About Vintage Pedal Cars
Your hair looks just right, all your accessories are in just the right places, and your date is waiting. You are 6 years old and a brave soul as you scoot to your date's house and beep that Vintage Pedal Car horn. There, he or she comes out looking wonderful in his or her outfit, and you already know this night is perfect. Pedal cars were the power wheels of the 1900s and are now a hot item for toy collectors around the world. The body lines of a Vintage AMF pedal car brings baby boomers back to their roots. Each of these cars resemble older classic convertibles and sports car models and are from steel and aluminum alloys. The most notable designs are the fire truck and tractor models. Although vintage pedal car parts are hard to come by, there is a large inventory available on eBay. There are wheels, single axles, and pedal systems available. Take your date back home and wish them a good night as you roll down the sidewalk in your vintage pedal car.
Pedal cars are awesome! They are machines of beauty that puts smiles on children's faces! If your child has ever owned one you'll know exactly what I mean! But where did they come from? What is the history behind them? Well today your question will be answered!
The history of the cars goes way back to the 1890's, back then they were all the rage with pretty much everyone, and the kids loved them! But who wants to just look at their mother or father driving, kids wanted to drive themselves. Who came up with the idea for them, and who built the first pedal car? No one knows. It was most likely built in a shed or backyard, but what we do know is that most of these cars looked awesome!
These first pedal cars were based on real cars on the road back in the day, kids really were driving like their parents. Unfortunately though, like all cool toys they were very expensive and reserved for wealthy families. Children from families with less money would have ride on toys, usually not pedal powered.
Pedal cars became extremely popular in the 1920's and early 1930's, in a way they were the PlayStation of the day, however the second world war then came along, up to that point all were built of metal and with metal being needed for the war efforts no cars were produced.
When the war ended production started again, and in the 1950's most major toy stores would begin carrying them again. With the advancements in manufacturing they could now be built in many different styles and colors, and most importantly they became a lot cheaper.
Pedal cars moved along with the times and during the 1950's and 60's you would find that many looked like their real car counterparts. You could even find pedal cars with hood ornaments and working horns. Kid's loved them and they once again became extremely popular.
Over the years children would become more and more fascinated with other things such as planes, trains, space travel, and other things. Pedal cars would evolve and not only be cars but would also cater for the other fascinations that children would have.
Today the cars are the same but different. The cars may still look like their real world counterparts, but they have evolved as well. Now you can find them without pedals, instead they have electric motors, and unlike cars of yesteryear which were made of metal and designed to last decades cars today are mostly made of plastic making them more affordable, safer, but also made to last only 5-10 years rather than the metal cars designed to last decades, but what hasn't changed is how much children love these little machines and even today the smiles are shining as brightly as they were over a century ago.
Marcus McReynolds - Big kid!
I may be getting old but I am a big kid at heart who still loves pedal cars and helping parents find the right pedal car for their kids. Visit my store at Pedal Car Pros [http://www.pedalcarpros.com], and I'll be happy to help find the right car for your child.