The Lone Ranger and Tonto Toy Cap Gun Scrapbook

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Mike Nichols
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The Lone Ranger was my favorite. I spent half of my life just trying to figure out what "Kimosabe" (or however you spell it) meant. I think it means something like, "The only friend I know." Or whatever. No matter what, Tonto knew who his friend was and vice-versa. You could always count on them to pull each other out of trouble. We kids learned what loyalty meant from these two.

The premise of this show was that a Texas Ranger was wounded and all of his cohorts were killed, but an Indian named Tonto brought him back to health. The Lone Ranger had a silver mine where he made his bullets—his trademark—and between the two of them they rode out into the West and conquered Evil.

The Lone Ranger always shot the gun out of the Bad Guy's hand and seldom was there ever any blood. He wore a mask so that no one would know that his true identity was Clayton Moore (born Jack Carlton Moore), but somehow Tonto didn't care, for everybody knew that he was Jay Silverheels, A REAL LIVE INDIAN!!! I loved him. He was so loyal and honest. Jay Silverheels was actually born Harold J. Smith, the son of a Mohawk Indian chief. (royalty!)

Both Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels practiced in real life the kind of honesty and integrity that they portrayed on the screen and their private lives were never tarnished by the kinds of scandals that we seem to expect from Hollywood types. When we were kids we had real heroes. Kids these days would do well to learn from Roy and Dale, Hopalong Cassidy and The Lone Ranger and Tonto.

Can you believe it? My wife and I have eaten in restaurants and asked the waiter, "Have you ever heard of The Lone Ranger?" "Nope." What's this world coming to? He also hadn't heard of Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy, Dale Evans or Gene Autry!

The Credo of The Lone Ranger

What were the guidelines or rules that the Lone Ranger followed?

Besides the creed of the Lone Ranger written by Fran Striker, there was also a code of behavior for the Lone Ranger and Tonto that was set forth by Trendel and Striker in the writers' guide for Lone Ranger stories. This code was strictly followed on the Lone Ranger radio show and later for the television show and subsequent movies that were made. They are as follows:

1.)			The Lone Ranger never smokes, never uses profanity, and never uses intoxicating beverages.
2.)			The Lone Ranger is a man who can fight great odds, yet takes time to treat a bird with a broken wing.
3.)			The Lone Ranger believes that our sacred American heritage provides that every individual has the right to worship God as he desires.
4.)			Play down gambling and drinking scenes as far as possible, and keep the Lone Ranger out of saloons. When this cannot be avoided, try to make the saloon a cafe and deal with waiters and food instead of bartenders and liquor.
5.)			The Lone Ranger at all times uses precise speech, without slang or dialect. His grammar must be pure. He must make proper use of "who" and "whom", "shall". and "will", "I" and "me", etc.
6.)			The Lone Ranger never shoots to kill. When he has to use guns, The Lone Ranger never shoots to kill, but rather only to disarm his opponent as painlessly as possible.

In addition to this code of behavior there was also a set of guidelines that each episode had to follow to ensure that the integrity of the show wasn't comprimised:

1.)			The Lone Ranger is never seen without his mask or a disguise.
2.)			With emphasis on logic, The Lone Ranger is never captured or held for any length of time by lawmen, avoiding his being unmasked.
3.)			Logically, too, The Lone Ranger never wins against hopeless odds; i.e., he is never seen escaping from a barrage of bullets merely by riding into the horizon.
4.)			Even though The Lone Ranger offers his aid to individuals or small groups, the ultimate objective of his story is to imply that their benefit is only a by-product of a greater achievement -- the development of the West or our Country. His adversaries are usually groups whose power is such that large areas are at stake.
5.)			All adversaries are American to avoid criticism from minority groups.
6.)			Names of unsympathetic characters are carefully chosen, avoiding the use of two names as much as possible to avoid even further vicarious association. More often than not, a single nickname is selected.

