Week 5 Newswriting

Over the past few years I have noticed more than a few times a boy scooting around in a comical, but collectible form of transportation. After seeing it a few times I finally got to wondering what the thing that resembles a small 60s automobile was. I turned to the internet and found that the funky car/bike hybrid was a pedal car. A pedal car, which is sometimes referred to as a quadricycle, is a four-wheeled bike that usually resembles some sort of real-life car. Because of this, these old children's toys have become highly collectible.

The birth of pedal cars came in the 1890s when toy manufacturers started making small wooden chassis with either three or four wheels that were intended to be used by small children. Once the automobile market took off, toy manufacturers followed in hot pursuit producing pedal cars that were made of steel, and scale models of actual automobiles. Pedal cars were hugely popular in the early 1920s but experienced a dip in popularity in the 1930s due to the great depression. In the 1940s pedal cars became a thing of the past, and many became scrap metal in a donation to the war effort. In the 1950s pedal cars experienced a resurgence, and once again became not only extremely popular to America's youth, but also much more accessible than they once were. This boom in popularity led to the production of even more styles of cars including models that resembled planes, trucks, motorcycles, trains, and military vehicles. By the 1970s pedal cars lost popularity and collectability. This was largely because steel pedal cars had been completely replaced with plastic. The workmanship and aesthetic of the original pedal cars were lost, and the prime era of this toy came to an end. 

Today you can still find these toys from the 20s, 30s, 50, and 60s, at toy, and auto auctions. Because the craftsmanship, effort, and design of these toys were so good, they have become highly collectible. According to http://www.pedalcarplanet.com, some of the most collectible cars go for more than 2,000 dollars at auction. Examples include the 1922 Model T Ford ($2800.00), the 1930 Sad Faced Fire Engine ($2400.00), the 1942 Shark Attack Plane ($2100.00), and the 1960 Giordani Racer ($4000.00).

Pedal cars also have international appeal to collectors. In European countries, pedal cars that resembled famous sports cars such as the Jaguar E-Type, a Ferrari (no specified model), and a Bugatti Z Type were produced but were much less popular and accessible. according to https://www.autocar.co.uk, these models are some of the most sought-after by collectors with some exceeding over $10,000. 

To conclude, many things in this world have a rich history that you may not know about. In my experience, I found that the subject of pedal cars, something I knew nothing about, has a unique history and strong community to this day.