https://www.sandboxx.us/news/did-mattel-really-create-an-m16-or-is-this-a-great-urban-legend/
Did Mattel really create an M16 or is this a great urban legend?
One urban legend that continues to persist – even since the days of Vietnam – in the world of military firearms is that the toy company Mattel produced some early versions of the M16 assault rifle for the United States military. Whether Mattel had anything to do with the rifle, in any capacity, is questionable – and is made more questionable by the advent of the internet and Photoshop. Today, we’ll dig into the urban legend and examine any connection between Mattel and the M16.
These rumors have been spreading ever since the M16 entered service. The M16 was the first general infantry rifle to make heavy use of polymers in its furniture to reduce weight and bulk. The handguard, grip, and stock were all made of polymer and certainly had a toy-like quality about them.
So, it wasn’t long before rumors started that the M16 was produced by Mattel under contract with the US Army. However, this ignores the fact that Colt had the contract for the M16, and every M16 was stamped with Colt. Further, it’s easy to debunk the myth that Mattel made the M16 because the company never had a license to produce machine guns, which the M16 is classified as.
The other rumor is that Mattel made the furniture for the M16 as a contractor for Colt. The rumor states that Mattel produced the handguard, stock, or even the grips. Reportedly, Rock Island Armory, a very respected firearm auction house, once claimed, in a catalog, to be selling an M16 with a Mattel-made stock. However, it’s not clear if the catalog is real, and if real, the information on the catalog page is incorrect, as it states that the weapon is listed in the Book of Colt Firearms by serial number, but it is not.
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