6 things that made you stronger, if they didn't kill you, in the 60s and 70s
How many of these things do you remember?
- Many children enjoyed greater freedom in the 60s and 70s
- But life back then was not without its dangers
- These are some of the things that, if they didn’t kill you, probably made you stronger
The 60s and 70s could be an unforgiving time, with little in the way of health and safety, and no helicopter parents.
The way some people talk, you’d be amazed that anyone actually survived their childhood.
Yet many people remember those days as the best of their lives, and feel sad for the children growing up today without the same freedoms they enjoyed.
We’re not suggesting a return to the days before health and safety was tightened up, as the multitude of new measures introduced over the last 50-plus years have saved countless lives.
But there are things that those who grew up in the 60s or 70s and lived to tell the tale will say never did them any lasting harm.
They might even say it was character-building and made them stronger.
Below are just some of those things. Do you remember doing any of them as a child?
Go-karting
Making a go-kart out of whatever old planks of wood, spare rope and pram wheels you could find was a skill every child used to have.
The streets were still your playground for many children in the 60s and 70s, though the number of cars was growing.
You took your life in your hands when you went hurtling down a steep hill, with rudimentary steering and only your feet as brakes.
Creepy Crawlers
Matte’s Thingmaker, also known as Creepy Crawlers, was one of the most popular toys of the 60s and 70s.
Children would pour a thick liquid known as ‘Plasti-Goop’ into different moulds, which were heated to around 180C in an electric hot plate oven, curing the liquid to create rubbery bugs and other creatures that could be removed from the mould.
Children loved it, even if many ended up singing their fingers.
One person recalled: “I burned the hell out of my fingers many a time with one of these.”
Another said: “Never got more than a minor burn. Didn't require a safe space. No grief counselling required.”
Penknives
Back in the 60s and 70s, most children owned a penknife. You could even buy them from the newsagents, where one person recalled how they were displayed on a piece of cardboard.
They were used for nothing more harmful than whittling sticks, building dens and carving your initials in trees.
TCP
They often say the cure is worse than the disease, and for many children growing up in the 60s and 70s that was true when it came to TCP.
It wasn’t the cuts and scrapes you got larking about that bothered them, but the pungent liquid antiseptic their parents would slap on when they got home.
It may have done you good, but it could sting like anything.
One person described how it was ‘so painful on a grazed knee’, while another said they still use it as they ‘love the burn’.
It wasn’t just flesh wounds TCP was used for, but sore throats and mouth ulcers.
One person recalled: “I can remember being made to gargle with it for a sore throat. Yeuch.”
Exploring abandoned buildings
Children of the 60s and 70s often recall nostalgically how they were given free rein to explore, as long as they were back in time for supper.
That often meant playing on construction sites or in abandoned buildings, amid the rubble, broken glass and twisted metal.
The ruins would be your fort, and whatever you found lying around would become your tools as you let your imagination run wild.
Daring bicycle jumps
Evel Knievel’s death-defying stunts had the world enthralled in the late 60s and 70s.
For many children, simply watching was not enough. They wanted to emulate their hero by performing daredevil jumps of their own.
That meant finding a plank of wood and creating a makeshift ramp, before pedalling furiously and building up enough speed to get as much air time as possible.
If you were lucky, you could persuade a friend to lie beneath your flightpath, adding an extra layer of jeopardy - for them more than you.
The fact few children wore bike helmets back then made it more dangerous too.