50 Of The Worst Toy Design Fails That Ought To Get Someone Fired (New Pics)
Quite a few of us likely remember our favorite toy from back when we were kids. For some it might be a Teletubby, so washed out over the years it’s difficult to guess if it’s Laa-Laa or Dipsy looking back at them; for others it can be anything from toy cars, to dolls, blocks, or even a bunny made out of an old sock.
While some of such old toys show clear signs of time relentlessly passing us by, others somehow look even worse when brand new. You probably see where this is headed and yes, you’re right—today, we have prepared a list of some awful-looking toys for you to browse, some of which were made according to a terrible, terrible design, while others have suffered from a manufacturing defect and similar misfortunes. Scroll down to find them on the list below and see what nightmare-of-a-toy current children might be looking back at with eyes full of sentiments decades later.
In order to learn more about how playing with toys can affect children's development, Bored Panda turned to the psychologist and author of Playful Parenting, Lawrence Cohen, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find his thoughts in the text below.
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The Description Is Spot-On
I like an accurate description. What I'd like to know is if this doll is haunted.
Chinese Toy
I Saw This T-Rex Squirt Gun In The Toy Aisle Of My Local Grocery Store. I Bought It Because Of The Trigger Placement
Press the trigger and liquid squirts out. Very lifelike.
In a recent interview with Bored Panda, the psychologist and Playful Parenting author Lawrence Cohen suggested that even though less significant than the people in children’s lives, toys, too, can play an important role in the little one’s development.
“Children need objects to manipulate, to apply their minds to, and to help them discover the world,” he said, adding that in the old days, this was done through everyday objects—natural and man-made—such as water, sand, cups, sticks, rocks, trees, cooking items, and dress-up clothes. Though, according to the expert, to be a great toy, it must be as good or better than these things—safer, more durable, more appealing to the child.
Hair Fell Off The Doll, Now My Daughter Walks Around With A Middle-Aged Balding Friend
Finally Added This Rafiki Toy To My Collection
I'll go to hell for this, but Rafiki was the shaman, and therefore the religious leader.
Coming back to the importance of other people’s involvement in playtime—be it the kid’s parents, teachers, or nannies—Dr. Cohen suggested that children benefit from both, playing together and on their own.
“Children need both. The most important role for adults is to make sure children have lots of time for free play, a safe place to play, freedom to create and determine their own play, and interesting creative open-ended materials.”
It Looks Like My Daughter's Doll Has Already Been Through A Lot
My Kid's Dinosaur Toy Has Human Hands
This Space Barbie Set That Has The Solar System Diagram That Is Completely Wrong
Earth and Venus are apparently in the same orbit. Mars seemingly does not exist. There is a new pink planet and a purple planet with a ring.
As a matter of fact, according to the psychologist, toys aren’t even always necessary for a child to engage in playtime. “Babies love to use a grown-up’s face as a toy. Toddlers and preschoolers love to walk and run and climb and make noises and see all the things their bodies can do,” he pointed out.
However, the expert suggested that, when children do use toys, they need to be more interesting than the box they came in. “Most are not,” he told Bored Panda.
Dollar Store Barbie
My Son Just Asked Me Why The Tiger Had A Little Flower Under Its Tail. Thanks For The Detail LEGO
You Know These Creepy Life-Size Dolls? Creepier Still Is In The Box That They Come In
The point that a toy should be more interesting than the packaging it came in is especially relevant nowadays, when a box is more than a way to transport the toy from point a to point b.
According to Design Force, one of the main roles of toy packaging in mass retail is to make it stand out from a sea of all kinds of items in a matter of seconds. Unless people come to the toy store looking for something specific, it’s very likely that the decision to pick up one item instead of another is purely an impulsive one. And that’s when appealing packaging comes in handy, as it can help catch the buyer’s eye and boost the sales. However, the toy itself shouldn’t be outshined by its box.
These Silicone "Fidget Toys" Smelling/Looking/Feeling Like Fruit Snack. Please Don't Sell These To Kids
Should Add This Figure To My Collection
The Teddy Bear With The Muzzle Rotated 90 Degrees
When I was a kid, I’d always find the stuffed animals like this in the store/bin and beg my mom to let me get them, because they were “a little weird” and I was convinced no other kids would want to buy them XD
Design Force pointed out that during the pandemic, consumers showed great interest in the toys and games category while shopping online, likely because with people all over the world spending days on end in their homes, they had to keep their little ones—arguably themselves, too—occupied. Between 2019 and 2020, the category reportedly saw an increase in page views by a whopping 135%.
