Clackers

Clackers (also known as Clankers, Ker-Bangers, latto-latto in the Philippines and most of Southeast Asia, and numerous other names) are toys that were popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The toy is composed of two solid balls of polymer, each about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, attached to a finger tab with a sturdy string; the user holds the tab with the balls hanging below. Through up-and-down hand motion, the two balls are made to swing apart and back together, making the clacking noise that gives the toy its name. With practice and skill one can make the balls swing so that they knock together both above and below the hand. In 1968, tempered glass sphere models were sold that could eventually shatter, injuring users or others nearby. In the early 1970s, manufacturers switched to using plastic. Clackers are similar in appearance to bolas, the Argentine throwing weapon.