A History of Toy Pedal Cars
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One of the most popular children’s toys throughout the decades has always been the pedal car. Pedal cars are replicas of automobiles and were hugely popular toys from the 1890s right through the 1970s and still to the modern day. They used to be operated with the use of foot pedals, much in the same way that bicycles are and gave children the feeling that they were driving a real car. Unfortunately these pedal cars are no longer sold today, having been replaced by their electric counterparts however they are still readily available on the collector’s market.
Pedal cars were first manufactured in the 1890s when they arrived hot on the heels of the first actual automobiles. At the time they were toys that were bought solely for children of more prosperous families simply due to their high price. This trend continued right through to the great depression and production became even more limited during world war 2 due to the fact that metal was needed to support the war effort.
Pedal cars started to experience a boost in popularity when the war ended in the 1950s and the country experienced an economic boom. Instead of being purely pedal powered, these new models were also chain-driven and were much more realistic due to the incorporation of features suchas headlights, a horn and even custom paint jobs. It was during this era that other types of pedal toys such as planes and trucks were introduced. Early models of pedal cars didnt have any safety standards to adhere to and as a result they didnt have any brakes (making them dangerous to play with on slopes) and were also painted with lead based paint.
During the 1960s, the exciting field of exploration captured the mind’s of the country’s youth and as a result interest in toy pedal cars started to wane slightly. At this time new safety standards were toys were starting to be introduced and this had the knock on effect of making these toys less cost-effective to manufacture. By the time the 1970s arrived, plastic pedal toys had made the pedal car as we knew it virtually obsolete.
As a result of all this, pedal cars have now become something of a collector’s item. There are many auction sites and specialist toy retailers that still offer classic pedal toy cars and many have remained in excellent condition because of the quality of the materials combined with the solid workmanship that went into their construction.
According to some classic toy specialists, one of the most popular toy pedal car models was the 1965 Ford Mustang, which was a first year replication of that classic Ford Vehicle. Other hugely popular models included the Ford Model T, police pedal cars, race cars and of course the fire engine. Depending on their condition, pedal cars can fetch a range of prices from under £150 to well over £300. There will always be a place in the heart of classic toy enthusiasts as they are a reminder of simpler times.
Dave Matthews is writing on behalf of MyTreasures, a classic pedal cars retailer.
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