NICHOLS GUNS
(in Uncle Talley's order)

CLICK ON ABOVE PHOTO TO HEAR ORIGINAL
WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE THEME
AND INTRO FROM TV SHOW
(BE PATIENT ~ 1.2 Mbytes)

As they rode off at the end, (of course not seeking any credit or glory), the people whom they had helped always asked, "Who was that masked man?" And the answer: "Why that was The Lone Ranger!" How can you beat that? Well, one way would be to have more Cap Guns from which to choose. There just aren't many.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that The Lone Ranger's horse was "Silver," the most beautiful Andalusian Stallion that ever lived. Tonto's horse was "Scout."

So..."Return with us now to the thrilling days of yesteryear.........The Lone Ranger Rides Again!" And, of course, every kid grew up knowing The William Tell Overture, by Rossini.

Here is a rather rare set from 1942. An offering by the M.A. Henry Company. I hadn't ever seen one before.

Photo by Scott McCollum of Cap Gun Treasures.

From Esquire Novelty. The Lone Ranger Official Outfit. Very hard to find, especially in this condition, this set includes a belt with classic early Lone Ranger images.

Photo by Toby Altfeld.




	Lone Ranger Miniature Western Gun Display







	This Tonto Outfit was marketed by Esquire Novelty Company, but the Cap Gun in the set is from Stevens. I don't know if it came that way, but I'm glad to get it, for there just aren't enough Tonto things to be had Photos Thanks To Dave Klahn of The Ten Gallon Hat.

Here are a couple of wonderful Lone Ranger sets from our buddy Bob DeFeis (see his collection!). You might notice that the grips of the set on the left have the African theme, which is why I put them here. The ones on the right are plain white. Hey...what about Tonto? Without him the Lone Ranger would have died many times over!

I know they don't really have anything to do with Cap Guns, but hey, I make the rules! Anyway, what we have here is a set of Lone Ranger pens that resemble rifle bullets. And then a Lone Ranger billfold in the box. Then a badge. (like he really needed one)

These photos by Jim's Vintage Toys.

These photos by Michael Trotochaud, a BIG Lone Ranger fan.




	The Ultra Rare Hubley Lone Ranger



				This Cap Gun is so doggone rare that it may as well not even exist. Some people would easily believe that it doesn't. But it does. Which is bound to lead to just a tad of controversy. In Schleyer's Backyard Buckaroos, he says that it is a cast-iron gun from around 1940 and may be a factory prototype. But it is quite rare and costs more than most real pistols. Photos by Jamie Linford Cap Gun from Tom Winge











	Be Sure To Click On The Thumbnails!

I haven't a clue as to who made this clock. Maybe Tonto? But it looks like a square-off version of an Actoy gun, but it isn't. Anyway, it's a rather rare item.

This photo by Jim's Vintage Toys.

The Lone Ranger Cap Gun by Actoy

Lone Ranger Cap Guns being hard to find should probably be taken when you can find them in good condition.

The guns presented here by Paul Barbour are in EXCELLENT condition and are moderately rare.

Please Click On Each Thumbnail For An Enlarged View!

All of the above photos thanks to Paul Barbour

Lone Ranger Double Holster Set w/ Actoy Cap Guns Photos below by Scott McCollum

Here is a nice photo of the same model gun, but this one was taken by Charlie Barnett. Notice that this is the copper flavored version. Nice photo, huh?

This is the same pair of Actoy Cap Guns, but with a really fancy holster and a BOX!!!
CLICK ON ABOVE PHOTO TO SEE 3 LONE RANGER BOXES.

Thanks to Dave Klahn

Here is a nice set of these Actoy Cap Guns with a double holster set. The holster set is more rare and has the words, "The Lone Ranger" stamped where the two join together with a buckle.

Thanks to David Denton.

This is about as rare as it gets. It is a prototype apparently, direct from the Marx factory. That's a magnificent eagle on the grip, huh? I wish I had every view of this particular toy pistol, but I'll take what I can get. The tag is signed by the designer and you're not likely to ever see another one of these. On this website, if something was done at the factory or on orders by the factory, then we consider it "legitimate." Period.

