Water Wiggle, the 1970s popular children’s toy, took the death of two children. Is it still available today?
An American toy, “Water Wiggle,” was popular among children between the early 1960s and the mid-1970s. “Water Wiggle”, produced by Wham-O, was a huge success when it was introduced in 1962. A little over 2.5 million water wiggles were sold by Wham-O over 17 years.
A plastic hose measuring seven feet long was used to create the toy, which was then connected to an aluminum water-jet nozzle and finished with a plastic head in the form of a bell.
It was intended for use with a garden hose so that people might enjoy the water. At the time, the selling price was about $3.50.
However, the popularity didn’t last forever. In two separate cases in the 1970s, one in 1975 and the other in 1978, kids died after removing the toy’s head and inserting the metal connector into their mouth.
Water Wiggle Deaths: Victims Who Lost Their Lives To The Infamous Toy
The “Water Wiggle” is among the riskiest backyard toys ever created by Wham-O. It took the death of four-year-old Jonathan on March 25, 1978.
The child was playing in the backyard playing with some other kids while using a disassembled “Water Wiggle,” one from which the bell-shaped head had been removed or broken off.
The 3-year-old child suffocated when the exposed aluminum nozzle got stuck in his mouth. Wham-O said that the company was unaware of the circumstances surrounding the toy’s disassembly or how the nozzle ended up in the child’s mouth.
Robert McCabe, the boy’s father, attempted to remove the “Water Wiggle” toy that was rapidly expanding inside the child’s throat using a butter knife. The child passed away in his father’s arms; his head, chest, and lungs were all filled with water.
Additionally, that was not the only deadly accident caused by “Water Wiggle”. The product was responsible for the 1975 drowning of three-year-old Marcus Maloney of Baton Rouge, Los Angeles. Nevertheless, the dispute was resolved following a lawsuit and a monetary settlement.
A $1 million lawsuit against Wham-O was brought about by the horrifying mortality accidents. The parents sought legal fees and damages totaling over USD 1 million. The toy’s potential for harm was acknowledged by the Wham-O researchers.
The toy, however, was confirmed to comply with federal safety regulations, according to Whan-attorney O’s Craig Cameron, and came with sufficient caution regarding its use.
A Wham-O representative stated that when a recall notice was issued in the wake of the McCabe boy’s passing, around 85,000 of the toys were returned. The number of backyard water toys sold since 1961 is about 3 million.
Is Water Wiggle Still Available?
When the incident occurred in 1975, the popularity of the toy “Water Wiggle” was not affected. However, Wham-O had the toy recalled and the remaining stock removed from stores following the second tragedy.
Until 1986, Wham-O briefly reintroduced the toy in a (likely) subsequent version. That would mark the end of the water wiggle. The market eventually released the new products, but they never matched their prior success.
But as of right now, the Wham-O website makes no mention of this toy. It seems as though they’d want people to forget it ever happened.
To ask the normal child of the 1970s to forget about such a popular toy is a difficult order. The Water Wiggle may have been a touch cruel in its splashing antics, but for the majority of us, it was also a whole lot of fun and gave millions of kids pleasant summertime memories.