Classic Commercial: Mattel Tommy Burst

Believe it or not, there was a day when a boy (or a girl!) could have a toy gun (or 10 of 'em), play cops and robbers, and it was OK.  In fact, it was more or less a 'right of passage'.

If you were growing up in the 1950's and 1960's, you probably had some sort of toy gun.  Back on the farm by Leota, Minnesota, I had a lot of them.  Of course, the 6-shooters hanging low on your hip.  Cap Gun?  Yeah, that was a given (and didn't you love the smell of an exploded cap?).  Those kinds of, well, cheap guns were gotten at the department store almost on a whim.

But if you wanted the good one's, like the Mattel Tommy Burst here in this great classic commercial, well, you pretty much had to wait for one of two dates.

Your birthday.  Or Christmas.

After all, as you'll see in the commercial, the Mattel Tommy Burst wasn't a cheap gun.  Heck, it cost three whole dollars!  That, my friend, was Christmas gift type money.

Oh, and by the way, watch the commercial closely.  Do you see who the 'bad guy' is?

Apparently Otis went from Mayberry town drunk to real crime!