Why An Infamous Hulk Toy Had Its Hands Full With Potential Blunt Impact Injuries

One of the best Hulk lines in the MCU, "Hulk! Smash!" took on a whole new meaning with the release of an infamous Hasbro toy in conjunction with the release of the first "Avengers" movie in 2012. Modeled after the Hulk's (Mark Ruffalo) massive hands in the film, Hasbro's "Marvel's Avengers Gamma Green Smash Fists" apparently packed more punch than the toymaker originally intended. In fact, Hasbro took a public relations hit when the Gamma Green Smash Fists made the annual "10 Worst Toys List" issued by the consumer watchdog World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) in 2012, according to Comic Book.

Made of sturdy foam and coated in green paint, the Gamma Green Smash Fists were called out by WATCH for the role-playing toy's potential of "blunt impact injuries" — particularly to toddlers. In its breakdown of the dangers of the product, WATCH noted, "These oversized fists, resembling those of a popular Marvel comic book and movie character, are sold to enable three-year-olds to 'be incredible like The Hulk' by 'smashing everything that gets in [their] way!' No warnings or cautions are provided."

Oddly enough, the dishonor of Hulk's Gamma Green Smash Fists being named one of WATCH's "10 Worst Toys" in 2012 came nine years after the first iteration of the role-playing product hit toy shelves. As TikTok creator 20_years_ago_ pointed out in July 2023, the Hulk fists — then known as "Electronic Hulk Hands" — were all the rage for consumers when they were first released by Toy Biz in July 2003.

According to 20_years_ago_, the idea for Hulk Hands arose out of a brainstorm session by Toy Biz creators who were looking for ideas for a similar Hulk product after the success of its "Spider-Man Web Blaster" toy. As such, the Hulk Hands and its electronic sounds were made in conjunction with the 2003 release of "Hulk," starring Eric Bana, and retailers had a tough time keeping up with the demand of the product.

In addition to the Hulk Hands, 20_years_ago_ noted, Toy Biz also produced a pair of rock-like hands as a role-play item based on The Thing (Michael Chiklis) from "The Fantastic Four" movie in 2005. However, 20_years_ago_ said, "This version of the toy was labeled one of the most dangerous toys due to blunt force trauma injuries" despite a disclaimer on its package and foam gloves that noted they were "intended for dress-up fantasy play only."

Consumers clearly ignored any warning or disclaimers for any of the superhero role-playing hands, though, as 20_years_ago_ noted, "They were quite popular among college kids as well, who engaged in Hulk Hand fight clubs."

Hasbro took over the license to produce "Hulk Smash Hands" as one of its role-playing products for "The Incredible Hulk" movie starring Edward Norton in 2008. Ironically, the company first took a softer approach to creating the product since the oversized hands resembled very large green gloves with cloth material covering close-fisted soft foam pieces. By 2012, however, the company reverted to material reminiscent of Toy Biz's original design. 

Whether it was in direct response to WATCH's warning about the Gamma Green Smash Fists in 2012 is unclear, but Hasbro eventually released different design of the Hulk role-playing toy. In later versions the Hulk's fists became relaxed and were rebranded as "Marvel Avengers Gamma Grip Hulk Fists." Still made of the same material as the Gamma Green Smash Fists, the new design apparently encouraged kids to grip onto things instead of punching them.

Despite the design improvements to its Hulk toy fists, Hasbro hasn't completely escaped the watchful eye of WATCH for some of its other superhero-related toys. Ten years after the Gamma Green Hulk Fists release was called out by WATCH, another role-playing toy based on an "Avengers" character made consumer nonprofit's annual 10 Worst Toy List for 2022. This time it was Hasbro's "Black Panther Wakanda Battle Claws," which were cited by WATCH for their "potential for eye and facial injuries." Two years prior to that, Hasbro's "Marvel Avengers Vibranium Power FX Claw" made WATCH's 10 Worst Toys list for the same potential safety hazards.