The toys of the past sometimes surprise us with their capabilities. The Mattel Agent Zero M Sonic Blaster 5530 from 1966 is one of those toys – it could fire compressed air that caused a deafening blast. Deafening is an accurate word since it pumped out over 157db – above the level that is rated to do permanent damage to an adult’s hearing.
Wow, that must have been a cool toy. And we thought BB Guns were the most harm inflicting toys from the past. Duck, Johnny, before you get blasted. Johnny says, “Huh?”
But wouldn’t that have been cool in the right circumstances? Just think, the next time a car pulls up with the music way too loud and you had one handy. I would not actually suggest doing that, but it is a nice thought.
I had one when I was about 12. I am convinced that it is one of the causes of my hearing impairment. Even at 12 I knew it was to loud. My ears would ring for hours after playing with it. Now I know why 157db.
had one. it WAS loud and I loved it. no problem with the hearing. great toy
anybody remember what the price was back then?
I got one of these when I was 9 years old. My brother got the Screaming MiMi rifle.
Got one of these shortly after they came out. I believe that the price was somewhere in the range of $5-$12. I remember saving up my pennies but don’t remember the exact price (I was 5 or 6 years old at the time). I do remember, though, that it was really LOUD.
My friend once used it to shoot a car as it passed by. The driver came back and was absolutely certain that their car had been hit by something solid – until we demonstrated it for him once again. From what I recall, it had an effective range that was pretty impressive (20-30 feet).
So powerful that the guy in the car had something hit him – must’ve vibrated the car windows as he passed. Sounds like it was a lot of fun.