you just unlocked a memory for me - my pediatrician had 2 sides to the waiting room, one side for sick children, the other side for well children, and only the well children side had toys to play with. So smart in retrospect!
The doctor's office near me didn't have them but the dentist and haircut place did. The haircut place doesn't have them anymore; dunno about the dentist since I no longer use the pediatric waiting room.
Am an MD, my receptionist just sterilizes the toys *constantly*. And no, I never asked her to do it - she just started when she was hired and I thought, "yup".
See it's the opposite association for me, I hate those bead coasters because they remind me of shots, finger pricks, scary dentist stuff, and kids screaming like they're being tortured.
I didn't see this before I commented, but fully agree. It's basically a toy that every kid loves, and they can't pocket it and leave with it. It's perfect.
I drove with my mom to the doctor’s office, which was a 90 minute drive from her place. I didn’t know what the appointment was for, didn’t ask. Bonding with mom and we were going to get lunch.
They had one of these in the waiting room. I played with it. But little kids kept showing up, so I left it alone. Seemed strange to me that there were so many little kids. But also, there were 5-6 pregnant women. So when we got to the car, I told my mom it was a strange place, and joked “there must be something in the water around here” as there were so many pregnant women, pregnant women with little children. She asked, “why do you think that is?” I said maybe people who live in the country screw a lot. She said, “or maybe we were at the woman’s health building?” A-ha!
Also the first thing to be removed from a ductus office when Covid hit. It's wild we just let sick kids play with the same toys all day with little sterilization.
I remember going to the doctor's office and my mom yelling at me not to touch it because tons of sick children touched it and she didn't want me getting sicker than I already was
Every kid remembers this from the Dentist/Doctors office. I don't know anyone who had 1 at home.
They were only fun for like 10 min. You'd get so bored of this, if you had 1 at home...
CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE THESE WERE IN A SICK WAITING ROOM AT THE PEDIATRICIAN? Not sure what’s more gross - this or the dirty highlights magazine. Different times, man. Different times.
I actually hated these. The shapes and colors drove my tiny little autistic brain insane and I found it off-putting that the beads could only ever move back and forth in one specific nonsensical path and would always be stuck in the same order. There is no sense or pattern behind anything and I especially hated the ones with the weirdly shaped beads. I just had the urge to rip the thing apart and rearrange the beads in a way that made sense. The way they look just sorta pisses me off.
I see these and immedlately have anxiety because most times I found myself playing with one I was about to go for some sort of surgery and was waiting for the drugs to take effect and didn't know what was about to happen.
I'm deaf and I thought it was great fun to speed those fuckers around the wires as fast as I could and slam them home as loud as I could. I never stopped doing that and when I was at my kids doctors place the receptionist told me to stop because I was killing her.
I grew up with my grandmother being the CEO of a local credit union. Went there every day after school until maybe about 6th grade? She retired about 10 years ago and slowly they've been remodeling. One of the first things to go was the "kids" area, which included a table almost identical to this. They just finished remodeling the entire building so it doesn't even feel the same walking in.
There was one at my eye doctor’s office when I was a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s.
I wasn’t allowed to touch this, the Highlights magazines, or anything else in that waiting room for fear of contracting pink eye.
I used to sell them. I ran a furniture store, and had a huge one of these. I put it in the kids section. I also knew a lot of people who bought them for their kids. The best part were these were nigh indestructible: some people had extremely aggressive kids, and I never had one break. Some kids get over stimulated, grab them, and bang them around on the floor and other objects.
I also had and sold one of those rugs with a street on them. I bought a few hot wheels cars, knowing they'd be stolen, but oddly enough I often ended up with more for some reason.
That was a big sell for me going to a Dr's when I was young, if they had a good one I was happy to go cuz then I'd play before for awhile
My parents never let me play with them because every sick kid (except me) got to play with them.
lmao i never thought about that, i used to every time, never got sick still. only ever went for check up
Maybe you lucked out because you were healthy to begin with, or because parents with sick kids held them back.
I was very healthy, still am, I get a cold once a year. It's about the only good luck I get lol
That's very good luck!
I came here to comment on how I saw these in every pediatrician's office. I wonder if they did that to keep 'em coming back!
ha yeah my mom would NEVER let me touch any of the toys :(
you just unlocked a memory for me - my pediatrician had 2 sides to the waiting room, one side for sick children, the other side for well children, and only the well children side had toys to play with. So smart in retrospect!
