Where did the thin, smooth plastic spatulas go?

Question

20 years ago, the most common type of rigid spatula (or "turner") was smooth, thin (as in 3mm or less with a sharp edge), and generally made of nylon. These spatulas were not very durable (leading edges tended to melt), but they were very very good for making eggs and other delicate non-stick-pan dishes. And they were dirt cheap ($1 or so).

Here's pictures of the kind of spatula/turner I'm talking about:

By 10 years ago, these excellent egg turners had completely vanished from store shelves. At this point, I can't find them, even at thrift stores. Today's plastic turners are thick, blunt-edged, and rough ... absolutely terrible for crepes or omlettes. I'm down to my last 2 hoarded smooth thin plastic turners.

I've searched online, and I can't find any kind of health scare, trend or other information on what would have caused manufacturers to universally change how they made plastic turners. I also can't find anywhere to buy the old style.

So, this question is two-fold:

1. Why did manufacturers stop making thin, smooth plastic turner spatulas?

2. Where, if anywhere, can I buy this style of spatula?

AMENDED PER ANSWER BELOW: I am not talking about melamine spatulas, which are rigid. Both of the spatulas in the picture are semi-flexable.

Amended for more clarity: Per the discussion below, I did some actual measuring. The spatulas in question are sharp edged at the front, around 1-1.5mm on the edge, and no more than 3mm in the center.

Answer

You can't find them because this isn't nylon at all. The new ones - which you say you don't like - are indeed nylon. Rough, somewhat bendy, heat-resistant up to 220°C.

The spatulas you linked - stiff and shiny - don't look like nylon to me. They look like melamine resin. This is a cheap, hard and shiny plastic. It looks a bit like ABS, but is more brittle. You can still find utensils made out of it, and they are still quite cheap. Here in Europe, they are sold in 1-Euro-Stores, but I found this spatula on amazon.com:

I don't know the real reason why they aren't popular any more, but here are some thoughts:

• People prefer spatulas which are slightly bendy - or even completely bendy, like the silicone ones linked here. It is hard to get a stiff spatula below an egg, because the pan wall gets in the way.
• Melamine resin used to be a fashion fad in the 60s, but it isn't by now, and maybe customers today connect it with their granny's kitchens or similar.
• If the bendy nylon spatulas are made too thin, they could be too soft to hold their shape - getting way too bendy.
• Customers feel that spatulas whose edges get damaged by pan heat are inferior.
• Heating melamine resin could be dangerous, because melamine itself is toxic, and it could release the melamine. That's why melamine resin dishes are stamped as "not microwave safe".
• Manufacturers want to sell products at a higher price. Customers who pay a high price for a utensil want a solid thing, not just the cheapest thing made of the thinnest plastic. So the current thickness and surface sells better.

All that said, the modern rough black spatulas I have are much thinner than 4 mm, more like 2 mm, and they are beveled, so they have a very thin leading edge. I don't think they are bad, but then, I don't have experience with your old spatulas.

Check more discussion of this question.