Lawn darts
Lawn darts (also called Jarts or yard darts) is a lawn game for two players or teams. A lawn dart set usually includes four large darts and two targets. The game play and objective are similar to both horseshoes and darts. The darts are similar to the ancient Roman plumbata. They are typically 12 inches long with a weighted metal or plastic tip on one end and three plastic fins on a rod at the other end. The darts are intended to be tossed underhand toward a horizontal ground target, where the weighted end hits first and sticks into the ground. The target is typically a plastic ring, and landing anywhere within the ring scores a point.
Banned from sale in certain countries
While the tip may not be sharp enough to be obviously dangerous, when misused, these darts can cause skull punctures and other serious injuries.
On December 19, 1988, all lawn darts were banned from sale in the United States by the Consumer Product Safety Commission[1]. Shortly after, in 1989, they were also banned in Canada.[2] Lawn darts, used in an outdoor game, have been responsible for the deaths of three children, the latest being in early 1997 near Elkhart, Indiana.[1]
Similar games
- Stake involves tossing a metal spike into the air with the objective of sticking it into the ground.
- Crown darts is a variation using the same equipment in which the darts are tossed towards a target dart instead of a plastic ring target.
- Kubb is a similar throwing game involving wooden batons instead of darts.
References
- ^ a b Consumer Products Safety Commission Lawn Darts Are Banned and Should Be Destroyed Cite error: The named reference "CPSC" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Selling Second-hand Products". Health Canada.
External links
- TossingGames.com - A resource for all tossing lawn games, including lawn darts.
- Zarts Plans for making Macro Lawn Darts at home, by ZeroThousand.
- LawnDartParts.com Largest collection of lawn dart parts online.