Date: 1948
Country of Origin: United States of America
Dimensions:
Other: 5 1/2 x 10 x 5 1/4in. (14 x 25.4 x 13.3cm)
Materials:
Gun, tin; disc in gun, rubber
This Flash Gordon Air Ray gun with a sparking flint disc in the muzzle was advertised as "the most amazing toy of the atomic age!" According to the toy's descriptions, it could shoot "a whizzing jet of air 20 feet with amazing accuracy." And yet, it was "safe as the air you breathe, and as inexpensive, since it requires no ammunition." Manufactured by the Budson Company of Chula Vista, California, the toy capitalized on the popularity of the Flash Gordon character.
Michael O'Harro gave this toy to the National Collection in 1997, as a part of a large collection of space science fiction objects.
Gift of Michael O'Harro