According to data presented by the NPD Group, despite the slight—and by slight, I mean roughly 0.2%—decrease in sales in 2022 (compared to sales in 2021), for the three years leading up to it, the toy industry in the US had experienced rather strong growth, going from $22 billion in 2019 to $25.7 billion in 2020, and $29.2 billion in 2021.
Poor Spidey
Quite A Big Construction
This Poor Barbie
Outdoor and sports toys seem to be the main driving force of the toy industry, as they accounted for roughly $5.2 billion in sales in 2022, Statista reports. As for its biggest players, the Danish company LEGO, the Japanese toy manufacturer Bandai Namco, and the US companies Hasbro and Mattel seem to top the list.
My Niece Got One Of These Unicorn Toys With A Golden Carrot For Her Birthday (Not My Niece In The Photo)
How's This For An Action Figure? Toys At The 99-Cent Store
"Choking hazard "? I think someone has their inches and centimetres mixed up again.
Clearly Haunted Zuckerberg's Doppelganger Doll, Found By My Friend's Mum On Vinted
A ten-year-long empirical study of Toys that Inspire Mindful Play And Nurture Imagination (TIMPANI), carried out by the Center for Early Childhood Education at Eastern Connecticut State University, found that some toys are more likely to inspire quality play than others. The ones that do the most reportedly have to meet one of the three criteria of being simple, open-ended, or non-realistic.
The first point emphasizes that in order for a child to immerse themselves in rich play, the simpler the toy, the better, as with them, kids are more likely to use their imagination while playing. A toy with lots of sounds, buttons, and other pieces works more like entertainment rather than means for mindful play.
My Son's Birthday Dinosaur Balloons Came Anatomically Correct
This Kids' Toy Had One Thing It Was Supposed To Teach
Superman Or Quasimodo?
The second feature of toys that make children actively engage in mindful play is being open-ended. According to the researchers, while toys with specific instructions or ways of using them can be beneficial, open-ended ones allow the little ones to delve deeper into the creative processes while playing.
The third aspect of them bearing no resemblance to something that exists in real life plays a similar role and allows children to use their imagination more as they make decisions about what such toys are and how they should be used.
Son's Color Toys
This Little Toy Has 13 Tags
I Should Have Bought It
So that's why Cinderella almost missed her ride. She wasn't dancing with the prince. She was drinking!
Whether it’s a toy that inspires mindful play or something that stimulates kids because of how loud and bright it is, one thing is clear: neither one might seem like an appealing option if the design is as bad as it is in some of these pictures.
However, if for some reason you enjoyed browsing these pictures, Bored Panda has more terrible toy designs in store for you, so continue with another collection, which you can find here or here.
Worst Slide Design Ever. Worst Six Feet Of My Life
This Knock-Off Paw Patrol Toy I Saw At A Fair Today
My Baby's Crinkle Toy Has A Weird Typo
I Was Wondering Why It Was The Only Elsa Doll Left
This Mini-Hippo Toy Looks Like It's Pooping Tags
Bath Toy's Paint Rubbed Off In The Water. Now The Bathtub, Bath Water, And My Son All Are Blue
Kid's Toy Has A Place To Put Batteries, But Has No Electronics Inside
Now Available At The 99-Cent Store, Train-Wreck Barbie
This Flash Toy Is Just A Batman Toy With Different Paint
This is a legit costume from The Flash movie, where the second Barry Allen repurposes a Batman Costume, sprays it red and wears it alongside the other Flash.
This Bootleg Thanos Snapping With The Wrong Hand
This Doll I Saw At Goodwill Appears To Be Choking On Something
This Doll At A Flea Market Looks Depressed
This Misprint On A McDonald's Toy
The misprints are the ones that become valuable collectors items...usually.
I Guess The Front Barbie Is Sitting On A Bar
When I was a kid, we'd sit on each other's handlebars. Cheapest taxi ever.
Dipsy Has Seen Some Things
As Far As I Know, Polar Bears Don't Belong In The Jungle
Un-Bear-Able Nose
This Ridiculous Thor Toy
Turns Out The Elephant-Duck Is A Thing. My Birth Mom Randomly Bought This For My Daughter
Damaged And Then Glued Together Dolphin That Came In A New Pack Of Toy Animals For My Son
These Spiderman Toys Have Guns
My Son's Ghost Spider Toy Has Two Left Hands
My Twin Daughters Got The Same Toy For Their Birthday, But One Has A Very Off-Centered Eye
Makes it easy for them to know which one is theirs. I would want the wonky one.
