If you’re 14 or older, Buckyballs promise hours of addictive magnetic fun! If you’re 13 or under, they promise fatal intestinal blockages!

When exactly does a child become an adult? Different societies have answered this question with different milestones: when a boy slaughters his first mammoth and drinks its blood, when a girl hosts her first monthly visit from Aunt Rose, when a Vulcan survives for ten days in the desert without food or water.

Now the Consumer Product & Safety Commission has settled it once and for all: a child is an adult when they can be trusted not to accidentally swallow tiny but powerful magnets. This past spring, the CPSC told the Buckyballs people that they had to yank their compulsively play-withable little magnetic to- uh, “desk decorations” to re-label them “Keep Away From All Children”. It seems the previous label of “Ages 13+” did not comply with consumer guidelines that “such powerful magnets are not sold for children under 14”, because even 13-year-olds were liable to swallow them and suffer perforated or blocked intestines. Yep, that year from your 13th birthday to your 14th makes all the difference. “Consumers should take the Buckyballs® high powered magnets away from children under 14 immediately,” quoth the CPSC. Kids swallow the darnedest things!

The rest of us are still free to enjoy Buckyballs at their balliest. Stack them, build with them, marvel at their intense bond and infinite pliability, or just knead them like that mouse in Lenny’s pocket without the tragic results. (Kneading them inside your mouth would lead to a different kind of tragedy.) Deskizens in offices all over this land are, at this very moment, compulsively combining and recombining Buckyballs to escape the dreary lifelessness of their cubicles. Keep them out of your mouth and you should be fine. But for God’s sake, whatever you do, remember to put them away for Bring Your Daughter To Work Day.

Note: We've secured more Buckyballs from the manufacturer. If you're ordering this afternoon, your order will ship outside of our usual 5 business day window (most likely a week from Thursday due to Labor Day) Be sure to check the forum for updates on shipping.

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