-the equivalent of a jet plane taking off. Noise at this level is painful and can result in permanent hearing loss.

Toys that pose a noise danger include cap guns, talking dolls, vehicles with horns and sirens, walkie talkies, musical instruments, household toys like vacuum cleaners, and toys with cranks. Parents who have normal hearing need to inspect toys for noise danger just as they would for small pieces that can be easily swallowed.

Prior to purchasing a new toy, parents or others who buy toys for children should listen to the toy. If the toy sounds loud, it should not be purchased.

Toys already at home should also be examined. Batteries can be removed or toys discarded if they are too noisy and pose a potential danger to hearing.