Before the “klacker toy” had been banned by federal authorities, a New York City-area beat group with two 45 releases under its belt, The 8th Wonders of the World, seized an opportunity to record a song of praise for the dangerously hyperkinetic play object marketed squarely at the teenybopper demographic. This one-off release under the alter ego, “Klacker-King,” was curiously rough around the edges, though, with its sneering vocal, wailing harmonica, and not-quite-in tune guitar sounding much more garage rock than 1910 Fruitgum Company — “outlaw bubblegum,” I guess you might call it:
“Doin’ My Thing“
Klacker-King
Written by Paul DeMilta
Cash Box‘s April 3, 1971 issue includes both a half-page promotional pitch for the Klacker-King 7-inch on Rotten Rat Records on page 43 (see below), as well as a 200-word news item “‘Klick Klack‘ Sound To Disks” on page 9 that acknowledges the large amount of “adverse publicity” over the injuries caused by non-shatter-proof klacker balls. .Gary Mellis, guitarist for The 8th Wonders and owner of a klacker toy that he claims “cannot shatter,” is quoted by Cash Box as saying he hopes to capitalize on this latest toy craze and “expects to cash in on additional toy sales in lieu of consumer interest in safety.”
Klacker King:
Cash Box
“‘Klick Klack‘ Sound To Disks“
NEW YORK – Approximately 70 novelty companies are manufacturing “klick klack” toys today, but at least one is attempting to exploit the craze further by introducing a 45 single based on the product. Klick klacks, according to Rotten Rat Records president Gary Mellis, “are about the maddest toy craze to sweep the nation since the Hula Hoop.” The single is “Klacker King” [actually, “Doin’ My Thing“] by a group of the same name.
“Klacker King” [sic], the “top 40” side, is a basic rock tune jammed with the familiar klicking and klacking sounds produced by bouncing the two suspended balls together. The flip side offers spoken instructions for kids on how to assemble and operate the klick klack toy, which Mellis will market to his toy distributors with his own “Klacker King” toy.
Mellis noted that much adverse publicity has risen over the klick klack toy, owing to accidents from non-shatter-proof balls. His own product, he stated, cannot shatter, and he expects to cash in on additional toy sales in lieu of consumer interest in safety. Meanwhile, sample disks have been supplied deejays and Mellis anxiously waits to see if his audio version will enjoy the same market success as the toy.
Toy or Weapon?
BBC News
1971 Report –
Clackers: Are The Children’s Toys Safe?
This tactic of employing youthful music to sell “kiddie” products had already been demonstrated two years earlier, with the adaptation of “Mr. Sun Mr. Moon” by Paul Revere And The Raiders as the centerpiece of a marketing campaign for Mattel’s head-swiveling life of the party, Swingy, the motorized baby doll. The “Swingy” flexi-disc — you may recall from one of Zero to 180 earliest pieces — had been produced in partnership with Columbia Special Products.
(1969)
Billboard
Label Kicked Off By Producer
BROOKLYN — Rotten Rat Records has been formed here by Gary Mellis, a record producer. First product, “Doin’ My Thing” b/w “Hi, Kids,” is by the Klacker-King, a New York area group formerly known as the Eight Wonders. The disk comes in a package with a set of shatterproof, non-toxic klackers and has a suggested retail price of $1.69 to $1.79.
Rotten Rat ended up releasing ten singles during the 1970s by such outlaw bubblegum artists as Beadfreak [“Crazy Motorcycle Freak“]; Joey Rivers [“The P.O.W.“]; Ding-a-Ling [“Hi Kids (How To Use a Telephone Booth)“]; Santa Schwartz [“Tis The Season To Make Money“]; Napoleon XV Revue [“He’s Going To Eat Me Up“]; J. L. Rat [“Mental Contrivements“]; The Black Belts [“Karate Chop“], and The Fowls [“The Bird Is The Word“].
FDA warns against new Klacker toy fad
“Happiness is a Klacker“
April, 1971
“What sounds like a rifle shot, flies like a projectile, shatters like glass, chips like plastic, can start fires, stun, bruise, puncture, and drive parents out of their minds — while at the same time giving the kiddies endless hours of innocent fun?“
Peter Benchley
Newsweek Feature Service
March 20, 1971
*
Did You Know?
Clear plastic klacker balls – when left in the sun – function essentially as magnifying glasses and thus, have the potential to set fire to paper, leaves, and other combustible materials.
End Of An Era:
Feds Ban Acrylic Klackers
May, 1971
Klackers In The News
“Build A Better Klacker, And …”
Concord Transcript (California)
Dec. 2, 1970
EXCERPT –
[Marlin H.] Harris’ patent on the new toy has been pending for some four months. He expects to have final approval soon, so that he can begin discouraging the imitators.
The toymaker claims that some of the copied toys are dangerous. Other manufacturers bore holes in their resin orbs, and insert the cord through them, he said. This weakens the spheres and causes them to break when they are repeatedly knocked together.
The whole idea of “Palumas” is to start the resin balls clicking together at the bottom, and then, by flicking the hand in an up-and-down motion, make the balls click together at both the top and bottom of their arc.
“Clack — CLACK — C-L-A-C-K“
Lansing State Journal
Mar. 2, 1971
EXCERPT –
A classy kbonger-operater can get as many as 300 calm-killing collisions per minute, which is enough to send all the family pets scurrying for cover.
“Klackers Girl Back“
Western Daily Press (U.K.)
Jan. 25, 1972
A 12-year-old who was kept away from school for 12 weeks as a protest was back at her desk yesterday.
The girl, who lives in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, was kept at home by her parents, who claimed she was given an inhuman punishment for taking a pair of klackers to school after the toy was banned.
Last week they were fined £5 each for failing to send her to school.
Nine years before the klacker controversy, RCA would make a similar attempt to cash in on the Klak Stik, eighteen inches of high-impact plastics accompanied by a two-sided “unbreakable” 45 RPM record that included vocals by “sensational new recording star,” Lee Rand, and dance instructions by “nationally famous” rug-cutting champion, Dick Blake. Over the course of his musical career, vocalist Lee Rand of Cleveland, Ohio would record a handful of singles for Lorain-based Destiny Records in the 1960s, as well as a full-length album, Say What You Gotta Say, in 1971 for Toronto-based Quality Records — the same label that issued numerous releases in Canada by Cincinnati’s King Records throughout the 1950s.
Manufactured in 1962 by Blazon of Akron, Ohio
Patent pending
Dance steps included –
“Twistin’s more fun too!“
Now would be a good time to hear the A & B sides –
“Klak-Stik-Kick” and “Chippewa Klak“
if only streaming audio were available
Klak-Stik, Inc.
1633 Broadway
Lorain, Ohio
LINK to Advertising +/- marketing in popular music
LINK to Music in physical education
DID YOU KNOW?
Zero To 180 now sells merch!
