Figure toy with rapidly extensible tongue

Claim 1

A toy creature having a rapidly extensible simulated tongue comprising: a tubular member having substantially open opposite ends; a manually compressible resilient pneumatic bulb in air-flow communication with one end of said tubular member; a generally hollow, creature-simulating body having a mouth opening and a rearward opening spaced therefrom, said tubular member and said bulb being mounted within said body with said bulb protruding from said rearward opening and with the other end of said tubular member aligned with said mouth opening; and an elongated piston member having a piston head element adjacent one end and a tongue-simulating portion at the other end thereof, said piston member being slidably retained within said tubular member for movement between a retracted position, with said piston head element adjacent said one end of said tubular member and with said tongue-simulating portion lying generally inwardly of said mouth opening, and an extended position with said heat element adjacent said other end of said tubular member and said tongue-simulating portion extended through said mouth opening and lying substantially outwardly of said body, said piston head element and the passage through said tubular member being of substantially the same cross section, so that air forced into said tubular member by compression of said bulb and acting upon said head element will be effective to shift said piston member from said retracted position to said extended position, and thereby to thrust said tongue-simulating portion outwardly.