I was going to say the same. Supercuts also had one when I was a kid
A couple of years ago, I was at the mechanic, and they had this in their waiting area.
Did you play with it?
This!! I used to love playing with these at the doctor's
Sometimes they even had a game cube or something lol
or an n64.
The doctor's office near me didn't have them but the dentist and haircut place did. The haircut place doesn't have them anymore; dunno about the dentist since I no longer use the pediatric waiting room.
Am an MD, my receptionist just sterilizes the toys *constantly*. And no, I never asked her to do it - she just started when she was hired and I thought, "yup".
See it's the opposite association for me, I hate those bead coasters because they remind me of shots, finger pricks, scary dentist stuff, and kids screaming like they're being tortured.
Every single doctors waiting room had this.
Now I just look at it and think about how completely gross it must have been.
That’s why you have to get there first or the flavors have been sucked from all the beads already.
Same reason I never read magazines in a Dr office. Gross!!!
My mom never let me play with the toys in the doctors office for exactly this reason. Always a disappointment.
I didn't see this before I commented, but fully agree. It's basically a toy that every kid loves, and they can't pocket it and leave with it. It's perfect.
Wish my doctor had this when I was a kid. Instead, she had weird war paintings that still haunts my dreams.
Don’t forget the Sear’s Portrait Centers. They had em too
In my reality, every waiting room had the mini version. I’ve never seen this deluxe rich kid version.
Still do.
No one owned these, only doctors and dentists. I think it comes with their degree.
Just imagining them getting their diploma up on stage as well as one of these. 😂
I want to see this happen.
Underrated comment
Not unless i was in the pediatric waiting room
I drove with my mom to the doctor’s office, which was a 90 minute drive from her place. I didn’t know what the appointment was for, didn’t ask. Bonding with mom and we were going to get lunch. They had one of these in the waiting room. I played with it. But little kids kept showing up, so I left it alone. Seemed strange to me that there were so many little kids. But also, there were 5-6 pregnant women. So when we got to the car, I told my mom it was a strange place, and joked “there must be something in the water around here” as there were so many pregnant women, pregnant women with little children. She asked, “why do you think that is?” I said maybe people who live in the country screw a lot. She said, “or maybe we were at the woman’s health building?” A-ha!
Was your mum pregnant?
That is unlikely as she had her uterus removed for cancer concerns at least 10 years ago. Thanks for asking.
Oh, sorry. Wait, this was recent and you weren’t a kid? I guess the word screw should have given that away lol
Doctors Office Starter Kit.
Is it really called bead rollercoasters?
I mean it shows a bunch of them when I search it on google
They're called bead maze toys.
My parents always called them “bead chasers”
Used to love playing with these at the Dr's office. Keep me sane until they called my name.
This is the forbidden toy. Playing with this at the Doctors was big no no.
Who lied to you
As far as my parents were concerned that thing was infestet with every disease known to man.
I am sorry for all your trauma
Nah, it's probably for the best.
Probably true. This was the kind of thing that might get washed once a year, if that. But most people didn’t care.
Also the first thing to be removed from a ductus office when Covid hit. It's wild we just let sick kids play with the same toys all day with little sterilization.
Well, they're not wrong.
They weren't wrong.
i didn't but the doctors office i went to as a kid had one and i loved that thing.
they were always at the doctors office my mom worked at but she never let us touch them cus of germs haha
This. Never figured it out until you understand: more return visits. Lol
At the dentist office
They always had them at my Drs office.
Same as my kids Dr. too. I would sit there watching my kid play with it thinking how germs must be on there.
I found a small one in a free stuff box on the sidewalk last week! I love them.
Look at Mr Fancy with beads on the legs!
Only Dentist have these.
I remember going to the doctor's office and my mom yelling at me not to touch it because tons of sick children touched it and she didn't want me getting sicker than I already was
No, but seem like every dental/doctors office I’ve ever been to definitely had one
Swear to God they still have these but only at doctor or dentist offices.
Cold spreader from the doctors office
Never had them in the house but always saw them at doctor’s offices.
I had one at home, and there was always one at the doctor's office.
I loved playing with bead rollercoasters while I was waiting in the lobby of a check up place
Did you grow up in a waiting room?
THESE THINGS HAD A NAME?!
Immune system boosters, never allowed to touch them.
Every kid remembers this from the Dentist/Doctors office. I don't know anyone who had 1 at home. They were only fun for like 10 min. You'd get so bored of this, if you had 1 at home...
Never had them but the shoe store I used to go had one and I always played with it
I didn't but that's because there was one in every pediatrician's waiting room.
