Mongo the Mutterer
Member
Well, that didn't take long ... Right here and I had the derringer...
Toy Guns of the 1950's - 1960's
- Thread starter Rembrandt
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Connecticut Yankee
Member
Cajunbass they were "Lytles" Most Likely
Cajunbass the company was called Lytle. They offered a SAA, A1, Luger, Broomhandle, P38 for sure - I've seen them all. They may have offered others. They were all cast aluminum, fairly heavy and painted matte black. They ran about 4.95 to start in the early fifties up to about 9.95 per in the early sixties.
However, I have also read about a spate of cast aluminum Lugers made right after the war - something about a returning GI making a few bucks. I have seen three or four specimens of these, they are fractionally smaller than the Lytles and lighter (less dense). I have a pair that someone made into bookends.
You can still see them in your local store or at shows for about 50 each. Good luck!
Cajunbass the company was called Lytle. They offered a SAA, A1, Luger, Broomhandle, P38 for sure - I've seen them all. They may have offered others. They were all cast aluminum, fairly heavy and painted matte black. They ran about 4.95 to start in the early fifties up to about 9.95 per in the early sixties.
However, I have also read about a spate of cast aluminum Lugers made right after the war - something about a returning GI making a few bucks. I have seen three or four specimens of these, they are fractionally smaller than the Lytles and lighter (less dense). I have a pair that someone made into bookends.
You can still see them in your local store or at shows for about 50 each. Good luck!
GrammatonCleric
Member
Child of the 80's
I was a child of the 80s, but didn't have many toy guns that were store-bought. My siblings and I made our guns out properly-shaped sticks and scrap lumber. One toy gun that we were allowed to have was an exact replica of that shotgun that aaronkelly had in his post. My brothers would go on rabbit-hunting trips with Dad, his brother, and our cousins. We always had a good argument over who got to carry the toy, and walk around with a "real" gun just like Dad.
We learned good gun safety though, Dad taught us well.
I was a child of the 80s, but didn't have many toy guns that were store-bought. My siblings and I made our guns out properly-shaped sticks and scrap lumber. One toy gun that we were allowed to have was an exact replica of that shotgun that aaronkelly had in his post. My brothers would go on rabbit-hunting trips with Dad, his brother, and our cousins. We always had a good argument over who got to carry the toy, and walk around with a "real" gun just like Dad.
We learned good gun safety though, Dad taught us well.oweno
Member
In the 1940s, the best cap pistols you could buy were made in, I think, Kilgore, Texas. Any of you Texans out there know about this?
MrTwigg
Member
Best thread I've read here !
You guys made me feel like I was eight years old again ! I had one of the Mattel Shootin' Shell Buckle Guns but I could never get my skinny little belly to make it work. Should'nt be a problem now tho !
Remember Remco's Monkey Division ?
View attachment 265244View attachment 265245
This stuff was big in my town back in the early '60's
You guys made me feel like I was eight years old again ! I had one of the Mattel Shootin' Shell Buckle Guns but I could never get my skinny little belly to make it work. Should'nt be a problem now tho
! Remember Remco's Monkey Division ?
View attachment 265244View attachment 265245
This stuff was big in my town back in the early '60's
Can't remember them all any more...
But I was the envy of every kid on the street, 'cause I had more and better than everyone else... In fact when we played war, I used to have to outfit about half the other kids...The 2 that stand out in my memory were an M-14 replica (seems to me like it was full sized and very realistic...but I suspect it was smaller, like 3/4 scale, 'cause I was just a kid.) and "Kentucky" rifle that shot cork bullets, propelled (poorly) by caps. It, too was very realistic.
I'll have to ask my mother whatever happened to them...I had alot of nice toys when I was growing up, and I treated them well, and carefully. Mom gave alot of them to my nephew(who ruined most of 'em), but I know my sister never let him have toy guns. When I finally had kids, I had nothing to pass on to them
But I was the envy of every kid on the street, 'cause I had more and better than everyone else... In fact when we played war, I used to have to outfit about half the other kids...The 2 that stand out in my memory were an M-14 replica (seems to me like it was full sized and very realistic...but I suspect it was smaller, like 3/4 scale, 'cause I was just a kid.) and "Kentucky" rifle that shot cork bullets, propelled (poorly) by caps. It, too was very realistic.
I'll have to ask my mother whatever happened to them...I had alot of nice toys when I was growing up, and I treated them well, and carefully. Mom gave alot of them to my nephew(who ruined most of 'em), but I know my sister never let him have toy guns. When I finally had kids, I had nothing to pass on to them
Manedwolf
member
Wow, way before my time, but...
