Object Details
maker
Daisy Manufacturing Company, Inc.
Daisy Manufacturing Company, Inc.
Description (Brief)
Made by the Daisy Mfg. Company, this 1940 Superman themed toy gun also serves as a film projector. 16mm filmstrips could be woven through the metal gun and projected onto exterior surfaces via an internal lamp. Children would view the filmstrip one image at a time. There are 7 "Superman Adventure Stories" included:
The toy is advertised as being made of "Kryptonite," the fictional metal from Superman's lost home, "the weird planet Krypton." Now known as one of the heroes' greatest threats, it was not introduced it as such until 1949.
The character of Superman first flew into action in 1938. The costumed superhero was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, two Jewish teenagers from Cleveland Ohio, who used, among other things, classical mythology and the era's popular science fiction and adventure writing for inspiration.
With his debut in Action Comics #1, Superman became an instant sensation with audiences, inspired by the "Man of Tomorrow's" virtue and heroics at time when the Nation was slowly emerging from the economic catastrophe of the Great Depression and moving closer to World War.
Born on the doomed planet Krypton, Superman was sent to Earth as a child, where our world's yellow sun granted him extraordinary powers such as flight, super-strength, near-invulnerability, as well as other extraordinary abilities including heat and X-Ray vision. As an adult living in the city of Metropolis, the alien, born Kal-El, protects his identity by assuming the persona of Clark Kent, a "mild-mannered" journalist.
Fighting for "Truth and Justice," Superman birthed a cultural fascination with superheroes, and has become one of the most recognizable and influential fictional characters in history. In addition to comic books, the character has been explored in all forms of media, including radio, television, and film, and has been used to promote a variety of successful consumer products, educational initiatives and public service campaigns.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
DC Comics, Incorporated
Date made
1941
ID Number
1987.0213.166
accession number
1987.0213
catalog number
1987.0213.166
Object Name
toy
Physical Description
cardboard (overall material)
metal (overall material)
film (overall material)
glass (overall material)
ink (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 10 in x 8 in x 1 3/4 in; 25.4 cm x 20.32 cm x 4.445 cm
place made
United States: Michigan, Plymouth
See more items in
Culture and the Arts: Entertainment
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Subject
Motion Pictures
Animation
Superman
Toys
Children
Radio
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_682949