As you watch your children play with their new Christmas toys, think about how many of those toys have springs that make the toy operate properly. While you were seeking out the coolest gifts for your kids this holiday season, just think, the spring could be the component that’s making your child enjoy the new toy so much. Maybe it’s the excitement when your child plays with a toy that recoils rapidly or bounces backwards and forwards, or maybe it’s the walk down memory lane when you still see Hungry Hungry Hippo on the toy store shelves. Whatever the case may be, spring-loaded toys have been bringing children joy for centuries.
Here is a list of popular toys with springs that bring children joy every time.
Springs in Popular Children’s Toys & Games
Toy Car Launchers
The spring-powered launcher has been providing great excitement since its invention by propelling toy cars further than you would think.
Mouse Trap
Since the 1970s, Mouse Trap has been teaching children about the power of cause and effect. Did you know the tension spring is what causes the ball to hit the pole and knock the ball in the tub, which then flips the man into the pan? Thus, causing the mice to be trapped.
Hungry Hungry Hippo
Hungry Hungry Hippo is another vintage game that uses a tension spring when the Hippo springs forward to open his mouth to catch the marbles.
The Spring Rocking Horse
The rocking horse always makes a great gift for younger children. Powered by the spring, this toy can take your child into a world of imagination.
Trampoline
Without springs there can be no trampoline. Trampoline springs play a substantial role in the safety of the bounce as the length of the spring and diameter of the coil make a spring perform a particular way.
Jack in the Box
Jack in the box has a spring that is pushed down inside a box, held by a catch on the lid. As the catch is released, the power of the spring allows the lid to suddenly open, where a clown pops up.
Toy Cash Register
Toy cash registers give children that amazing feeling of having their own money. There are two springs to this mechanism. The coiled spring makes the cash register open and the helical spring is responsible for storing the energy to be released when the register opens.
Pinball Machine
The pinball machine is able to send a ball flying around a playfield by the pullback and release springs. Players can choose from many springs, ranging in strength, to create the perfect amount of tension to score the goal.
The Iconic Slinky
To this day, the slinky is one of the most popular spring-based devices in the world. This toy has even earned the title, ‘National Toy of the United States’ and has been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
All these amazing uses of springs in toys just proves that springs are essentially everywhere and shows how versatile they are.