Now I see where the whole concept of overdone Tacticool had its roots!
And as far as the playing-with-toy-guns-is-okay period, I was lucky enough to be pre-90's, so backyards still echoed with cries of "BANG! You're dead!" "Am not! You missed me!" "Did not!" "Did too!" ...and none of the kids I knew grew up to be highschool killers. Funny thing, that.
Now I see where the whole concept of overdone Tacticool had its roots!
And as far as the playing-with-toy-guns-is-okay period, I was lucky enough to be pre-90's, so backyards still echoed with cries of "BANG! You're dead!" "Am not! You missed me!" "Did not!" "Did too!" ...and none of the kids I knew grew up to be highschool killers. Funny thing, that.
on roll caps and rocks
When I was 13 or 14, a friend of mine and I were just a tad delinquent. One night I had several rolls of caps and I stacked them up on a concrete front porch. The house happened to belong to a local policeman and the front door was open. I found a large rock and started pounding on the caps while my friend kept walking up the street. On about the fourth "wham" from the rock, the whole mess went off. It sounded like a cannon and my hand, still holding the rock, went flying backwards (still attached to my wrist and unhurt). I jumped up and ran and saw my friend already flying down the street. I passed him. Sadly, we both turned out badly. He's a vice-president of a major international company and I'm finishing up my 33rd year as a school teacher. Once you go bad, there is just no turning around.
When I was 13 or 14, a friend of mine and I were just a tad delinquent. One night I had several rolls of caps and I stacked them up on a concrete front porch. The house happened to belong to a local policeman and the front door was open. I found a large rock and started pounding on the caps while my friend kept walking up the street. On about the fourth "wham" from the rock, the whole mess went off. It sounded like a cannon and my hand, still holding the rock, went flying backwards (still attached to my wrist and unhurt). I jumped up and ran and saw my friend already flying down the street. I passed him. Sadly, we both turned out badly. He's a vice-president of a major international company and I'm finishing up my 33rd year as a school teacher. Once you go bad, there is just no turning around.PlayboyPenguin
member
My favorite toy as a child
My grandfather gave these to me when I was like 4-5 years old. He had bought them in the 1950's new and unused in Hong Kong of all places. He had bought them for my dad but then never gave them to him for some reason or another and forgot about them until finding them in our attic still in the original box. I wore them all the time. I even wore them to school.
I still have them but unfortunately they are in "well-loved" condition.
Here is a picture of a set like they were when I first got them. They recently sold online for nearly $5,000
My grandfather gave these to me when I was like 4-5 years old. He had bought them in the 1950's new and unused in Hong Kong of all places. He had bought them for my dad but then never gave them to him for some reason or another and forgot about them until finding them in our attic still in the original box. I wore them all the time. I even wore them to school.
I still have them but unfortunately they are in "well-loved" condition.
Here is a picture of a set like they were when I first got them. They recently sold online for nearly $5,000
Attachments
Johnny Guest
Moderator In Memoriam
What a stroll down memory lane!
CajunBass, mainmech48, and Connecticut Yankee - - I remember those solid metal handguns well!
I was in the 5th grade - - About 1954? - - in El Paso, Texas, when I discovered an ad for solid cast aluminum pistols. Sent off for the pamphlet, which had a very short historical blurb about the guns. I was in heaven reading about the nifty guns they sold. Full size replicas, clearly made from casts from the real thing. Someone made a small fortune with his collection of WWII souveniers. There were 12 of them. Let's see - -
1911 .45*
P.08 Luger*
Walther P38
C96 Mauser Broomhandle
7.65 Beretta 1935*
CZ P27
Colt SAA "Frontier"
"Spanish Moxley .32 revolver" which was exactly the same as a 4" S&W M&P
Colt Cobra .38* - - Didn't say Detective Special. Cobra, which was still a pretty new model at the time.
Nambu 8mm pistol
- - And a few others.
* Either my little brother or I owned these. And a cousin got the P38 and the Broomhandle. They sold for $2.00 each at first. Soon went to 3.95, and the last ad I saw offered the same ones for, I think, 5.95.
