1939 American National ‘Toledo Tomboy’
(Badged by Toledo Guild Products Inc)
Front Wheel 16″
Rear Wheel 10″
LENGTH: 33″
The 1930s Toledo Tomboy has a unique and instantly recognisable style, though they are not very common. American National, the parent company, incorporated various tricycle manufacturers, so the seat on this Tomboy can also be found on tricycles made by other companies in the same group. The Toledo Tomboy is totally original unrestored, but we serviced it so that it rides well.
TOLEDO METAL WHEEL CO
American National was formed in 1925 as a holding company for Toledo Metal Wheel, National Wheel and American Wheel. In 1927, American National acquired Gendron Wheel Company and produced tricycles under the names of American-National, Toledo, Gendron, Pioneer, Skippy, Express, Reliance, Hi-Speed, Hi-Way, Speed King, Blue Streak, Sampson, American, and Streamline. Each company had their own products and catalogs.
In the late 1930’s, American-National had financial difficulties. In 1941, the assets and all rights to the product line were purchased by a group of Toledo industrialists headed by Walter H. Diemer. Previously, Mr. Diemer was the President of American-National. The new company was incorporated as the Gendron Wheel Company, Perrysburg, Ohio. The company was organized “to manufacture, import, export, buy, sell, and in general deal in wheelchairs, playground equipment, and other juvenile conveniences of every kind”.
All of American-National plants were closed except the Gendron Perrysburg plant. Due to the war effort, Gendron concentrated its efforts on wheelchairs and hospital stretchers. However, they continued to manufacture wooden wagons and playground equipment. Catalogs from the 1950s and early 1960s show playground equipment and hand car racers with the trade name Howdy Doody.
TOLEDO STEEL PRODUCTS CO: 1948 CALENDAR
1920s TOLEDO METAL WHEEL Co CHILDREN’S TRACING BOOK
I’ll add more and better pictures of the Toledo companies’ 1920s children’s tracing book and the 1948 Lawson Wood calendar when they arrive from the USA.
