Sparking toy vehicle and launcher therefor

A toy comprising:

• a vehicle;
• a rotatable sparking mechanism mounted in said vehicle, said sparking mechanism including a drive gear for rotation thereof;
• and
• a launching assembly comprising a launching surface for receiving said vehicle thereon, a gear train including a first gear extending upwardly through an aperture in said launching surface, said drive gear of said sparking mechanism intermeshing with said first gear when said vehicle is received on said launching surface, said gear train further including an actuator gear mounted on a shaft and a transfer gear intermediate said actuator gear and said first gear, said launching assembly further comprising a plunger mounted for engagement with the rear end of said vehicle when said vehicle is received on said launching surface, and spring means for biasing said plunger to a normally extended position, said launching assembly still further comprising a lever fixedly mounted on said actuator gear shaft for rotating said gear train wherein pivoting of said lever rotates said actuator gear thereby causing rotation of said sparking mechanism and generation of sparks therefrom, said launching assembly further comprising a cam fixedly mounted on said shaft for engagement with a flange of said plunger, said cam engaging and withdrawing said plunger for a predetermined rotation of said shaft and then disengaging said flange to release said plunger at the end of said predetermined rotation.