Hobbies And Interests
Riding Horses
Companies such as Fisher-Price had flooded the children's toy market during the Depression with their popular wooden riding horse toys. Models such as the Dashing Dobbin were constructed out of solid wood planks, with wooden wheels and real rope bridles. As production became leaner during the war years, Fisher-Price opted to leave its standard riding horse unpainted, save for the horse's facial features and mane. The Dashing Dobbin featured colorful paper lithographs for livery, and both models were rated for an amazing 500-lb. load.
Pedal Cars
Riding on the wartime wave of futuristic new planes and tanks, the Murray company produced durable pedal cars such as the Steelcraft Chrysler and the Fire Chief. Kids could not only ride these cars, but they could also propel them through a set of pedals attached to the rear wheels via a simple drive train system. These child-powered machines could reach greater speeds than a standard riding toy, and they were built with distinctive style.
Riding Cars and Planes
Standard ride-on cars and planes were also popular in the early 1940s. The Marx toy company produced many variations on American and British fighter planes such as the Mustang and Spitfire. Murray also produced fixed-wheel, standard ride-on cars, typically made of pressed tin or aluminum siding with steel wheels, rubber tires and even working headlights on some of the higher end models.
Riding Trains
Trains had been in fashion during the Depression, and the manufacture of these riding toys carried over into the early 1940s. The Keystone Company created trains made of wood, with wooden wheels and metal brackets, axles and bells. They also produced a tin and aluminum version, compete with miniature rivets, rubber wheels and a working braking system.