National Museum of Play Online Collections

Sports Crest Battalion Fire Engine

pedal car | fire truck

ca. 1962

It would surprise no observer of American culture, that the introduction of the automobile at the turn of the 20th century and Americans' reliance on it ever since has propagated all manner of car-related toys. Almost as soon as the car first shared roadways with the horse and buggy, pedal cars for children shared urban and suburban sidewalks with pedestrians, bikes, scooters, and other modes of kid transport. And, just as adult cars became a symbol of status and personal wealth for adults, the pedal car became the biggest, showiest, most desirable vehicle of kids of a certain age. Pedal cars reached their greatest popularity in the 1940s and 1950s when cars of heavy steel cluttered the suburban sidewalks. Pedal cars have enjoyed a revival in popularity in recent years, just when the Baby Boomer generation began purchasing these nostalgic reminders of childhood joy for their own grandchildren.

All artifact images, interpretive information, and website text
© The Strong.