Concept 2: Parachute Popper
This concept combines the rubber hemisphere popping toy that you depress and then wait for to restore to its original shape, launching itself in to the air with the platsic parachute army men.
The child would play with this toy similarly to the original popper, however it would have a parachute resting in the top of the popper. When the rubber returns to its original shape and launches itself in to the air, the parachute is also deployed and the toy floats to the ground rather than falling.
The popper itself would be made out of a stiff, durable rubber that can be deformed, but that returns to its original shape. The parachute would have to be made out of a plastic so that it can survive many uses, and attached to the popper with a thick thread. The child would have to be older than three or four years old to understand not to swallow the pieces because they would likely be on the edge of safe size.