25 Old Playgrounds That Make Us Wonder How Babies Back Then Even Survived
Reflecting on my childhood, I remember seeing a kid fall from the monkey bars, only to be told to dust himself off and keep playing. We all bore the marks of our wild adventures—calloused hands, scraped knees, and bruised shins.
Playgrounds today highlight just how much has changed, with a much stronger emphasis on health and emotional well-being. Modern designs stand in sharp contrast to our old play spaces, which look positively safe compared to the perilous playgrounds that were around before the ’80s. Take a look at the photo gallery below to see just how much playgrounds worldwide have evolved over the years.
#1 Slide In Holland, 1972
#2 My Young Family Visited The Monash Playground In The Early 1980’s
#3 Kid’s Playground In Montreal, 1950s
#4 Kids Playground In Mexico City, 1960s
#5 This Playground Was Located Just South Of Kepner Hall. Playgrounds Were An Innovation In Education In The Early 20th Century
#6 Jungle Gyms Were Designed Without Safety Nets. Climbing Structures Were Built High, With No Regard For The Hard Ground Below
#7 Corkscrew Slides Made Entirely Of Metal, They Could Heat Up To Unbearable Temperatures Under The Sun, Leaving Riders With Seared Skin
#8 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
#9 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
#10 Modernist Playground, 1971
#11 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.
#12 Armstrong Academy, Oklahoma – Homemade Playground Apparatus. 1912
#13 Outdoor Gymnasium And Playground, Chicago, Il (1903)
#14 Metal Slides In The 1970s Offered A Thrilling, High-Speed, But Under The Blazing Summer Sun, They Turned Into Searing Hot Surfaces
#15 Zurich, Playground Aussersihl, “Rope Circus” 1978
#16 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
#17 Playground In 1924 May
#18 The First (Somewhat Dangerous) Playground Slide In Britain (1922)
#19 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.
#20 Monash Playground In The Early 1980s
#21 Play Structure, Photographed At Earth Rebirth Day Rally, Berkeley, California, 1970
#22 Summer – On A Children’s City Playground 1926
#23 Hiawatha Playfield, 1912
Steep ladders were very common. One overconfident move or a moment of hesitation could send a child tumbling backward.
#24 Columbus Ave Playground. Boys Exercising
#25 Playground At Blågårds Plads, 1953
Shanilou Perera
Shanilou has always loved reading and learning about the world we live in. While she enjoys fictional books and stories just as much, since childhood she was especially fascinated by encyclopaedias and strangely enough, self-help books. As a kid, she spent most of her time consuming as much knowledge as she could get her hands on and could always be found at the library. Now, she still enjoys finding out about all the amazing things that surround us in our day-to-day lives and is blessed to be able to write about them to share with the whole world as a profession.
