Cleaning the Car Jigsaw Puzzle



Cleaning the Car Item #952



Hi Puzzlers,

Do you have a nighttime-family-routine?  Many families across the country do and my family is no exception.  Honestly, I like the routine.   Our nightly routine begins with dinner at 7:00 PM.  We sit in the same spot every night, just like I did in my family when I was young.  After dinner everyone helps with the clean up, than it is off to the living room for some puzzling and family television.  One of our favorite television channels is the History Channel; its programs are entertaining and educational. 

This week we found ourselves engrossed with two shows, Pawn Stars and American Restoration; coincidently, both shows were featuring segments on pedal cars.  Instantly, I remembered my younger brother in his red, Austin J40, and the pains of jealousy I felt. Being five years older than him made me too old and too big to have one of my own.  But I didn’t care, I still wanted one.  Luckily I grew out of this faze and moved on to wanting a jet pack!  Just for the record, I didn’t get one of those either. Oh, Poor Me!!! Seeing those old metal pedal cars brought back all the emotions from my childhood.  Talk about emotional attachment, I guess that’s why so many people collect them.

Pedal cars started rolling of the production lines in the 1890’s right after Henry Ford manufactured the first Model T.  Each car was made from molded steel to form a pint size replica of a real car.  These little buggers, like the real ones, were extremely expensive and only the very wealthy could afford them.  Pedal cars popularity peaked in the late 1920’s and early 1930’s.  Pedal cars of this time came in a variety of models, colors and features. Many were even molded into different vehicles including trains, planes, tractors and trucks.  During World War II no pedal cars were produced because all available metals were being used to help the war effort.

The post war era of the 1950’s saw resurgence in pedal cars popularity.  As prosperity spread through the country more and more families could afford real cars and the little replicas for the kids.  Pedal cars built towards the end of the1950’s were different from the earlier models, the newer version were now chain-driven.

The demise of the pedal cars began in the late 1960’s with the introduction of new safety standards and the increasing popularity of plastic.  By 1970 the pedal car had been replaced by plastic cars that were fashioned after cartoons.

I actually bought my nephew one of these plastic versions, it certainly did not compare to my brother’s beautifully metal car.  Some things can’t be replaced, like the feelings so many people got from those little cars.  And Santa, I’m still waiting on my jet-pack.

Happy Puzzling!