We actually had one of these in our family! I can’t remember whether it belonged to me or one of my brothers, but there’s one thing I definitely remember. This thing was NOISY!
Before video games took over our living rooms, we had toys like Marx’s Electro Shot Shooting Gallery, complete with an electrically powered rifle, moving targets and rapid-fire action.
According to the commercial, you could flip a switch and turn the rifle into a submachine gun that automatically reloaded!
Pretty impressive stuff for a 1960s toy.
And I can tell you firsthand, with that motor running and the metal pellets rattling around inside the gallery, this wasn’t exactly a quiet afternoon activity!
The company behind it has quite a history, too.
Louis Marx started his toy business in 1919 and eventually became known as the Toy King. By the 1950s, Marx had become the world’s largest toy manufacturer, making everything from toy soldiers and trains to elaborate playsets.
The company later gave us the famous Big Wheel in 1969 and another shooting gallery called Magic Shot in 1973.
Quaker Oats bought Marx in 1972, but after several ownership changes, the original company went out of business in 1980.
Looking back, it’s amazing how much action manufacturers packed into these toys before home video games became popular.
I don’t remember which of us boys owned it, but I’m pretty sure Mom remembered the noise!
Did your family have an Electro Shot Shooting Gallery, or another noisy toy that drove your parents crazy?
#MarxToys #ElectroShot #ShootingGallery #VintageToys #1960sToys #ToyCommercials #VintageCommercials #RetroCommercials #ClassicToys #ToyHistory #1960sNostalgia #ChildhoodMemories #TheRetroSite
