Spud gun
{{short description|Small toy gun used to fire a fragment of potato}}
{{about||the cannon that fires whole potatoes|Potato cannon|the fictional character named Spudgun|List of Bottom characters#Recurring characters}}
A spud gun or potato gun is a small toy gun used to fire a fragment of potato. To operate, one punctures the surface of a potato with the gun's hollow tip and pries out a small pellet which fits in the muzzle. Squeezing the grip causes a small build-up of air pressure inside the toy which propels the projectile. The devices are usually short-range and low-powered.
Early history
The first spud gun was invented during the Great Depression. The original inventor sold his patent to E. Joseph Cossman for US$600Cohen, William A. PhD Building a Mail Order Business: A Complete Manual for Success John Wiley & Sons, 01/02/1996, p. 108 after World War II. Cossman, the brother-in-law of "Uncle" Milton Levine, sold two million spud guns in six months as a result of an advertising campaign.E. Joseph Cossman obituary Los Angeles Times December 19, 2002
In Mexico City a company named WELCO created a similar model of a spud gun with a metallic appearance. Tomas Welch, a Mexican Jewish chemical engineer, developed a spud gun named "TIRA PAPAS" (Spanish for "potato shooter").