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Yo-Yos: The New WMDs

By Margaret Lyons in News on Jul 26, 2004 7:47PM

Waterballs: photo, DJ GiftsToday’s installment of: what’s up with the government? Illinois’s own Jan Schakowsky (9th District Democrat) has “spearheaded” an effort to rid our nation of a plague on our children. What is this plague you ask? Illiteracy? Disease? Poverty? Abuse? No no, friends: yo-yo water balls. Aside from being our catchy new nickname, yo-yo waters balls are toys, and they are dangerous. So dangerous in fact that Congresswoman Schakowsky, the ranking Democrat on the Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, has written a letter. She got Dick Durbin to sign it, too.

The y.y.w.b.s have been banned from eBay after a successful campaign by Lisa Lipin of Skokie. Lipin’s five-year-old son was injured last year after the string of his toy got wrapped around his neck. Another child was injured when the ball-portion snapped back and hit him in the eye, causing serious damage. Both of these cases are sad, and they’re only 2 of 380 reported injuries due to yo-yo water balls. We’re not trying to minimize the pain or suffering of any of these people, but couldn’t those injuries have occurred with, say, regular yo-yos?

The toys have already been yanked from Toys R Us, Walgreens, and 7-Eleven, so the letter is aimed at Kmart, KB Toys, Wal-Mart, Target, Claire's Boutique and Oriental Trading Co.