Photo by Belinda Quan from the Chuck Quinn collection.



	This Lone Ranger Rifle was a Mattel Shootin' Shell Rifle! That is, it actually shot little plastic pellets that were similar to the Nichols-style pellets that were used in the Derringer, Stallion Model 61, Buccaneer and Detective. This rifle is 26" long and it has a metallic sticker on the right side of the stock. This is a rare model and makes a mighty nice prize for the owner. All photos thanks to Frank from Absecon, New Jersey!

Here is one of Louis Marx's Lone Ranger Target Games.

And another one.

Thanks to Jack Rosenthal












	Photos thanks to Jim Manning One of our advertisers




	Tonto Outfit







	This Tonto Outfit was marketed by Esquire Novelty Company, but the Cap Gun in the set is from Stevens. I don't know if it came that way, but I'm glad to get it, for there just aren't enough Tonto things to be had Photos Thanks To Ed Manes.

This Lone Ranger "Suitcase Set" was distributed by the Esquire Novelty Company and was supplied with Hubley Texan Juniors. The holster wasn't made out of real leather, but was made out of Neolite that was a product of the Goodyear company. I remember when I was a kid and once got shoes with the heels made out of real leather and I could hardly walk because they slipped on the pavement so easily, so the next time I specified Neolite, as it had a "grip." This is probably a pretty rare set.

Photos Thanks To Ed Manes.




	Esquire and Hubley Texan Jr. Set







	This nice set was put together by Esquire (which is Actoy's distribution company) and had Texan Jr. Cap Guns. One can see an ad for this set in the 1950 Montgomery Ward Christmas catalog. The set is mint with a mint box Photos Thanks To Don Raker




	Kilgore Lone Ranger Cap Guns







	Aren't these beauties? These were made by Kilgore. There are a lot less Lone Ranger Cap Guns than you might imagine! Just try and find some. You probably have about 10 people who want one for every person who has one. This Cap Gun looks a little like a Smith and Wesson .44 Magnum I think, just not as hefty. Thanks to David Denton.

Check out this EXTREMELY RARE gun from Chuck's almost inexhaustible collection. This Cap Gun is so doggone rare that it almost doesn't exist. It has unusual lettering saying, "LONE RANGER" and an unusually large safety lever on the side.

Thanks to Belinda Quan from Chuck Quinn's collection.

This is a box that you almost never see from Kilgore.

Thanks to David Denton.

A couple of nice posters of our heroes!
Thanks to David Denton.

I am told that these are Marx Clicker Guns. But I think that somebody designed a clicker gun and then licensed it to everybody but the Russian Army and the Italians. The bottom one is rare with ivory celluloid insert grips w/red jewels. Rubies I guess.

Thanks to Belinda Quan for these photos from the collection of Chuck Quinn.




	The Lone Ranger Clicker Gun by Marx



				Now here is one of the most unusual Toy Guns that you will ever see. It is a Marx "clicker" gun. However, you will find it in Jim Schleyer's book "Western Toy Guns." This one was made in 1938. This clicker pistol is made from pressed steel, has a chrome cylinder & a bright red jewel on the right hand side.. Thanks Doug Hamilton!!!








	Please Click On Each Thumbnail For An Enlarged View! All photos thanks to Doug Hamilton




	The Marx Lone Ranger Click Rifle



				This rifle was Marx's smaller, 23-inch rifle carbine with Winchester-lever action. This was a clicker-style rifle with die-cast metal hammer. Its most prominent feature was the walnut-type plastic stock with a deeply molded, finely sculptured Indian chief's head and "The Lone Ranger" in gold lettering on the left side of the stock. The right side of the stock has a grizzly bear, also finely molded into the stock. It came with regular rifle barrels and checkering and engraving on the lock and forestock. This came in two patterns: Metallic silver barrels and factory black barrels—with and without a scope. Photos by Dwain Burkholder











	Be Sure To Click On The Thumbnails!

Even Lone Ranger coloring books were on the market.

Who was that masked man?