30 Vintage Playground Photos From Back When Safety Was Optional

I’m a millennial, so I thankfully grew up after these playground contraptions had already been retired. Looking at these old school photos, I get why older generations are built different.

My biggest playground injury was maybe a wood chip in my sock, while these kids were out here climbing on steel death traps and sliding down molten metal ramps in July.

Looking at these vintage photos, it’s clear fun came with a waiver back then. Honestly, I’m okay with missing that chapter.

1. Kid’s Playground In Montreal, 1950s

2. The Old Spinning Merry-Go-Rounds Were Both Exhilarating And Terrifying. Those Who Lost Their Grip Were Flung Off Like Human Projectiles, While Others Staggered Away Nauseous

3. Jungle Gyms Were Designed Without Safety Nets. Climbing Structures Were Built High, With No Regard For The Hard Ground Below

4. Kids Playground In Mexico City, 1960s

5. Corkscrew Slides Made Entirely Of Metal, They Could Heat Up To Unbearable Temperatures Under The Sun, Leaving Riders With Seared Skin

6. My Grade School’s Playground In The 70s

We had this insane jungle gym that we called “the bars”. A big fountain and a little creek that ran through the park under the bars and into a brick lined pond. It was the best playground ever. Bar tag was the top activity. There were spots you could make a leap of faith to avoid getting tagged. Knocked the wind out of myself several times when I missed the grab.

7. Kid’s Playground In Montreal, 1950s

8. Modernist Playground, 1971

9. Gravity Was As Unforgiving Then As It Is Today. A Simple Misstep Could Lead To An Abrupt Drop, Often Resulting In Cuts, Bruises, Or Even A Trip To The ER

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11. Metal Slides In The 1970s Offered A Thrilling, High-Speed, But Under The Blazing Summer Sun, They Turned Into Searing Hot Surfaces

12. Monash Playground In The Early 1980s

13. Playground In 1924 May

14. Armstrong Academy, Oklahoma – Homemade Playground Apparatus. 1912

Department of the Interior. Office of Indian Affairs. Haskell Institute

15. Hiawatha Playfield, 1912

Seattle Municipal Archives , rarehistoricalphotos

Steep ladders were very common. One overconfident move or a moment of hesitation could send a child tumbling backward.

16. Zurich, Playground Aussersihl, “Rope Circus” 1978

17. My Young Family Visited The Monash Playground In The Early 1980’s

18. Play Structure, Photographed At Earth Rebirth Day Rally, Berkeley, California, 1970

19. The First (Somewhat Dangerous) Playground Slide In Britain (1922)

20. Outdoor Gymnasium And Playground, Chicago, Il (1903)

21. Columbus Ave Playground. Boys Exercising

22. Summer – On A Children’s City Playground 1926

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington

23. Teeter-Totters Were Trust Exercises. If One Child Decided To Jump Off, The Other Would Come Crashing Down With Enough Force To Leave Them Bruised

24. N.Y. Playground 1910

25. A Home Made Ferris Wheel. Erected On The American Red Cross Playground At Elbasan. 1920

The picture shows American Nurses who took a trip to prove its safety to the children. The children in Albania never knew how to play or work either until the Red Cross came.