Oh, Baby
The very cute Browning Baby had a lot going for it when it was introduced in 1931. Just 9-ounces, the pipsqueak gatt was reliable, made of steel, and could fit in a pocket, and allow 6+1 shots to the user.
On the downside, it was chambered in the downright lilliputian 6.35mm (.25ACP), which is still better than a poke it the eye, but not by much.
Nonetheless, it gained popularity over time. Prior to WWII some 50,147 of these guns were produced by FN in the decade before the assembly line was interrupted by the Germans– and in return, some of those early guns made it to the hands of the Resistance, where their size came in handy
Then, after the U.S. market opened up and the guns were sold there via the Browning Arms Company in 1954, the gun really caught on, with over 13,000 shipping to the states that year alone. By 1968, production had ramped up to more than 42,000 Babies per year.
Then came the Gun Control Act of 1968, and the wheels fell off.