Man, what memories surface after all these years! Lytle Novelty Company, 2656 Fashion Ave, Chicago, Illinois. (How can I remember that? I have trouble recalling my granddaughters' birthdays. )
About 1950, there were a series of cap revolvers mentioned above. The big one was the Stallion 45, a good copy of the 7-1/2" barrel SAA. Used big two piece cartridges. Pull out the big bullet end and insert a circular cap and replace bullet. Bullet provided the anvil, and smoke came out the hollow point and went down the barrel. It took even longer to reload than the real Peacemaker, but for six shots, it was unbelieveably stylish!
There were two smaller versions, Stallion .38 and .32, but their loading gates rocked rearward, unlike the .45 version, and their "cartridges" were smaller, too, though they used the same size caps. I had the .45; my brother had the .38 version. Of course, we lost the ammo components, and I never found replacement pieces.
Best to all - -
Johnny
CajunBass, mainmech48, and Connecticut Yankee - - I remember those solid metal handguns well!
I was in the 5th grade - - About 1954? - - in El Paso, Texas, when I discovered an ad for solid cast aluminum pistols. Sent off for the pamphlet, which had a very short historical blurb about the guns. I was in heaven reading about the nifty guns they sold. Full size replicas, clearly made from casts from the real thing. Someone made a small fortune with his collection of WWII souveniers. There were 12 of them. Let's see - -
1911 .45*
P.08 Luger*
Walther P38
C96 Mauser Broomhandle
7.65 Beretta 1935*
CZ P27
Colt SAA "Frontier"
"Spanish Moxley .32 revolver" which was exactly the same as a 4" S&W M&P
Colt Cobra .38* - - Didn't say Detective Special. Cobra, which was still a pretty new model at the time.
Nambu 8mm pistol
- - And a few others.
* Either my little brother or I owned these. And a cousin got the P38 and the Broomhandle. They sold for $2.00 each at first. Soon went to 3.95, and the last ad I saw offered the same ones for, I think, 5.95.
Man, what memories surface after all these years! Lytle Novelty Company, 2656 Fashion Ave, Chicago, Illinois. (How can I remember that? I have trouble recalling my granddaughters' birthdays.
) About 1950, there were a series of cap revolvers mentioned above. The big one was the Stallion 45, a good copy of the 7-1/2" barrel SAA. Used big two piece cartridges. Pull out the big bullet end and insert a circular cap and replace bullet. Bullet provided the anvil, and smoke came out the hollow point and went down the barrel. It took even longer to reload than the real Peacemaker, but for six shots, it was unbelieveably stylish!
There were two smaller versions, Stallion .38 and .32, but their loading gates rocked rearward, unlike the .45 version, and their "cartridges" were smaller, too, though they used the same size caps. I had the .45; my brother had the .38 version. Of course, we lost the ammo components, and I never found replacement pieces.
Best to all - -
Johnny
Stevie-Ray
Member
Do I ever. We all had Monkey equipment. I remember one of the Monkey pistols that looked like a ray gun, had no moving parts at all. Just point and pretend.
I also had a bazooka that shot a yellow projectile. My brother had a mortar that shot a blue one. The mortar was downright dangerous. If you got in front of that thing when someone was touching it off...........ouch!
And does anybody remember the fat red rubber pistols that shot ping-pong balls by squeezing?
This one takes me back a few years! I had one of those Johnny Eagle Magumba rifles for Christmas once. Don't know what ever becaome of it, but it was my "first rifle". I was really serious about sending those spring-loaded plastic bullets at various targets around the house and yard while on safari.
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Browns Fan
Member
Dude, my dad bought me this toy gun for Christmas on year. It looked just like a ma duece .50 cal! It was battery operated, made a lot of noise and similated muzzle flash. It had the butterfly grip/trigger setup. It was awesome, I was the envy of the neighborhood when we played "Combat!"! Of course, I mostly fired it from the hip.
G36-UK
Member
I remember one time, when my Dad was playing in his band down town, the "Bus Stop Four", I got a copy of an Intratec KG-9, a one-piece job with a silencer which "clicked" when you pulled the trigger.
I still have that and a "Grease Gun" replica somewhere.
I still have that and a "Grease Gun" replica somewhere.
Bullet Bob
Member
I had several sets in the 50's (I was born in 1951). My favorite cowboy was Roy Rogers, so that set of toy guns was by far my favorite.
There is a gentleman in Colfax NC who has a frame shop, and whose hobby is collecting toy guns, old cowboy posters, etc. He displays much of his collection in the shop, and it is wonderful to see.
Even though the prices those items bring today are pretty good, I don't regret wearing them out at all. The enjoyment I got then, and the memories I have now, are worth far more than any money I could get for a pristine in the box set.
