These Shootin' Shells were powered by Greenie Stickum Caps, little green gummed circlets of gunpowder which you secured to the base of each shell. Although the power was insufficient to burst a balloon, it was more than a match for the grizzlies, mountain lions, and other hostiles which lurked in the frontier behind the swingset or laid siege to our Fridgidaire-box fortresses. I carried two Fanner Fifties in a floral buscadero gunbelt secured with a silver buckle. The buckle sported a concealed single shot derringer. Shootin' Shell at the varmint who had somehow managed to get the drop on you.
Collectors eagerly pay five hundred for that rig today.
The really hot setup was a Fanner 50 that came with a swivel holster. This was years before James and Artemus put bombs in their sleeves and derringers in the heels of their boots. Swell stuff, indeed. In New Orleans, where I grew up, Mattel sponsored quickdraw competitions during afternoon kid shows. Little leatherslappers sporting their favorite cowboy gear squared off against a stopwatch for prizes.