Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog

Squirt guns and water pistols are favorite water toys and many of them have washed ashore at the Falls of the Ohio.  I find them on the beaches or along the driftwood line particularly after we have had a flood.  This year our Spring was nothing but high water.  Most of the squirt guns were found within the last year or so although I have a couple that are older.  I didn’t keep every example I’ve come across, but I might have a photo of it in situ.

This is one of the smallest and most primitive squirt guns I’ve come across.  This gun and the one that follows shoots water out by squeezing the soft plastic body.  The grunge on the gun is river patina.

I recently food this blue squirt gun and its diminutive size and solid construction soon made it my favorite pistol.

Here are the rest of my images organized from smallest to the largest toy. Of late, I have found a couple of the “Super Soaker” style water guns that are a huge difference from my childhood days.  No frequent reloading needed with these water toys.  The last squirt gun I present is a bit of a novelty.  Over the years, I have come across several plastic hand grenades, but this is the first one I’ve seen that’s also a squirt gun.

As you can see there has been a bit of an arms race when it comes to developing water guns.  The newer models hold more water which can be compressed to squirt faster and farther.  I am surprised that I haven’t found more novelty or character-inspired squirt guns.  This hand grenade water toy has pride of place for now.