Toy gun:Johnny Seven One Man Army

Long before companies manufactured the first toy gun, children made pistol shapes with their fingers and shouted shooting noises as they chased one another around the yard. Inspired by Westerns and later by television dramas, children played "Cowboys and Indians" or "Cops and Robbers" with their invisible weapons, and later with their toy pistols and shotguns. Concern over marketing violent toys toward minors led the industry to turn their originally realistic-looking replicas into bright orange space blasters and Nerf Super Soakers, but gun play itself is still a popular form of recreation.

The Johnny Seven One Man Army examplifies the more realistic-looking guns, combining seven different functions in one weapon. This best-selling boy's toy of 1964 included a grenade launcher, armor-piercing shell, anti-tank rocket, retractable bi-pod, repeating rifle, automatic pistol and Tommy gun. This variety allowed children to face an entire "army" alone, armed with multiple firing choices.