Entertech

Last updated
Entertech
Type Water gun
Company LJN
Country United States
Availability1985–1990
Slogan"The look! The feel! The sound, so real!"
A promotional magazine scan showing off guns from the first generation. Entertech water guns.png
A promotional magazine scan showing off guns from the first generation.

Entertech was a brand of battery-powered motorized water guns sold in the United States from 1985 to 1990 by the now-defunct LJN. [1] [2] [3] Unlike the colorful designs of many of the simple hand powered pump water guns of that time, most of the Entertech water guns were manufactured from black plastics with a matte finish to resemble real firearms.

Contents

Marketing materials and television spots tout, "The look! The feel! The sound! So real! Entertech!" These powerful water guns offered a breakthrough to an existing market of squirt guns that are mostly inexpensive clear-colored plastic, hand powered, with poor effective range. [4] The Entertech line boasts realistic looks and water storage mostly in the form of detachable magazines like their real firearm counterparts. The motorized water pumps make noises that, though not realistic, add an extra level of sensation. All of the guns except the Enforcer shotgun model have a fully automatic rate of fire (approximately 60 rpm) and a 30-foot effective range. [5]

Models

First generation

Second generation

Similar products

Company closure

The end of Entertech's short-lived success was due in part to incidents in which law enforcement officers shot and killed children toting toy guns, claiming to have mistaken them for actual firearms. [7] Toy guns were used in robberies of retail establishments and banks. [8] [9] Amid these highly publicized incidents, Entertech voluntarily began manufacturing guns with blaze orange-colored caps in 1987, and began a line of less-realistic neon-colored guns later that year. [10] [7]

After Acclaim Entertainment purchased LJN in April 1990, it began phasing out toy manufacturing. Using LJN as a second brand to make video games instead of toys increased the quota of games Acclaim could produce for the Nintendo Entertainment System. In September 1990, Acclaim sold the Entertech brand for $1.7 million. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firearm</span> Gun for an individual

A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Browning</span> American firearms designer (1855–1926)

John Moses Browning was an American firearm designer who developed many varieties of military and civilian firearms, cartridges, and gun mechanisms, many of which are still in use around the world. He made his first firearm at age 13 in his father's gun shop and was awarded the first of his 128 firearm patents on October 7, 1879, at the age of 24. He is regarded as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 19th and 20th centuries and a pioneer of modern repeating, semi-automatic, and automatic firearms.

Airsoft, also known as survival game in Japan where it was popular, is a team-based shooting game in which participants eliminate opposing players out of play by shooting them with spherical plastic projectiles shot from airsoft guns.

Toy guns are toys which imitate real guns, but are designed for recreational sport or casual play by children. From hand-carved wooden replicas to factory-produced pop guns and cap guns, toy guns come in all sizes, prices and materials such as wood, metal, plastic or any combination thereof. Many newer toy guns are brightly colored and oddly shaped to prevent them from being mistaken for real firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LJN</span> American toy and video game publishing company

LJN Toys Ltd. was an American toy company and video game publisher founded by Jack Friedman in 1967. MCA Inc. acquired the company in 1985, and sold to Acclaim Entertainment in 1990. The toy division of the company was closed by Acclaim and a majority of its employees were fired as the company was shifted towards video game publishing. It was closed in 1994, but its label was used once more in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Water gun</span> Type of toy gun designed to shoot water

A water gun is a type of toy gun designed to shoot jets of water. Similar to water balloons, the primary purpose of the toy is to soak another person in a recreational game such as water fight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lever action</span> Type of firearm action

A lever action is a type of action for repeating firearms that uses a manually operated cocking handle located around the trigger guard area that pivots forward to move the bolt via internal linkages, which will feed and extract cartridges into and out of the chamber, and cock the firing pin mechanism. This contrasts to other type of repeating actions such as the bolt-action, pump-action, semi-automatic, fully automatic, and/or burst mode actions. A firearm using this operating mechanism is colloquially referred to as a levergun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">.410 bore</span> Shotgun bore designed by Charles Eley and William Eley

The .410 bore (10.4 mm) is one of the smallest caliber of shotgun shell commonly available. A .410 bore shotgun loaded with shot shells is well suited for small game hunting and pest control. The .410 started off in the United Kingdom as a garden gun along with the .360 and the No. 3 bore (9 mm) rimfire, No. 2 bore (7 mm) rimfire, and No. 1 bore (6 mm) rimfire. .410 shells have similar base dimensions to the .45 Colt cartridge, allowing many single-shot firearms, as well as derringers and revolvers chambered in that caliber, to fire .410 shot shells without any modifications.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Soaker</span> Brand of recreational water gun

