This brightly-colored metal toy gun was manufactured by the Japanese toy company Daiya, likely in the 1960s.
At the time, Japanese toy makers were having great success making inexpensive metal "tin toys," especially with outer space themes, for export. This toy came with four projectiles that could be shot via the mechanism in the toy.
Fictional space heroes often carried space-themed versions of the Western's ever-present six-shooter or rifle. As a result, for several generations, pretend gun play with ray gun toys formed a central part of many children's imagined space adventures. Exactly how one blasted space enemies often reflected the newest technologies. In the late 1940s, "atomic" guns proliferated. "Laser" guns followed the creation of the practical laser in 1960.
Display Status
This object is on display in James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
Object Details
Country of Origin
Japan
Type
MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture
Manufacturer
Daiya
Dimensions
3-D: 14 × 8.3 × 14cm (5 1/2 × 3 1/4 × 5 1/2 in.)
Materials
Overall, metal, probably aluminum
Inventory Number
A20010632000
Credit Line
Found in collection. Donor unknown at this time. Found on NASM premises.
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
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