Woodsy,
Your recent post about toy guns jogged my memory about one of my prized possessions back in the day. It was your standard-issue metal cap gun, which fired those great red roll caps, and it had the word "DICK" embossed on the side.
I played cops and robbers with the neighborhood kids, and when the thing worked right, I could fire a bunch of shots in quick succession. What fun!
I searched for this toy on the net, and apparently, that particular style of gun was very common. Most of the listings for that gun call it a Dick Tracy cap gun, and date it all the way back to the 1940s, but my mother bought mine for me at Woolworth's, after a dentist appointment, in either '62 or '63.
Also, I don't recall the toy being branded as a Dick Tracy item. I recall the header saying "Private Detective" or something similar.
What I do remember is that even as an eight year-old, I knew that "Dick" was a naughty word, so the toy became almost subversive, and very special to me.
Anyways, here's a pic I swiped off the net (my "Dick" is looong gone, lol!). Cool to see that they were using these same molds for almost twenty years!
Rob C
USA
My first thought was also Dick Tracy. But dick is also slang for detective or private eye, which would fit with a header card saying something like Private Detective.
ReplyDeleteYep, I was a "Private Dick" back then... since then, many say I've become a public one!
DeleteI think I had a much rougher tin version of this Zigg. Great post. Toy guns are in our generation's DNA. I don't think it leads to a desire for real guns, do you?
ReplyDeleteIn my case, shooting my enemies with toy guns did not lead to an obsession with firearms, although one of my pals did become a (real) gun nut in his teens - and paid dearly for it. But if I could shoot my enemies today, maybe I would!
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