Andrew Mulligan

Dr. Newcomb

ENG 170: Writing and Rhetoric

23 Feb. 2024

The Big Wheel

            The original Big Wheel is a mixed-up tricycle with one large front wheel, two normal rear wheels, riding smooth only a couple inches of clearance off the ground. Many people’s childhood memories have this iconic trike within them, mine included. Different variations have derived from this blank canvas of entertainment, due to simplistic factors. The Big Wheel handles like a race car, with the child behind it imagining themselves as the accompanying race-car driver. According to the Strong National Museum of Play: “built only a few inches above the pavement, The Big Wheel allowed high-speed skid-outs on slanted or uneven surfaces.” With its unique design and simplistic goals, the Big Wheel was an amazing outlet for kid’s imaginations, giving them creative independence as well as high speed mobility.

A huge factor in the Big Wheel’s credibility is its lifespan in the toy market. The Strong refers to the re-arranged tricycle as “outliving the company that first introduced it”. The history of this classic object is as important as the design of the toy itself. Introduced in the late sixties by Louis Marx & Co. it was an immediate success, so much so that when the company went out of business in 1985, the Big Wheel was adapted and picked up by multiple other companies, many of whom are still producing it to this day. Companies such as Gearbox Toys, and Razor USA benefit from selling this well-known toy today. With it being still produced in the present day, it still caries new generations of kids on low-cruising adventures.

Not only does the Big Wheel attract the younger children, developing their bike riding abilities, it has a knack for retaining youth’s attention as they grow older as well. The older side of children are still amused by the unnatural bike’s design accompanied by the thrill of a high-speed ride. Many different adaptations of the big wheel came with time, as well as new features. A core memory in my childhood was receiving a Big Wheel that could drift corners faster. This evolution of the toy’s design proves its relevancy in current times, being able to keep up with competition through decades in the market.

This hall of fame entry provided by The Strong highlights the importance of the Big Wheel, and how it’s beneficial to children who ride it. The high-speed thrill that children seek out whilst riding, has an extra benefit, unbeknownst to them. “Kids on Big Wheels sought out bumps, corners, and pavements where they could pick up speed.” (The Strong). This excerpt reveals that when riding a big wheel, children were attentive to their surroundings while behind the handles. This is a skill that will be crucial later in life, such as learning to ride a bicycle, or even learning to drive a car. The second aspect that the museum entry emphasizes is the freedom that the big wheel provides. “The Big Wheel also gave them mobility along with a measure of independence.” (Strong). When racing the trike, kids feel free to go fast and seek out bumps that they’re protected from via the molded plastic design of the Big Wheel. Kids can feel “grown up” by being able to race at higher speeds than they would on a normal tricycle.

In the news report from Click Americana, covering The Big Wheel and how it started to replace the original tricycle, we are able to see first-hand accounts from children about their experiences with the toy. Drawing a side-by-side comparison next to the standard tricycle design is a great way to highlight the drastic advantages of The Big Wheel. For example, it truly highlights what childhood can mean. ““I go fast down the driveway, and just before the street, I turn real fast and come right back up. And I don’t fall off.” (Click). This quote from a four-year-old girl named Lori Eming really highlights how The Big Wheel can define childhood. According to the toy, childhood is a time for adventure and adrenaline, all in a safe manner. Lori can feel the independent rush of riding down her hill, without having to worry about the danger of falling off a high bike seat. The appeal is so strong in our youth, wanting to go fast is a constant complaint parents hear from their kids, and The Big Wheel can allow for it.

Classified as a “ride’em” by Click, The Big Wheel is a non-conventional tricycle that allows for racecar like speeds while maintaining a safe amount of control. The toy is made from a lightweight material that allows for easy transportation and dragging (for parents). Due to the plastic material, the cost has risen slowly over time, yet an added bonus is that the entire trike is rust-free. Kids will often run to the next adventure without cleaning up the last one, and many bikes have been sacrificed to a rainy lawn treatment. Without rusting, the toy is able to really expand its lifespan, only adding to its credibility. The history of this definition hasn’t changed drastically over time, with the core selling points remaining concise. Fun, safe, high-speed thrills are what has been offered since The Big Wheel’s birth, and it’s what is still being sold along with it to this very day. Yet even though the definition hasn’t changed, what it has meant to kids has definitely been altered throughout the years. When kids were meant to be outside all day every day until that dinner bell rang, there was no toy or other possession held higher by kids then their bicycle. With the introduction of The Big Wheel, younger kids could be out riding along just as safely and as fast as the other kids.

One of the greatest strengths of the iconic trike, is its safety feature I have been repeating over and over again. The Big Wheel isn’t a toy to get hurt on, as it believes childhood isn’t a time to get hurt while trying to have fun. To emphasize the strengths of our toy we can hold comparisons between The Big Wheel and its predecessor; the tricycle. “What buyer wants to put a product on his shelf that is alluded by the government to be unsafe?” (Click). The tricycle had such a higher seat, with no safety features to allow for more than a slow pedal around the block. The new Big Wheel was also brighter, came in fun designs with familiar cartoon faces on them, instantly connecting with kids. Kids are immediately drawn to Big Wheels more than they are to ordinary tricycles, explained best by this quote from Click’s news report: “Kids really don’t want the trikes. It’s mostly the grandparents. But the Big Wheel — that’s the hottest selling toy in the country.” The reason why tricycles have stayed in business as long as they have has been purely due to tradition. The Big Wheel has been a staple for safe, adrenaline filled adventures for decades now, emphasizing the safety features, as it’s not an unsafe ride’em.

To this day, The Big Wheel is a talked about toy, whether it be in gift giving ideas, or recollection of fond childhood memories. The classic abnormal tricycle has survived many companies and generations yet has always maintained the same appealing promise of safe, fast, sidewalk adventures. By distributing handfuls of useful life skills such as quick attentive abilities, adaptation to high-speed situations, and responsibility of freedom allow for these skills to develop early in children of all ages. The iconic, low cruising, Big Wheel tricycle has been a staple of childhood, and acts as a symbol of when we all were young, seeking the moments of youthful freedom.

 

 

 

Works Cited:

The Strong National Museum of Play. “The Big Wheel” National Toy Hall of Fame

https://www.museumofplay.org/toys/big-wheel/

The Click Americana Team. “Vintage Big Wheel ride-on toys helped millions of kids move on from tricycles” Click Americana 6/17/21.

https://clickamericana.com/topics/family-parenting/life-for-kids/long-tricycles-big-wheels-now-1969-1975