The Big Wheel - Flash Back Friday

 File this under “Events I Must Cover for Toy Whimsy”.  Seriously, I *Must* go to San Francisco for Easter next year.  Did you know that they have an annual event called B.Y.O.B.W. (Bring Your Own Big Wheel)?  That’s right people, down the curvy streets of San Fran, adults ride big wheels in an all-out race to the death finish.  Check it out:

Tell me that dosen’t look like fun. If you want to see more about B.Y.O.B.W. there is more info here, and a pretty swell Flikr set of photos here.  And, since you have already missed the race in San Fran this year, don’t worry, there is another one in Tulsa in June that raises money to fight cancer.  There is more info on the Tulsa race here.

For some history on the Big Wheel, we turn to Wikipedia:

A Big Wheel is a type of tricycle, usually made of plastic, with an oversized front wheel, that rides very low to the ground. Introduced by Louis Marx and Company in 1969, the Big Wheel was a very popular toy in the 1970s in the United States, partly because of its low cost and partly because consumer groups said it was a safer alternative to the traditional tricycle or bicycle.
The design was quickly imitated, under a variety of brand names. Although Big Wheel was a registered trademark, it was frequently used as a generic name for any toy whose design resembled that of Marx. Marx sold the Big Wheel brand name and molds in the early 1970s to Empire Plastics, makers of the Power Cycle brand, which was Marx’s biggest competitor.
By the late 1990s, few manufacturers were making these toys, and Empire filed for bankruptcy in 2001. The Big Wheel brand was reintroduced under new ownership in 2003.

Here’s an early 1970’s commercial:

When I was a kid, we had a blacktop driveway and I can still remember how black bottoms of my feet would get in the summer and the feeling of my bare feet on my big wheel pedals.  It was such a great toys and I wish I still had it today. And of course, that kind of nostalgia leads me to want one for my two kids.  Here are a few that I found:

• Big Wheels - 16 inch The Original
  
• Princess 16-inch Big Wheel
• BIG Mighty Wheels Motorcycle Chopper Ride on
• Radio Flyer Big Flyer
• Huffy Green Machine 2

 

Enjoy your weekend! 

–Laura McMullan