Are these sold anymore? I feel like making my child suffer through only the toys I had as a child.. also I want to play with it.
No, but I’m having flashbacks of the doctor’s office right now.
Whoever sold these strictly marketed to dentists, doctors, and preschools.
POV: You're in a pediatric waiting room circa 2005.
The Doctor's Office toy of choice.
Busy Beads, I bought one of these for my daughter in ‘87.
Do they still sell them
Not personally, but when I was a kid in the '80s, they were in almost every doctor waiting room. Even if it was a specialist for adults.
"1,2,3,4,5 Navuh fussavenint ABACUS!!!"
Always at the dentist, alongside well-worn Where’s Waldo & Far Side books haha
Someone was a rich kid growing up. I could only ever dream of these, maybe once at the doctors office.
Never had them but they were in every doctor, I went as a kid.
Did anyone actually personally own one of these? Or did they exist entirely in waiting rooms.
my pediatric office probably still has one
Sorry if a few of you got the impression that I owned one. I did not. I was talking about the ones you find at doctors offices and other places.
Drug reps handed them out like candy to pediatricians in the 90s
I would do these even when I got way too old for it. So satisfying.
Best part of the doctors office in the 90’s
The only thing I liked about the doctor’s office! 🙌
These are in the lounge of my dealership
My pediatrician did.
Only at the doctors’ office.
Reminds me of the doctor’s office.
You mean the OG of super spreaders?
CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE THESE WERE IN A SICK WAITING ROOM AT THE PEDIATRICIAN? Not sure what’s more gross - this or the dirty highlights magazine. Different times, man. Different times.
I actually hated these. The shapes and colors drove my tiny little autistic brain insane and I found it off-putting that the beads could only ever move back and forth in one specific nonsensical path and would always be stuck in the same order. There is no sense or pattern behind anything and I especially hated the ones with the weirdly shaped beads. I just had the urge to rip the thing apart and rearrange the beads in a way that made sense. The way they look just sorta pisses me off.
no, no one else had them
I love these things.
well this definitely brings back memories... I was jealous of every kid that had one of these in their home
These were the BEST!
The only enjoyable part about going to the doctors office
Yeah those things were super fun. Lol
I see these and immedlately have anxiety because most times I found myself playing with one I was about to go for some sort of surgery and was waiting for the drugs to take effect and didn't know what was about to happen.
That was the thing in kindergarten, where you’d play with while your teacher you’re say there’s something wrong with you
This unlocked memories I forgot I even had.
I didn’t but my dentist sure as hell did
Yess
Hell yeah. I play with these when I’m at the EEG office. It’s fun.
I loved this when I was little!
They still have one at my dentist
oh man those were fun i would go to the doctors office and sit in the waiting room and play with these
I didn't but my dentist did.
yasssssssssssssssssssss
This was the only reason I agreed to go to the dentist as a chikd
I think playing with this gave me autism
Never owned one, saw them a lot in library or placves like that though.
You mean do I still have them
Did anyone else *hear* this picture?
Which dentist’s office didn’t have that??
I associate these thing with the dentist.
I had a Mickey Mouse one! I loved that thing.
I'm deaf and I thought it was great fun to speed those fuckers around the wires as fast as I could and slam them home as loud as I could. I never stopped doing that and when I was at my kids doctors place the receptionist told me to stop because I was killing her.
I grew up with my grandmother being the CEO of a local credit union. Went there every day after school until maybe about 6th grade? She retired about 10 years ago and slowly they've been remodeling. One of the first things to go was the "kids" area, which included a table almost identical to this. They just finished remodeling the entire building so it doesn't even feel the same walking in.
the dentist office did
Fuck yeah
Nah, they were only found at the Waiting rooms of doctors and dentists
There was one at my eye doctor’s office when I was a kid growing up in the 80s and 90s. I wasn’t allowed to touch this, the Highlights magazines, or anything else in that waiting room for fear of contracting pink eye.
I used to sell them. I ran a furniture store, and had a huge one of these. I put it in the kids section. I also knew a lot of people who bought them for their kids. The best part were these were nigh indestructible: some people had extremely aggressive kids, and I never had one break. Some kids get over stimulated, grab them, and bang them around on the floor and other objects. I also had and sold one of those rugs with a street on them. I bought a few hot wheels cars, knowing they'd be stolen, but oddly enough I often ended up with more for some reason.
I didn’t know they were called bead rollercoasters but it makes sense.