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Pop gun
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
A pop gun (also written as popgun or pop-gun) is a toy gun that was made by American inventor Edward Lewis and uses air pressure to fire a small tethered or untethered projectile (such as cork or foam) out of a barrel, most often via piston action though sometimes via spring pressure. Other variants do not launch the obstruction, but simply create a loud noise.[1] This mechanism consists of a hollow cylindrical barrel which is sealed at one end with the projectile and at the other with a long-handled plunger.
Construction
[edit]Various types of popguns have been described, such as popguns made of a hollowed-out alder, willow, or elder branch in Texas and in Appalachia in the early 1900s, used to fire a wad of paper.[2] Similarly an 1864 American children's book advises using a piece of elder with an iron rod as the piston, shooting pieces of "moistened tow".[3] a similar anecdote from Alabama in the early 20th century used an elder tube, oak piston, and fired peas or chinaberries.[4] Similar tube-and-plunger toys, firing small stones, were used by the Plains Indians and Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest,[5] though these may post-date European contact.[6] Similar toys were found in other American Indian cultures.[7]
Commercial history
[edit]During World War II, the American company Daisy Outdoor Products was unable to produce air rifles due to rationing of metal, so produced wooden popguns until the end of the war.[8] Currently, the largest producer of American-made popguns in the United States is Kraft-Tyme, Inc. located in Canton, TX.
See also
[edit]- Popgun Plot, an alleged 1794 conspiracy to assassinate George III using a poisoned dart fired by an airgun
- Gun, a weapon that shoots bullets at high-speed.
References
[edit]- ^ Hearst gdbgknf fjbsjf (July 1912). "Popular Mechanics". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Magazines: 1–. ISSN 0032-4558. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Francis Edward Abernethy (1989). Texas Toys and Games. University of North Texas Press. pp. 56–. ISBN 978-1-57441-037-2. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Every Little Boy's Book: A Complete Cyclopædia of in and Outdoor Games with and Without Toys, Domestic Pets, Conjuring, Shows, Riddles, Etc. : With Two Hundred and Fifty Illustrations. Routledge, Warne, and Routledge, Farringdon Street; New York: 56, Walker Street. 1864. pp. 17–. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Billy D. Smith (October 2009). My Life As I Remember It: Growing Up in Alabama. AuthorHouse. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-1-4490-2399-7. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ William W. Elmendorf; Alfred Louis Kroeber (July 1992). The structure of Twana culture. Washington State University Press. ISBN 978-0-87422-087-2. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Emory Dean Keoke; Kay Marie Porterfield (1 January 2009). Encyclopedia of American Indian Contributions to the World: 15,000 Years of Inventions and Innovations. Infobase Publishing. pp. 271–. ISBN 978-1-4381-0990-9. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Stewart Culin (1992). Games of the North American Indians: Games of Skill. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-6356-7. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- ^ Sharon M. Scott (2010). Toys and American Culture: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 67–. ISBN 978-0-313-35111-2. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
Pop gun
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
A pop gun is a toy gun designed for children that employs a plunger mechanism to compress air within its barrel, propelling a small projectile—typically a cork—forward while generating a sharp popping sound upon release.[1] This simple pneumatic device mimics the action of a firearm without using gunpowder or explosives, ensuring relative safety for play, though early models often featured a tethered cork to prevent loss or injury.[2] The term "pop gun" originated in the 1620s, derived from the imitative "pop" sound of the escaping compressed air combined with "gun," reflecting its longstanding role as a child's plaything that dates back at least to the mid-17th century.[3]
Pop guns gained prominence in the 19th century as part of the burgeoning toy industry in the United States, where they became widely available by the 1860s alongside other early toy firearms like firecracker guns.[4] These toys were typically constructed from wood or tin, featuring a basic lever or trigger to operate the plunger, and they appealed to children's imaginative play by simulating shooting without real danger.[5] Pop guns evolved from rudimentary designs into mass-produced items that emphasized fun and noise over accuracy or power. By the Victorian era, wooden pop guns were common in Europe and North America, often replicating the era's fascination with mechanical toys and frontier themes.[6]
Throughout the 20th century, pop guns remained a staple of childhood recreation, though their popularity waned with the rise of cap guns and plastic replicas in the mid-1900s, which offered more realistic sounds and visuals via explosive caps.[4] Despite concerns over toy gun safety leading to regulations starting in the 1980s—such as the 1988 federal requirement for blaze orange markings to distinguish them from real firearms—classic pop guns continue to evoke nostalgia and are still manufactured as simple, non-electronic alternatives for pretend play.[7] Their enduring appeal lies in the hands-on physics of air compression, providing an accessible introduction to basic mechanics while fostering imaginative scenarios like cowboy adventures or mock battles.