Once the development of the automobile was under way, it wasn’t long before it was copied in pedal car form for children. Not confined to cars, other pedal-powered toy vehicles followed including road rollers, traction engines and even pedal bi-planes.

Australian pedal car manufactures included Cyclops and Peerless, both of Leichhardt in Sydney, and Pilgrim Pty Ltd, which made the ‘High Speed’ brand at Yarraville, Victoria. Cyclops made its first mass-produced pedal car in 1917 with a timber body. In the 1930s Peerless were making a pedal sports car with a dicky seat, a tow truck, utility truck and a fire engine complete with ladder and bell. Cyclops later named its cars after models like Plymouth, Pontiac, Dodge, Oldsmobile, Chrysler, Vauxhall and Buick. By the 1950s they made a station wagon, ‘crash’ wagon, tip truck and a streamlined ‘Comet’ car.

Many of the pedal cars made in the mid. 20th century were produced from similar heavy-gauge pressed steel used in full-sized cars. This probably explains why so many of them survived. They were finished in bright enamel paint and had solid rubber tyres.

In 1960 one car dealership in Queanbeyan was giving away a free Cyclops pedal car with every car sold, promoted as ‘one for Dad and one for the lad’.

From 1962 Cyclops began manufacturing moulded plastic pedal cars, making them cheaper, lighter, and safer. One advantage was that they wouldn’t rust if left out in the rain. By the late 1960s, Cyclops advertised its Batmobile, Thunderbird and Moon Bug pedal cars.

One of the most popular ride-in children’s cars of the 1990s was the ‘Cozy Coupe’ made by Little Tikes. Propelled by the feet, Fred Flintstone style, they technically weren’t pedal cars but were bought in huge numbers by pre-schools and playgroups.