My brother and I also made phasers out of TinkerToys so we could play Star Trek. My sister's cardboard house served as the brig. I figured out how my TinkerToy phaser could be made to shoot dowels, etc. with a rubber band, but I was dismayed that there was no way to stabilize the dowel in flight, like an arrow.

We had a lot of Lincoln Logs, plastic dinasours and plastic soldiers from serveral historic periods-civil war, roman, WWWII, etc. My older sisters and I would make forts for the soldiers and huge dinasour armies that were set to attack them. We often spent so much time setting them up, that we never had time to actually have the battle.

My older sisters also invented the cannibal factory game, where you drew Rube Goldbergian "factories" for processing body parts for cannibal products that they could buy in their cannibal grocery stores.

Then there was this elaborate performance art game we used to play with kids from another large family. It was "The Haunted House Hotel" and most of us were the staff, who turned into monsters at night. My oldest sister was always the hapless victim who checked in, but never checked out. This all predated "Hotel California" by at least a decade.

We had cap pistols. Do they still make caps?

Last time I was looking for a toy gun, they did. Of course, they have to be bright colors now, to not look like the real thing.

We had cap pistols. Do they still make caps?

I remember them still being around in the late eighties, but I haven't seen them lately.

Yeah, I've seen those cap rings in the last couple of years.

We had cap pistols. Do they still make caps?

Yes.

I had several cap guns. One was a revolver that used a plastic "ring" of six shots. I used my dad's power drill to drill a hole though the barrel, so sparks could fly out the barrel instead of being blocked by plastic. The drill also got rid of the stupid bright red thingie at the tip of the barrel that made it obvious it was a toy gun.

I must also note in passing that I was at Tom W. and Nora's today for a BBQ. Most of the Somervillains were there, along with special guests JZ and the family flea. Casper is clearly one of the most adorable toddlers ever, and she has an enormous crush on Tom.

Of course, they have to be bright colors now, to not look like the real thing.

I had several cap guns. One was a revolver that used a plastic "ring" of six shots.

I had one that looked like an actual, full-sized police revolver. Mattel made it, and it used "Greenie Stickum Caps," which were like little round exploding Avery labels. The gun came with fake bullets, gray plastic slugs that fit into spring loaded brass casings. You stuck a cap on the back, and loaded it just like a real bullet. It was the best toy ever.

Ooh, I totally wanted one of those. Dunno why I never got one - maybe I was too old, or my interest in model airplanes precluded spending money on things that didn't fly.