I'm Pretty Sure They Outlawed This Game

My Parents Used to Torture My Brother and I

They did.

We didn't have lots of money to go everywhere and we didn't have video games (since this was pre-1980) or smart phones, so we played games as a family. It was great because we had a lot of fun and it made us a strong family.

Well, it was great except for one thing...

My folks made my brother and I play this game called "Don't Blow Your Top."

---

It's Basically a Bomb

You can sum it by just calling it a claymore mine for kids... seriously.

The "game" consisted of a base platform where you'd blow up a balloon and then a top hat where you'd spin the thing and have to put marbles in the top hat. Well, the top hat had some sanding paper on the inside, so the more weight would be on the top hat part, the more it would move and then eventually blow up.

(Source: https://www.vintagetoysillustrated.com/)

When it would blow up, the marbles would fly around everywhere!

So, we'd spin the spinner thing, extend one arm with the marbles, carefully place them in the top hat and then run like hell!

The place considered to be suitable shelter was behind the couch, so that's where we would go.

---

Watch the Commercial

See the kids covering their eyes and then the camera cuts away? Yeah, they don't show the paramedics rushing in taking care of damaged corneas.

Those kids didn't get paid to be in that commercial, they were being punished!

---

Seriously, it did feel like we were being punished when that game came around in the rotation but we got our exercise running for our lives and I do have vague memories of my parents standing pretty far back and just let my brother and I play but for some reason, memories of playing the game are a little foggy... probably from the head trauma.