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Buddy “L” concrete mixer
Catalog #: 341,637.13,
Accession #: 314,637
Currently on display
From the Smithsonian Collection
This Buddy “L” Concrete Mixer was made in about 1926. Buddy “L” toys were named after the son of the manufacturer. The company made hardy toys with moving parts. The company also made toy cars, dump trucks, delivery vans, fire engines, and construction equipment. The manufacturer marketed the toys to boys, claiming “They appeal to boys because they really work.” |
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Physical Description |
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artifact. 11” x 10 1/2” x 7 3/4” ; Pressed Steel with cast-iron wheels; green; decal marked: Buddy “L” Concrete Mixer. Manufactured in East Moline, Illinois by the Moline Pressed Steel Company.
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Details |
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Credit: | Bequest of Edith R. Meggers |
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History |
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Almost as soon as the first car took to the roads, American children began to play with car toys, read about cars in books, and even learn how the internal combustion engine worked. Making cars a part of kids' lives-even for kids whose families didn't own cars-naturalized the invention, and made it appealing and desirable to future generations of potential car owners. All this material helped create a market for cars in the next generation of car buyers, and-because it targeted young men over young women-it helped shape a society in which women were far less likely to own and drive a car than men.
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