Throughout the history of toys there has always been a category of toys that have gotten plenty of heat from parents and educators. Guns. Back in the 60s there were more kinds of guns and gun sets sold as toys than you can possibly imagine. Think we're kidding? Take a look at some of the more popular of these sets that parents have had to contend with over the years.
In the early 60s there was a show by the name of Combat. Vic Morrow was so convincing as Sergeant Saunders that every kid wanted to be him. The toy companies cashed in on this. One of the most popular toy sets of the early 60s was the Combat toy set. It was simple enough. It came with Saunders Thompson Machine Gun, his 45 caliber pistol, a hand grenade and his helmet. Instant Saunders and the kids ate it up while parents cringed.
War wasn't the only theme of gun sets back in the early 60s. There was another show called "The Man From Uncle". This show stared Robert Vaughn and David McCullem as two secret agents. The show was so popular that it too brought about some pretty cool toys. You could get the Man From Uncle gun, security badges and other gadgets that the show made popular. This was another big hit with the kids of the time.
Need a little more fire power? No problem. There was a gun made in Japan during the late 60s that became very popular and was one of the most realistic looking and sounding guns ever made at the time. This was the Heavy Machine Gun. It had a really loud rat-tat-tat sound when you fired it that could scare the heck out of anyone within hearing distance. The ammunition belt rotated around and around to make it look like you were really firing bullets. And to top it off, the barrel lighted up when you fired it. One of the most realistic guns ever made and a kid favorite.
Later on, in the 1970s, another popular gun came out. It was called Friction Sparkling M-16. This was a 21 inch rapid firing machine gun. When you pulled the bolt back and fired, similar to the Combat Thompson, it made a very realistic sound. You could also see a bunch of sparks coming out of the barrel. The gun was rather light weight but it was very realistic looking and another kid favorite.
Of course, with the war in Vietnam, toy makers weren't going to miss cashing in on it. In the 1960s they came out with the Cong Buster Jungle Gun Set. This set came with a 45 caliber squirt gun and a canteen. The gun and canteen were both made of very hard plastic and could withstand just about anything.
These few guns don't even scratch the surface of the number of guns and gun sets that came out in the 60s and 70s. If you'd like to find out more about these vintage guns, don't worry. Another installment in this series is coming.
Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Toys
