Posted 9 years ago
Carp
(1 item)
The green Jeep pedal car shown in the two photos has been in our family since it was new in the late 1940's. All original, except for a re-welded steering wheel. It was manufactured in Arizona, I believe near Phoenix, and sent to us back in Illinois by our uncle (between 1947-49) who had moved to AZ after the War. It was made extra strong with heavier than normal gauge steel. Practically indestructible, although the front bumper was bent to a new shape by a few elm trees in the 1950's. I've been unsuccessful at finding which company made it.
The red Jeep shown here (posted on this site 4 years ago by another member) is the only other one I've ever seen that appears to have been made by the same company. The rear deck of the red one is different. My guess is the red model shown was made later than the khaki green.
Can anyone shed some light on the maker of these two survivors?
Coolest pedal car ever with great history!
What does the front bumper say on the green one? Sa....n (Saturn?) It is interesting that the bumper is perfectly curved, but the rest of the front isn't damaged at all - and the top of the hood is positioned farther out than the bumper. I think the bumper was made that way. There is no damage to the welds, and the grille is perfect fitted. If you were hitting trees, the entire front would be curved, no? The bumper on the red one is also curved, but less so. Cute kid!
Awesome pedal car!! Welcome to CW!!
YES, it does look like the one I had...that does confirm mine from from the late 1940s... Thanks again for your post.
The lettering on the front bumper has faded badly in spots but it once read USA- -S-245. I do have some family photos from the early '50's that show a much straighter front bumper. I'll try to locate them and post. Thanks for all input.
Taking shot on an old post but I am 99% sure I have the same jeep pedal car. It was my father’s and has stayed in the family. I’ve never seen or heard of another like this but these two are nearly identical and even more telling is ours still has the remnants of a sticker on the back for Allison Steel Mfg of Phoenix AZ. I found some old emails where I talked to a pedal car expert years ago and he was stumped by it as well. I knew it wasn’t any of the models built in the 50s as my father was born in 44 and got it as a gift when he was “4 or 5”. It’s rare to see such a heavy metal toy built post war but having been built by a steel manufacturer makes sense. You can also make out “Junior Jeep” which also doesn’t turn up anything. These must’ve been very low production and it’s amazing to see a few surviving still to this day.
Excited to come across JSmith550's recent post. Especially your mention of sticker remnants of Allison Steel Mfg, Phoenix AZ. Is your jeep painted an Army green? I weighed this one and it is 52.6 lbs. Much heavier metal than most post war pedal cars. I have come across some photos of an older brother driving it in 1946 or '47, so they must have went into production almost immediately after the war ended. It must have had a short production run. Yours is only the third I've found online. Could you possibly post a photo? This jeep has been enjoyed by three generations in northern Illinois. Never restored. Good patina. Now that our grandkids have all outgrown it I am thinking about selling. It looks a little lonely these days sitting out in the garage, unused.
Not sure what happened but my reply was deleted. I will send some pics to Carp.
My Jeep looks identical to the green one. I talked to a guy a few years ago who worked down the street from the Allison Steel company who restored pedal cars. Said he never knew they made pedal cars there. He had never seen one before so they are rare.