In the beginning
The first squirt pistols were marketed around 1910. This beginning technology used a hand bladder that squirted the water from a metal (often tin) gun. It was not until the 1920s that water pistols contained a small pump to project water. Daisy patented its No. 8 squirt gun in 1915; there were 10 variations of that model. The Daisy No. 9 was a repeater. Being made of metal, the slides of these early squirt pistols rusted easily and became non-functional.
Four decades later and counting
It was the era of science fiction and 1950s B-movies, and although there were still a few metal water pistols, plastic squirt guns became the craze. Green and red space guns became standard. In the next two decades, sci-fi movies, comics, and novels flooded the market, and the space-gun water pistols became more elaborate. These water guns featured the basic pump trigger still popular today.
Moving ahead
The '80s are known for the more realistic water guns, using molds with a 1:1 scale. Along came electronic water guns that made shooting sounds, and prices that soared drastically from the 25-cent plastic water shooter of the '50s. Replica laws in the '80s (requiring an orange tip on each replica) diminished how authentic a squirt gun looked, all in the name of safety. Next came small air-pressure soakers followed by powerful pump cannons that had reserve tanks and shot a distance of 32 feet. Pump cannons remained popular in the '90s - the tank option was not as popular. |  |
The new millennium
Pump cannon water guns today can shoot at least 60 feet and drench a target in seconds. There are double-barrel models, and some companies have abandoned outer space designs for cyberspace (sleek neon styles). Replica water guns still exist, but the soakers are the water guns of choice.
