
03/07/2025
💥 The Most Dangerous Toy Promotion in History: The Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring
In a jaw-dropping marketing stunt of the atomic age, Kix cereal offered kids a “Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb Ring” in 1947 — for just 15 cents and a box top. But what seemed like a harmless, exciting toy actually hid a deadly secret: it contained polonium-210, a radioactive element lethal even in tiny doses.
This ring was a spinthariscope, letting children see flashes of light from radioactive decay. Marketed as a thrilling glimpse into the world of atomic energy, it was promoted as “perfectly safe” — despite its toxic core. The ring played into the post-WWII atomic craze, turning a lethal isotope into a child’s plaything while glorifying nuclear science.
Though the radiation levels were probably low, this shocking promotion highlights how corporate marketing once combined scientific ignorance with cultural fascination — putting children’s health at risk in the name of profit and patriotism.
📸 Check out the ring and its history here: https://www.orau.org/health-physics-museum/collection/spinthariscopes/lone-ranger-atom-bomb-ring-spinthariscope.html
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