Super Soaker is an American brand of recreational water gun that uses manually-pressurized air to shoot water with greater power, range, and accuracy than conventional squirt pistols. The Super Soaker was invented in 1989 by engineer Lonnie Johnson. The prototype combined PVC pipe, acrylic glass, and an empty plastic soda bottle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Riot gun</span> Type of firearm

In current usage, a riot gun or less-lethal launcher is a type of firearm used to fire "non-lethal" or "less-lethal" ammunition for the purpose of suppressing riots or apprehending suspects with minimal harm or risk. Less-lethal launchers may be special purpose firearms designed for riot control use, or standard firearms, usually shotguns and grenade launchers, adapted for riot control use with appropriate ammunition. The ammunition is most commonly found in 12 gauge shotguns and 37mm or 40 mm grenade launchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flare gun</span> Firearm that launches flares

A flare gun, also known as a Very pistol or signal pistol, is a large-bore handgun that discharges flares, blanks and smoke. The flare gun is typically used to produce a distress signal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Airsoft gun</span> Special type of air gun used in airsoft

Airsoft guns are replica guns used in airsoft sports. They are a special type of low-power smoothbore air guns designed to shoot non-metallic spherical projectiles (bb) often colloquially referred to as "BBs", which are typically made of plastic or biodegradable resin materials. Airsoft gun powerplants are designed to have low muzzle energy ratings and the pellets have significantly less penetrative and stopping power than conventional airguns, and are generally safe for competitive sporting and recreational purposes if proper protective gear is worn.

A rubber band gun is a toy gun used to fire one or more rubber bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrington & Richardson</span> Firearms brand

Harrington & Richardson Arms Company is an American brand of firearms and a subsidiary of JJE Capital Holdings. H&R ceased independent production February 27, 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Break action</span> Type of firearm action

Break action is a type of firearm action in which the barrel(s) are hinged much like a door and rotate perpendicularly to the bore axis to expose the breech and allow loading and unloading of cartridges. A separate operation may be required for the cocking of a hammer to fire the new round. There are many types of break-action firearms; break actions are universal in double-barreled shotguns, double-barreled rifles, combination guns, and are commonly found in single shot pistols, rifles, shotguns, including flare guns, grenade launchers, air guns, and some older revolver designs. They are also known as hinge-action, break-open, break-barrel, break-top, or, on old revolvers, top-break actions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazer Tag</span> Toy brand

Lazer Tag is a brand name for the pursuit game using infrared toy guns, generically known as "laser tag". It was developed by Worlds of Wonder and launched in 1986. As one of America's top hit toys of 1986-1987, Lazer Tag was aggressively leveraged by Worlds of Wonder's retail sales network in an ultimatum to force the Nintendo Entertainment System into retail stores, allowing its smash hit nationwide launch, which prompted Nintendo of America to lead the nation's recovery from the 1983 video game crash and dominate the industry. The Lazer Tag brand is currently a subsidiary of Hasbro's Nerf toy line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Title II weapons</span> Class of weapons under the National Firearms Act

Title II weapons, or NFA firearms, are designations of certain weapons under the United States National Firearms Act (NFA).

Water Warriors is a water gun brand owned by Buzz Bee Toys that was created by the company in 2003. The toy line comprises a large variety of pressurized water guns, as well as smaller water guns for younger children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gel blaster</span> Toy gun that fires soft polymer beads

A gel ball blaster, also known as a water gel blaster, orbeez gun, gel gun, gel shooter, gel marker, hydro gel blaster, water bead blaster or gelsoft gun, is a toy gun similar in design to airsoft guns, but the projectiles they shoot are 7–8mm superabsorbent polymer water beads, which are often sold commercially as moisture retainers for gardening and pot/vase floriculture.

References

  1. "Today's Toy Gun: It's Not a Plastic Water Pistol Anymore". San Jose Mercury News. May 3, 1986.
  2. 1 2 "Acclaim Entertainment Inc. Company History". Funding Universe.
  3. Albrecht, Bob. "LITTLE SQUIRTS LOVE BIG SQUIRTS." Columbus Dispatch, The (OH) 26 Aug. 1985, HOME FINAL, FEATURES - Accent & Arts: 3B. NewsBank. Web. 17 Jun. 2016.
  4. "Long-Range Water Pistols, Light-Beam Weapons Toy Gun Makers See a New Hit". The Los Angeles Times. June 16, 1986.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "AK Centerfire TV commercial".
  6. 1 2 "Water Grenade Set TV commercial". YouTube . 10 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21.
  7. 1 2 "After 3 Deaths, Realistic Toys Are Under Fire". The New York Times. June 16, 1988.
  8. "Toy gun used in bank robbery". The Los Angeles Times. January 15, 1988.
  9. "Court says armed robbery is possible with a fake gun". The Boston Globe. January 5, 1989.
  10. "Burbank bans sale of realistic toy guns after victim's plea". San Jose Mercury News. October 1, 1987.