There is a gentleman in Colfax NC who has a frame shop, and whose hobby is collecting toy guns, old cowboy posters, etc. He displays much of his collection in the shop, and it is wonderful to see.
Even though the prices those items bring today are pretty good, I don't regret wearing them out at all. The enjoyment I got then, and the memories I have now, are worth far more than any money I could get for a pristine in the box set.
PlayboyPenguin
member
Bullet Bob/Question for others
I still have my Roy Rogers set as I posted earlier. I wish I had kept them in better condition.
Does anyone else remember the sets that came out in the late 60's- early 70's that included a a hat, vest, long riflr, belt, and sidearm? They came in white or black. The white one had a badge and the black one had a bandit mask. I had the white one and loved it but cannot remember the maker.
I still have my Roy Rogers set as I posted earlier. I wish I had kept them in better condition.
Does anyone else remember the sets that came out in the late 60's- early 70's that included a a hat, vest, long riflr, belt, and sidearm? They came in white or black. The white one had a badge and the black one had a bandit mask. I had the white one and loved it but cannot remember the maker.
rcupka
Member
How did we survive?
Kind of makes you wonder how a group of kids that played with guns all the time, played sports where we actually kept score, and didn't have experts worrying about whether our self esteem was hurt when our teachers marked our answers wrong with a red pen God Forbid, ever survived to adulthood!
rcupka
Kind of makes you wonder how a group of kids that played with guns all the time, played sports where we actually kept score, and didn't have experts worrying about whether our self esteem was hurt when our teachers marked our answers wrong with a red pen God Forbid, ever survived to adulthood!
rcupka
bumm
Member
Oh, the MEMORIES! I'm a 1950 model. The first toy gun I remember having was a double barrel cork firing shotgun... wish I still had it. I still DO have a nice looking Colt SAA pistol that simply says "cowboy" on each side... I got that when I was maybe four. I also still have a really well made, heavy guage metal machine gun... no trigger, but turning a crank on the side would get rid of a roll of caps in no time. It says "Buddy L" on the side, along with "Main Machine Co." When I was a squirt, my late father would come home from work, pick it up, and crank the handle, spraying the room with clicks. Then came the day when my mom suggested loading it with caps, and laying it out where he'd find it. BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!! He nearly had a heart attack!
Marty
The first toy gun I remember having was a double barrel cork firing shotgun... wish I still had it. I still DO have a nice looking Colt SAA pistol that simply says "cowboy" on each side... I got that when I was maybe four. I also still have a really well made, heavy guage metal machine gun... no trigger, but turning a crank on the side would get rid of a roll of caps in no time. It says "Buddy L" on the side, along with "Main Machine Co." When I was a squirt, my late father would come home from work, pick it up, and crank the handle, spraying the room with clicks. Then came the day when my mom suggested loading it with caps, and laying it out where he'd find it. BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!!! He nearly had a heart attack! Marty
toy machine gun
Anybody remember a black toy machine gun of the late 50s or early 60s...it wasn't the Tommy-burst or Tommy-burp...I thought is was the Thunderbolt or Thunderball...it was very cool and sought after by the kids...it looked like a machine gun with a metal stock of some kind...like the bust you could pull back the spring for rapid fire...or single shot, but there were no caps involved...just the noise. I don't even know if it was Matell...but apparently not because I can't find it.
Anybody remember a black toy machine gun of the late 50s or early 60s...it wasn't the Tommy-burst or Tommy-burp...I thought is was the Thunderbolt or Thunderball...it was very cool and sought after by the kids...it looked like a machine gun with a metal stock of some kind...like the bust you could pull back the spring for rapid fire...or single shot, but there were no caps involved...just the noise. I don't even know if it was Matell...but apparently not because I can't find it.
Kaeto
Member
I still have one of the Hubley cap revolvers. Mine looks like a Colt Cap and Ball but has a loading gate like a SAA as well.
VT Deer Hunter
Member
"Saw one of those M-14 looking toy rifles at a local military collectable store, And it had a $500 price tag on it..... "
And i go to the antique shop to look at stuff and find a $1,000 Catcher in The Rye book.
And i go to the antique shop to look at stuff and find a $1,000 Catcher in The Rye book.
TexasBill
Member
I was in my teens when the Johnny Eagle line came out so they were too late for me; my little brother had one, though.
