GOING, GOING, GONE: PEDAL CARS

(Source of images: Florida State Archives)

TOP PICTURE -- Small fry take a break from their playing on Pearl Street, either downtown or in Springfield. They enjoy several tricycles and a couple of pedal cars.  The picture might date from the 1920s. 

MIDDLE PHOTO -- Most likely snapped during the Thirties, this picture depicts two unidentified Jax boys and their fancy kiddie car.

BOTTOM IMAGE -- Here's the happy son, Jep Jr., of Jeptha and Ida May Harrison.  Jep's father was a clerk at the Groover-Stewart Drug Company in Jacksonville.  The picture was probably taken in 1927 or 1928.  In the earlier year, the Harrison family lived at 56 East 9th Street, near the well-known Klutho Apartments in Springfield.  A year later, they resided at 1625 Boulevard, close to Springfield's Confederate and Klutho parks.  During World War II, Jep, Jr., was shot down over the Pacific by the Japanese, according to the Florida State Archives.  Jep did survive, though, living until the age of 63.  He passed away in 1989, a year after his father's death.  The old Groover-Stewart factory, built in 1925, still stands at the southeast corner of Market and Forsyth, a block east of the Florida Theater.  CLICK HERE for a photo of Jep, Jr., as a young man.

"CHUGGIN' AWAY"-- It seems that all little kids used to want to tool around in pedal cars.  And the "Little Rascals" proved no exception!  In a beloved episode from 1934, "Our Gang" grew green with envy when a rich brat moved into their neighborhood and wouldn't share his sleek, new pedal fire truck.  So the rascals built their own fire engine -- But you can imagine how preposterous it looked!  Believe it or not, pedal car enthusiasts actually have a name for this type of vehicle: It's called a "chug," a usually homemade contraption powered by paddling your feet like the Flintstones.  The Little Rascals used their chug to give the spoiled sport got his comeuppance.  His factory-made fire truck lost its great race against the ramshackle rival -- yet at the cost of both vehicles and the neighborhood's sanity. 

In some respects, this slapstick wasn't too far off track.  Before World War II, a store-bought pedal car was indeed a plaything for well-heeled youngsters.  These big-ticket toys proved too expensive for most young drivers.  Consequently, many kiddie car makers went bankrupted or began to assemble other products. 

After WWII ended in 1945, production of pedal cars geared up, and moderately priced vehicles popped up in hardware and department stores.  During the flush times of the Fifties, brand-new automobiles appeared in many driveways.  Likewise, children of the baby boom generation received pedal cars as their first set of wheels.  Take a look at the 1954 Sears catalog.  You could have bought a a pedal-and-rod-driven Champion sports car for $11.98 (or about $77 in today's money).

FOR YOUR PEDALING PLEASURE -- Yes, there's been something for everyone: Over time, you could have pedaled away in trucks, tractors, boats, tanks, bulldozers, armored cars, race cars, planes, trains, and even an atomic missile.  One law enforcement vehicle came with “FBI” emblazoned on it, while many other cars were inscribed with “G Man.” A “Kidillac” resembled a Cadillac.  According to the 1954 Sears catalog, this chain-driven vehicle featured battery-powered head- and taillights and sold for $36.95 ($236 in current currency).  Indeed, some pedal cars did prove extravagant.  A toy vehicle from 1948 boasted whitewall tires, leather seats, rubber-cushioned bumpers, working headlights, a real glass windshield, and a toy tool kit in the trunk.  The Little Rascals would've been in ecstasy!

Pint-size cars run back to the beginnings of the automobile itself.  In the 1890s, the first adult cars were built from scratch with parts found around barns.  And so likewise for kiddie vehicles.  But just as real autos became items for the rich, so did pedal cars.  Sheet steel covered the toy's wood frame, and the trim included full-size carriage lights, starting cranks, and license plates.  Toymakers produced moppet versions of adult counterparts. 

Kiddie cars were primarily custom made until about 1932, when mass production became the norm for them.  The pedal vehicles of the Thirties proved larger and heavier, with chrome hubcaps and prominent hood ornaments.  Pedal cars tended to resemble the luxury autos of that era.  After World War II, though, the all-metal vehicles looked more like the station wagons, sedans, T-Birds, and trucks that everyday families owned. 

END OF THE ROAD -- Pedal cars ran a good race until they went head to head with new plastic competitors that cost less.  These included Mattel's Big Wheel and Rubbermaid’s incredibly durable Little Tikes Cozy Coupe.  By the 1970s & '80s, manufacturers ceased production of most pedal cars. 

There have been other rivals for the hearts & wallets of little boys.  The website manager of JacksonvilleStory.com has a six-year-old nephew who owns a battery operated Jeep.  This vehicle can comfortably seat two youngsters (or one website manager).  If a kiddie driver got into a pedal car today, he would probably look for a starter button to push!

You may still be able to purchase an old pedal vehicle, but get your credit cards ready:  Some Depression-era cars go for $10,000 or more.  In fact, auction prices for extremely rare models have reached $77,000.  Unfortunately, not many pedal vehicles from the Thirties are left due to metal recycling during World War II.  The pretend cars ended up on European battlefields and in Pacific battleships.
  

  THANK YOU...  

       FOR VISITING THE JACKSONVILLE STORY,

        YOUR TIME MACHINE TO THE PAST