Toy Tea Set Has An Uneven Logo In The Middle Of The Saucer So It's Impossible To Put The Cup There
Child's Toy Police Car
Kinder Surprise Egg Toys Nowadays
My Kid Got A Matching Game For A Gift
This Two-Headed Dino Toy
The Makers Of These Toy Dinosaur Eggs Mislabeled Literally Every Dinosaur On The Package
This Kid's Toy Is Honestly Dumbfounded
This Carl's Jr Toy Looks Like Blue Is Taking A Dump
How Are They Going To Do My Girl Like That
She Had A Fun Night Before Slipping Back Into Her Packaging
Toy Design At A Target Store. My Kid's Asking Me What's Wrong With These Toys
This Is A Toy My Sister Got For Easter
I Give You The Dollarama
Every Child’s Dream This Holiday Season
My Nephew's Toy. Yes, That's Thor
This Dragon Toy Looks Like It Has A Giant Hemorrhoid. Poor Guy
Elephantiasis of the s*****m Edited due to censor, lets try nutsack
Toy Recycling Truck With Oddly Military Off-Brand Action Figure Driver
I Got My Son A Spiderman For Christmas. He's Got A Cake
No Quality Control For Stuffed Toys I Guess
Left one has no nostrils, but dimples. And is not amused:-(
Hot Wheels Now Sell A Toy Car Covered In Manure
The Kid On The Packaging For This Toy Doesn't Even Seem To Enjoy Playing With It
This Toy Looks Like It's Having A Prolapse
Close Enough, Buddy
This Baby Toy Is In Some Serious Body Horror
Walmart Kids' Toy
This is what my pizzas look like in Good Pizza, Great Pizza.
This Children's Toy Where "Name" Is Misspelled
This Toy Refers To Mr. Krabs And Plankton By Their First Names
Toys For Sale At A Restaurant In Spain
Thanks to the Kardashians even toys are getting that silicone asṣ now.
My Son's Mario Kart Toy Doesn't Have Wheels, Just A Scroll Ball
My Son Got An Artificial Nail In His Christmas Cracker. No Idea What It’s Actually Supposed To Be For
This Triceratops Toy Has Flesh Horns
This Star Wars Rey Toy Spotted At Walmart
Astronaut Barbie And Her... Sparkly Skirt
No the skirt was for her interviews when she landed back on earth duh.
Some Toy Company Made A Plush Of Meilin Lee From Turning Red, However, They Forgot To Give It A Nose
Oscar Meyer Bean Bag Toy With An Upside-Down Logo
Found This Mario Kart Toy While Holiday Shopping. Toad's Steering Wheel Was Flesh-Colored
My Son's Extremely Cheap Toy Tool Set Uses "Dextrorotation And Laevorotation" Instead Of Clockwise And Counterclockwise
Why Is No One Talking About The Adult Happy Meal Toys?
This "Happy Birthday" Sign On A Teddy Bear Is Upside Down
This Chevron Mascot Toy
1980s Mr. T Bouncy Balls
These Teletubbies Plushies I Found At A Cheap Store
Gift Hunting For A Special Little One And I Came Across This. Apparently J. Jonah Jameson Has A New Look
JJ Jameson turning out to BE Spider-Man is the greatest movie twist!
My Son Said He Couldn't Figure Out Where They Belonged
If You're Going To Make A Toy For Counting, You Should Learn To Count Past 3
Weird Toys. What Are These Things? Mutant Llama-Sheep? And How About These Barely-There Stumps For Legs?
This Toy Is Based On Kevin's Car (From Ben 10: Alien Force) Only It Doesn't Come With Kevin, But Comes With Ben
This Toy Venom Has A Green Mouth But The Illustrated Venom Has A Red One
My Kid's Toy That Doesn't Make A Circle
This Children’s Clock Toy
This Math Toy For Kids Doesn’t Do Math Correctly
Some of the pieces are missing. This is a commonly used Montessori math teaching tool.
Helping Your Child Count To 10… Backwards
This could have been made in a country that reads right to left.
The Colors Of The Balls That Come With My Son’s New Toy Don’t Match The Colors Of The Buttons On The Same Toy
This Water Toy Has An Uneven Amount Of Rings
this was great! many had me laughing loud enough to wake up my wife and make the dogs howl!
this was great! many had me laughing loud enough to wake up my wife and make the dogs howl!