About Western Flyer Toys

History

• Western Flyer toys were sold by Western Auto Supply Company through mail order catalogs and dealer stores. According to Pepperdine University, George Pepperdine started Western Auto Supply Company with $5. In 1909 it was just a mail order catalog company selling auto parts. The company would be bought by Gambles later and would grow to become a major retail chain.

Western Flyer Bikes

• By 1920 Pepperdine had 11 stores in cities from Seattle, Washington to Dallas, Texas. According to the Radio Museum, Pepperdine sold the company in 1939 and it was renamed as simply Western Auto.

  After World War II ended, Western Auto sold a popular line of Western Flyer bikes made by the Shelby and Cleveland Welding Company. The X53 Super and Silver Flyer, Silver Flyer and Galaxy Flyer were all popular models.

Western Flyer Trains

• Another toy found in the Western Auto Catalog was the Western Flyer battery operated toy train set. These were manufactured by the Marx Company. The train set was a true toy and not a collectible model because Louis Marx, the company owner, wanted to make toys for children to play with. He never made model trains at all.

  According to eBay Guides Marx manufactured similar toy trains for Western Auto, Firestone, Woolworths and Sears to sell through their Christmas catalogs.

Doodlebugs

• In 1946 the Beam Manufacturing Company of Webster City, Iowa manufactured a line of small gasoline powered scooters. They were all painted red and were sold through Western Auto and Gambles. At this time Gambles owned Western Auto and the same scooter was marketed under two different names. Gambles sold them as the Doodlebug while Western Auto listed them as a Western Flyer.

  According to the website Yesterday’s Rides Metalworks, only 40,000 of these were made between 1946 and 1948. Most had engines by Briggs and Stratton.

Western Auto Racing Toys

• In the early 1990s Western Auto sponsored cars in NASCAR and the NHRA racing events. A line of Western Auto race care models and toys was manufactured and sold by Corgi Toys.

  Darrell Waltrip’s Western Auto logo car and a Western Auto logo transport vehicle were sold in toy stores and big box retail outlets. As of 2010, an original mint Darrell Waltrip Western Auto car is valued at $329 according to racing collectible website Rebel Diecast.