Flyswatter

The Flyswatter is a reference to the sharpened log used by the Marshalls which they employ to repel Grumpy during his unwelcome visits to their quarters at High Bluff. It has never been used on any dinosaur other than Grumpy, as he is the only dinosaur who purposely seeks out the Marshalls in their home and annoys them in his search for sustenance. It appears to be around ten feet long and eight inches in diameter (which would make it weigh in excess of 130 pounds, assuming that the wood used is similar to the conifers that existed even during earth's prehistoric past). The nickname is obviously intentional irony, as if a fully-grown Tyrannosaurus rex were a mere nuisance, like a buzzing insect, rather than the territorial apex predator that it is.
The Marshalls have developed a set routine to defend their home from Grumpy. Whenever he appears at the Marshalls' home, his head appearing outside the cave entrance, the Marshalls pick up the Flyswatter, wait for Grumpy to open his mouth (which he inevitably does to roar at them) and then charge at Grumpy with the Flyswatter as if it were a medieval battering ram, allowing the trajectory of the log continue forward into Grumpy's mouth, lodging it into the back of his gullet.
Suddenly in danger of choking, Grumpy invariably retreats to the jungle while struggling to dislodge the log. He eventually manages to remove it with the use of surrounding foliage, usually within a minute or two. Grumpy then wanders off, apparently having lost interest in the Marshalls for the moment. It is unknown if the Marshalls later retrieve the log or just keep replacing it. It also unknown if the recurring choking hazard has had any long-lasting effects or damage on Grumpy's soft gullet.
Not being an intelligent animal, Grumpy never seems to learn from this experience, as this scenario is often played out repeatedly throughout the Marshalls' time in the Land of the Lost. However, he did once retreat from the Marshalls' home as they prepared to employ the Flyswatter. Rick Marshall attributed this reaction to Grumpy remembering his previous experience. However, if this were the case, Grumpy did not retain the lesson as the Marshalls were required to use it several times afterward until the destruction of High Bluff.
In every instance of the Flyswatter's use, at least two of the Marshalls were employed to administer it. In its first recorded use, during the Marshalls' first encounter with the Pakuni, it was used by Rick and Holly Marshall, as Will was outside the cave at the time. In subsequent incidents, it has been employed by all three of the Marshalls. 
On one occasion, Holly Marshall was trapped by Grumpy in the cave alone while Will was outside the cave and their father elsewhere. Will suggested that Holly use the Flyswatter, but Holly responded that she could not lift it by herself, much less administer it. Instead, she resorted to using a red and yellow crystal combination, and the resulting flash caused Grumpy to stumble away, momentarily blinded.
There has been no instance of either Rick or Will attempting to use the Flyswatter alone. It would likely be quite dangerous for a single person to attempt it. Even if one person had sufficient strength to carry it while charging at Grumpy, they would face the added challenge of keeping it pointed at its intended target and likely would have needed to come precariously close to Grumpy in order to launch it down his throat.
On another occasion, Rick Marshall suggested using "the ol' flyswatter trick on Emily" at the tar pits, but this technique was quite dissimilar with the flyswatter method the Marshalls used on Grumpy, nor was there any intention to injure Emily. Instead, this plan involved waving lighted torches at Emily, causing her to instinctively back away from the flames. 
After the devastation to the Land of the Lost, the cave entrance at High Bluff became permanently blocked by an avalanche, and Holly and Will with their Uncle Jack (who had joined them following the disappearance of their father) retreated to establish a new home at The Lost Temple. Since it was located at ground level rather than at the height of Grumpy's head, the Marshalls were no longer under the threat of Grumpy outside the entrance to their home. Hence, they no longer required the Flyswatter, having left it behind at High Bluff. Unfortunately, with their new proximity to the Lost City, they now fell victim to the threat of the Sleestak, having lost the distance they once had at High Bluff.
==Episode(s)==
* Cha-Ka (episode)
* Dopey (episode)
* The Hole (mentioned, but not used)
* Tar Pit
Category:Technology