Usage Conditions May Apply Usage Conditions Apply There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page. IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and image viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. More - https://iiif.si.edu View Manifest View in Mirador Viewer Usage conditions may apply

This leather holster was an accessory for a Buck Rogers rocket pistol made by the Daisy Manufacturing Company of Plymouth, Michigan in 1935. It is sized to fit the XZ-35 Rocket Pistol, a smaller version of the original XZ-31 Buck Rogers Rocket Pistol produced in 1934. The XZ-35 was known as the Wilma Deering pistol after the heroine of the Buck Rogers series. The holster originally would have had a loop at the top, which would attach the holster to a leather belt. The holsters were also sold in sets, known as "combat sets," that included the toy gun and a leather belt.

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.

The space hero character "Buck Rogers" first appeared as a comic strip in 1929 and generated a large number of toys, including the example shown here.

Michael O'Harro gave this toy gun to the Museum in 1993 as a part of a large collection of Buck Rogers memorabilia and other space science fiction memorabilia.

Display Status

This object is on display in James S. McDonnell Space Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.

James S. McDonnell Space Hangar
Object Details
Date 1935 Country of Origin United States of America Type MEMORABILIA-Popular Culture Manufacturer Daisy Manufacturing Co.
Dimensions Overall: 4 1/2in. x 7 1/2in. x 1 1/2in. (11.4 x 19.05 x 3.81cm)
Materials Overall, leather; clasps (5), probably steel; thread, fabric.
Inventory Number A19970646000 Credit Line Gift of Michael O'Harro Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.