Anyone remember the Kadet Trainer Rifle? I got one, complete with rubber bayonet, for Christmas in 1957. It was a scaled-down replica of a 1903 Springfield made of wood and metal. It had a bolt action, a sling and a "clicker" trigger. It was cool! It came with a comic book about organizing a group of kids with their own Trainer rifle for military drills and such.
What's really neat is (1) they were originally made for the Army and Navy during WWII as training rifles when there was a shortage of the real thing and (2) you can still get them.
I did have the "Ricochet" revolver and had a pair of Hubley six-guns. I never had a Fanner 50, though I did get the snub-nose with the shoulder holster. The problem we had with the "Shootin' Shells" is that the plastic clip that were supposed to keep the bullet in the case would weaken, leading to juvenile "unintended discharges." That was a problem in social situations. My parents enrolled me in a ballroom dancing class where some of my friends also suffered under the tutelage of "Miss Barbara." The Mattel snubnoses were popular and several of us had them so we wore our rigs under the coats that were required for class. In addition to the fact the spring loaded bullets would discharge, the holsters weren't particularly good a retention leading to more than a couple of "weapons" falling to the floor. Needless to say, our parents were advised that packing heat in dance class was inappropriate.
I also had the Mattel Thunder Burp. Did you know that the first TV ad for a toy was for the Thunder Burp? It aired for the first time on October 3, 1955 on The Mickey Mouse Club.
One of the neatest guns I had was a Nichols revolver that had a unique style of cap-fired bullet. There was a metal casing and a pot-metal bullet with a plastic tip. You put a Greenie Stickem Cap on the base of the bullet and the gun would fire it for "harmless" fun. The trick was that if you put several Stickem caps on the base of the bullet, you could get pretty decent muzzle velocity and range (though not much in the way of accuracy). Of course, no one ever did that... The Consumer Products Safety Council would go into full cardiac arrest if someone tried to market a toy like that today.
Anyone remember the Kadet Trainer Rifle? I got one, complete with rubber bayonet, for Christmas in 1957. It was a scaled-down replica of a 1903 Springfield made of wood and metal. It had a bolt action, a sling and a "clicker" trigger. It was cool! It came with a comic book about organizing a group of kids with their own Trainer rifle for military drills and such.
What's really neat is (1) they were originally made for the Army and Navy during WWII as training rifles when there was a shortage of the real thing and (2) you can still get them.
I did have the "Ricochet" revolver and had a pair of Hubley six-guns. I never had a Fanner 50, though I did get the snub-nose with the shoulder holster. The problem we had with the "Shootin' Shells" is that the plastic clip that were supposed to keep the bullet in the case would weaken, leading to juvenile "unintended discharges." That was a problem in social situations. My parents enrolled me in a ballroom dancing class where some of my friends also suffered under the tutelage of "Miss Barbara." The Mattel snubnoses were popular and several of us had them so we wore our rigs under the coats that were required for class. In addition to the fact the spring loaded bullets would discharge, the holsters weren't particularly good a retention leading to more than a couple of "weapons" falling to the floor. Needless to say, our parents were advised that packing heat in dance class was inappropriate.
I also had the Mattel Thunder Burp. Did you know that the first TV ad for a toy was for the Thunder Burp? It aired for the first time on October 3, 1955 on The Mickey Mouse Club.
One of the neatest guns I had was a Nichols revolver that had a unique style of cap-fired bullet. There was a metal casing and a pot-metal bullet with a plastic tip. You put a Greenie Stickem Cap on the base of the bullet and the gun would fire it for "harmless" fun. The trick was that if you put several Stickem caps on the base of the bullet, you could get pretty decent muzzle velocity and range (though not much in the way of accuracy). Of course, no one ever did that... The Consumer Products Safety Council would go into full cardiac arrest if someone tried to market a toy like that today.
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Joe in fla
Member
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I used to have one of the Mattel Thompson SMGs. I shot up everything in three states with that thing! Also a couple of very realistic, working toy grenades that used caps instead of HE. They used rings with pull pins and had fly away spoons and a functional striker exactly like the real thing! Somewhere in the back on one of my closets I still have a kid-sized wooden 1903 Springfield. We didn't have TV when I was a kid and we used to actually PLAY OUTDOORS! Today they'd probably lock up any parent that made their kid play outside!
SharpsDressedMan
member
I'll go with the Mattel Tommy Gun, and those solid cast aluminum pistols that sold for $3.95 from an ad in the American Rifleman and several of the old gun magazines. They didn't click or fire, but they looked more real than anything else, and there were about 30 different ones to choose from.
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