On top of that, the guns also became a popular choice for bank robbers. I mean, who needs the ol’ finger in the jacket pocket trick when you could just walk to Toys “R” Us and walk out in extreme slow-mo with a plastic arsenal around your hip. You have to wonder how many times those guys blew their cover by accidentally pulling the trigger during the heist. A robber could potentially get no more impotent than at the exact moment their “gun” dribbles out a sad little drip of tap water. But with so much negative press surrounding them, Entertech, as we knew it (which was as an incredibly misguided line of hell toys), would never be the same again.
Taking Out The Clip
Before they gave up completely, Entertech tried to make amends by affixing their line of guns with little orange caps at the end of the barrel. A goddamn hilarious move. A truly impenetrable safety feature. Surely there’s no way anybody could cover up that tiny orange spot, and everyone would now be able to look at that kid with the gun, see the little orange piece, and know that he’s just Joshin’.
When that failed to move the needle, Entertech shifted into the traditional water gun space of blazing neon colors and outrageous design, but it was too late. The damage was done, and Entertech folded. But it wasn’t just Entertech that was forever changed, but kids’ toys on the whole. With such a public display of the dangers of putting realistic-looking guns into the hands of kids, toy companies shifted away from that and towards outlandish designs like Super Soakers or Nerf because it’s a whole lot safer for kids to not have to worry about being shot by the police when they’re on the prowl looking for dads to shoot in the nuts.
Top Image: LJN