Submitted by Jake E

Handheld fans are just about worthless for cooling you off because they don’t blow very hard and the battery life is fairly short, however, on a squelching-hot summer day a handheld fan made you feel like a million bucks. When combined with a water bottle for misting, nothing short of a cranked up air-conditioner could make you feel better.
They also had other fun uses…

Submitted by Werewolf Coyote

Sock’em Boppers were great fun! What better way was there to take out your aggressions than beating your friends and siblings silly with a giant inflatable boxing glove? The commercials were so laughable because they in no way matched what kids actually playing with them looked like.
Then there was the inevitable moment when the Boppers eventually popped and someone go a busted nose or a black eye. Everyone involved would laugh, except of course the guy on the receiving end of the fateful punch.
Of course there was always that one parent that would disapprove and ruin it for everyone. Of course this looks violent, but in actuality it only hurts a little bit:

Submitted by E Rice

Remember those things we used to put on our bike spokes so that they made that clicking sound when we were going slow enough or just speeding up? These:

Apparently, the company that brought us those multi-colored 80’s goodness has gone from selling cool noise makers that were okay for girls and might get you beat up if you’re a boy, to selling Pimp My Ride-esque crap, like foil spinners and flame-shaped sparkers:

Submitted by CL

Remember how much more awesome a summer’s day became when you busted out the Slip ‘N Slide? Even though you’d get grass rash, prickly stickers, and friction burns from the grass or dirt that extended beyond the end of your Slip ‘N Slide, it still provided for some of the greatest summertime memories. Speaking of getting hurt after you hurtle past the end of your Slip ‘N Slide, how much pain do you think these guys are in?

… And without the Slip ‘N Slide, Ron and a handful of his friends wouldn’t have had the inspiration to build the most epic Slip ‘N Slide of all time while his parents were out of town:

Submitted by P Lee

Fun things to do with Power Wheels:

Make ‘em loud:

Race them:

And last but certainly not least, WRECK THEM: