The History of Lato-lato Games That Has Been Banned in Several Countries…

The lato-lato game is now much loved and played by various groups, from children to adults in Indonesia. In almost every area, games that emit the sound of “tek-tek-tek” are played and adorn social media. Even though it is becoming a trend in Indonesia, it turns out that this game has been played since the 1960s. The game is quite simple: shaking two balls tied with a rope so they collide with each other.

According to Quartz, the game of lato-lato originates in the United States. In their country of origin, the game is called clackers, click-clacks, or knockers. By the early ’70s, hundreds of toy makers had sold millions of clackers worldwide. In that period, clackers were so popular that the game reached the inhabitants of a small northern Italian province called Calcinatello. In the area which has a population of 12,832 people, an annual competition has been held for clackers fans.

In that period, clackers were so popular that the game reached the inhabitants of a small northern Italian province called Calcinatello. In the area which has a population of 12,832 people, an annual competition has been held for clackers fans. Clackers are similar in design to boleadoras, the weapon of choice for Argentine gauchos or cowboys trying to catch an animal called a guanaco.

Originally clackers were made of wood or metal. Then after that, it is made of tempered glass. However, broken pieces of tempered glass material are considered dangerous for people who play them. In 1966, the Food and Drug Administration, the agency that originally also regulated toy safety in the United States, also issued a warning regarding the dangers of clackers. Clackers were banned because they were considered to contain chemicals or radioactive materials and were flammable. Three years later, this authority was expanded, namely by banning the sale of clackers toys on the market.

The game, originally marketed as a way to teach children hand-eye coordination, can become projectile, prompting a warning to prevent blindness. Even though it is banned in the United States, the game’s popularity has spread throughout the world. Previously made of tempered glass, over time clackers were made of polymer plastic which was considered safer. In Indonesia, clackers became popular in the 1990s with the name tek-tek. Now, the game has become a trend again with the name lato-lato. As previously written by Kompas.com, lato-lato comes from the language of the Bugis tribe.

Lato-lato allegedly comes from the word kajao-kajao, which means grandmother. The word eventually changed the pronunciation to Kato-Kato and then lato-lato.

article source : https://www.kompas.com

video source : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWeKziiXbu