It appears these were sold in the 1950s and 60s.

Photo of real ones.

Backyard Coaster

Backyard Coaster

Youtube video which shows a few shots of them in action, but it's not the exclusive focus of the video.

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[+] -20 points 4 days ago (6 children)

Back before the pussification

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  • [–] 10 points 4 days ago (2 children)

    Ah, yes. Back in the good old days when only the strong and the lucky children survived.

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  • [+] -8 points 3 days ago* (1 child)

    Yeah cuz kids in masses were dying on these and old school wooden playgrounds…., millions on millions. Pussification of parents finding out they can sue

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  • [–] 4 points 3 days ago*

    Who said anything about wooden playgrounds? I thought we were talking about janky steel backyard roller-coasters.

    Anyway, maybe 'pussification' isn't quite the best word to describe what you're trying to talk about. People and organizations are more concerned about civil liability now than they were in the days of these roller-coasters, and maybe a discussion could be had about whether that has gone too far. Maybe we could talk about whether our society is overly litigious. Maybe we could talk about the high cost of defending yourself in a lawsuit -- even if you win -- which is a large part of this motivation to avoid lawsuits. Maybe we could talk about health insurance companies subrogating claims -- if, say, a child was injured on this toy and their health insurance paid to treat their injuries, the insurance company could then sue the toy maker to try and recoup the costs, regardless of whether the parents really thought the toy maker was at fault ... and situations like that mean a large part of the blame falls onto health insurance companies, not parents ... and then there's the issue of how expensive medical care is in the first place. Maybe we could talk about whether the toy maker should be liable, or whether it's the parent's responsibility to make sure their children don't play with unsafe toys... But none of that discussion should involve anything about female genitalia.

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