7 Absurdly Dangerous Toys That Your Parents And Grandparents Probably Got For Christmas

Published December 22, 2020

The Austin Magic Pistol That Shot Ping Pong Balls With Explosive Force

Dangerous Austin Magic Pistol Toy

YouTubeThe Austin Magic Pistol is now considered an actual firearm is several American states.

The Austin Magic Pistol was such a dangerous toy that some American states have since classified it as an actual firearm.

Manufactured in the late 1940s, the Austin Magic Pistol was sold only briefly — and thankfully so. While the projectile-shooting device was designed to fire ping pong balls, it did so with a concerning force that was powered by explosive chemicals.

The momentum generated to deploy the projectile came from the chemical reaction of calcium carbide and water. As a result, children were handling materials that, when mixed, would expand into acetylene gas — and explode. Just dripping some saliva on calcium carbide could result in a fireball.

The Austin Magic Pistol in action.

Even with adult supervision, the flaming sparks shooting out of the breech end of the gun were unruly enough to scorch a user’s wrist. The safety of the breech itself was yet another concern.

Acetylene gas is extremely flammable. With children running around backyard barbecues, anyone in the presence of Austin Magic Pistol-wielding kids in the 1940s and 1950s was lucky not to have died in a fire. Many of these guns either ruptured and broke or simply exploded during use.

This vintage throwback to a less responsible time can often be found on eBay.

Just be careful not to blow your face off while using a cheap plastic toy that uses highly flammable gases to shoot ping pong balls.

author
Marco Margaritoff
author
A former staff writer for All That’s Interesting, Marco Margaritoff holds dual Bachelor's degrees from Pace University and a Master's in journalism from New York University. He has published work at People, VICE, Complex, and serves as a staff reporter at HuffPost.
editor
Jaclyn Anglis
editor
Jaclyn is the senior managing editor at All That's Interesting. She holds a Master's degree in journalism from the City University of New York and a Bachelor's degree in English writing and history (double major) from DePauw University. She is interested in American history, true crime, modern history, pop culture, and science.