Toys From The 50’s:
Spud Guns, Ant Farms, and Frisbees

Lots of great toys were invented in the 50’s and kids actually had time to play with them. Schedules weren’t packed with soccer games and dance lessons and playing outside was the norm instead of the lost art it is today. Toys from the 50’s were simple, they didn’t need batteries or flashing lights to entertain and they are still fun to this day.

One of the toys invented in the 50’s was the spud or potato gun. The potato gun is not to be confused with the so-called “toy” of the same name which was basically two soda cans duct-taped together and filled with a flammable gas. The flammable gas was lit and the “spud” was caused to propel from the cans at a high rate of speed, usually exploding everywhere.  The safer version consisted of a plastic toy gun that shot small pieces of potato out of the barrel when the trigger was pulled. Unlimited ammunition could be had for pennies and there were not nearly as many injuries from being hit with a piece of potato as there were from lighting flammable gas in a pop can. All you had to do was press the barrel of the gun into a potato and break off a piece.

Rotten potato pieces smelled pretty awful so if you didn’t want to get your potato gun confiscated by mom you pretty much had to play outside with it.  You can still find these fun toys around today if you are one of those parents that actually lets your kids play with toy guns.

Another great toy from the 50’s that still exists today is the Ant Farm. Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm is an icon of pop culture that was introduced in 1956 by Milton M. Levine.  Two clear panels of plastic held together by a plastic frame were filled with sand. You had to add your own ants that you could either round up in the back yard or send away for with a special coupon.  Once you got your ants you had the decidedly long and tedious process ahead of you of getting those little buggers into the farm.  Sometimes they might escape and then mom would be on the warpath. The ants were fascinating to watch, building tunnels and bridges that would magically appear overnight. You could watch ants carrying their eggs if you were lucky enough to have a queen, and the bodies of deceased ants as well. Feeding the ants was easy, all they needed was a bit of sugar water or water and honey, a few drops a day. Kids continue to be fascinated by this educational toy.

The plastic frisbee was introduced in the late 40’s and early 50’s by Walter Frederick Morrison and Warren Franscioni. They got the idea from college students and soldiers who would toss around empty pie tins. The plastic frisbee flew much further and with greater accuracy and so the great sport of frisbee tossing was launched.  Morrison and Franscioni originally called their invention the “Flyin’ Saucer” to capitalize on the fascination with UFO’s that existed at the time and the promotional announcements for the product actually suggested that hundreds of flying saucers were about to land. The original Flyin’ Saucer sold for about a dollar and the price and design hasn’t changed very much to this day. 

Christine Sostarich is a freelance writer and mother of four living in the Pocono Mountains of Eastern Pennsylvania.  She is also a poet and editor of a small literary journal.