Buddy L. - Toy Trucks

Sue brought home this pressed steel toy "scale" modeled truck yesterday. She git it for free and intended to give it to her grand nephew as a gift. I pointed out that the edges were sharp, and the steel was heavy, both posing a hazard to her nephew.  Really though, I wanted the truck for myself. 

These rugged little toys are collector's items and even this stripped down version is worth $75 on e-bay. With all the original parts intact it goes for about $200. Now I love the kid, but he'd be much happier with a $12.95 battery powered modern toy which does wheelies, etc. than this antique from the late 1940's which you have to push by hand and make noises by yourself. 

The history of these trucks is pretty interesting. "Buddy L", was an American toy brand founded in 1920 as the Buddy L Toy Company in East Moline, Illinois, by Fred Lundahl. He simply wanted to make a toy truck for his son. So he used scrap steel from the car bumpers he had been making with the Moline Pressed Steel Company which he began in 1910. 

They originally manufactured automobile fenders and other auto body parts for cars and trucks. They primarily supplied parts for the McCormick-Deering line of farm implements and the International Harvester Company.

But Fred quickly saw there was a market for these made to scale toys. So he began to design and produce an assortment  of all-steel miniature trucks modeled after an International Harvester truck, all made from 18- and 20-gauge steel from company scrap.

Buddy L made other toys, such as cars, dump trucks, delivery vans, fire engines, construction equipment, and even trains. The Fire Engine goes for up to $800 in good condition! He marketed these as "Toys for Boys." Many were even large enough for a child to sit on and propel with their feet. Others were simply pull toys. 

A pioneer in the steel-toy field, he persuaded Marshall Field's and F. A. O. Schwarz to carry the line. He did well until the Great Depression, when he sold the company for cash.

After several transitions from heavy steel to plastic, and several different owners, the company suffered a recall in August 2000 for overheated batteries. And by November 2000, the owners, Empire of Carolina filed for bankruptcy. In July 2001, Empire Industries was sold to Alpha International, Inc., of Cedar Rapids, Iowa which was renamed Gearbox Toys and is now owned by J. Lloyd International.

But there will never be heavy steel trucks such as the originals again. They are now collector's items. Glad I snatched this one up. With noble intentions, of course! 😀