The Story of Daisy BB Guns: 10 Things to Know

1. Daisy Didn’t Start With BB Guns

Daisy Manufacturing Company didn’t start out making air guns. It didn’t even start as Daisy Manufacturing. It was the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company, based in Plymouth, Michigan, in the 1880s.

2. From Windmills to Air Guns

Clarence Hamilton, the inventor behind the windmill company and its vane-less windmill, came up with an all-metal air gun design in 1888. General Manager Lewis Cass Hough test fired the gun and allegedly called it “a daisy,” a colloquialism of the time. Windmill sales were down, and the business was on the verge of closing. The company decided to build the gun and give it as a gift to farmers who purchased a windmill. By 1895, the rifle's popularity was such that the company began producing air guns exclusively and changed its name to Daisy Manufacturing Company.

3. Smart Trades During Hard Times

The Great Depression hit families hard, but Daisy found a way to keep kids engaged. The company offered a deal to trade in an old BB gun for a newer model. Many of the returned guns were in rough shape. A surprising number, however, were in remarkably good condition and now make up much of the antique collection on display in the Daisy Airgun Museum.

4. Cowboys and Space Pilots 

In the 1930s, Daisy leaned into pop culture to keep kids and parents interested. Daisy inked promotional deals with cowboy circus performer Buzz Barton and movie actor Buck Jones. Then came Buck Rogers. In 1933, Daisy released the Buck Rogers Rocket Pistol. The Disintegrator Pistol followed in 1934, and the Liquid Helium Pistol in 1935. Each outsold the last. These early examples of character merchandising helped shape modern toy marketing and are featured at the museum.

5. Red Ryder Changes Everything

In 1940, Daisy released what would become the most famous BB gun in the world, the Red Ryder, modeled after the comic strip cowboy. Production paused during World War II as the factory shifted to war contracts, but the Red Ryder returned in late 1945. By 1949, Daisy had sold more than a million Red Ryders in a single year, a sales figure unheard of at the time. A special display of Red Ryder BB guns at the museum traces the model’s evolution over the years.

6. Daisy Comes to Arkansas

Daisy entered Arkansas’ history in 1958 when it moved from its antiquated factory to the small town of Rogers. The relocation represented the first major industrial investment in this mostly rural region. Today, Northwest Arkansas is home to major corporate offices, such as Walmart and Tyson Foods.

7. A Christmas Story

The Red Ryder catapulted to popularity again in 1983 when “A Christmas Story” hit the movie screens. The movie, about a young boy named Ralphie Parker who wants a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas despite repeated warnings of “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid,” was an instant box office hit. It is now a cult classic, easy to catch on television from Thanksgiving through Christmas each year.

8. Daisy Airgun Museum Opens

When the company sold its Rogers plant in 1999, its impressive air gun collection needed a new home, and it found one in downtown Rogers. Today, the museum is located in the brick-paved historic district, in a building that dates to 1896. More than 1,700 Daisy fans and collectors visit each year. In addition to air guns dating from the 1600s to the present day, you can see Daisy-stamped golf balls that went to the moon and a leg lamp like the one in “A Christmas Story.” The gift shop sells new Daisy products and barrels of BBs by the scoop.

9. Anniversaries in Arkansas

Daisy relocated its entire operation back to Rogers in 2007 and celebrated 50 years in Arkansas in 2008. In 2015, the company marked 75 years of the Red Ryder with a special edition BB gun. Assembled in Rogers from domestic and imported parts, it featured a hardwood stock and forearm engraved with the anniversary logo, a metal cocking lever, gold-tone accents, and vintage-style packaging. Like the original, it wasn’t just built to shoot; it was built to last. 

10. World’s Largest Daisy BB Gun

In 2021, Daisy Airgun Museum became home to the World’s Largest Daisy BB Gun. It leans against the outside of the museum, its stock weighted with 500 pounds (684,000 in quantity) of Daisy BBs. On both sides of the forearm of the 25-foot-tall gun are the words, “At Home in Rogers Since 1958.”  The left side of the stock bears the Red Ryder logo as it appeared in 1940, while the right side features the modern logo.  

The Daisy Airgun Museum is open year-round and offers a unique look at American manufacturing, youth culture and product design.

Daisy Manufacturing Company continues to lead the air gun category with tried-and-true models like the popular Red Ryder, as well as innovative new high-power PowerLine air rifles and air pistols, and a line of Avanti air rifles and pistols for training and match competition. It also licenses the Winchester name and creates a line of Winchester air rifles and pistols. Daisy continues to manufacture models that honor its roots while meeting modern safety and quality standards.