Artifact of the Month: 1960s Murray Pedal Car

Stylish and sleek, February’s Artifact of the Month is a 1960s Murray Pedal Car. Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company was originally founded in 1919 to make fenders, fuel tanks, and other automobile parts. They began making children’s toy cars in 1923 and bicycles in the 1930s. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this pedal car is the high likelihood that it was designed by renowned artist and industrial designer Viktor Schreckengost, who worked for Murray from 1936 to 1972.

Who was Viktor Schreckengost?

Also known as the “American DaVinci”, Schreckengost (which roughly translates to “frightening guest” in German) is truly a force to be reckoned with. His impressive resume begins with sculpting as a child. A trade he learned from his father. Although he initially enrolled in the Cleveland School of Art (now the Cleveland Institute of Art) to become a cartoonist, he ultimately and unsurprisingly changed his focus to ceramics. Shortly after graduation and a brief stint in Vienna furthering his study of ceramics and playing the jazz saxophone, Schreckengost returned to the Cleveland Institute of Art and became the youngest faculty member at age 25. In a short time, he had won several awards for excellence in ceramics and his works were exhibited in the most elite art institutions. Perhaps most notable are his “Jazz Bowls” commissioned by Eleanor Roosevelt.

From there, he began to pursue an interest in industrial design. He created the first modern mass-produced dinnerware for American Limoges and helped design the first cab-over-engine truck for White Motor Company. Schreckengost became the chief bicycle designer of Murray and revolutionized the manufacture of children’s pedal cars. His first bicycle, the 1939 Murray Mercury, was exhibited that year at the New York World’s Fair.

During World War II, Schreckengost joined the U.S. Navy where he developed a system for radar recognition that won him the Secretary of Navy’s commendation. He also developed artificial limbs and voice recognition and map-making equipment.

After the war, he resumed his industrial design career, creating products for Murray, Sears, General Electric, Salem China Company, American Greetings, and many other eminent organizations. Through all of this, Schreckengost taught at the Cleveland Institute of Art, earning the position of Professor Emeritus. In 2006, he was awarded the country’s highest cultural honor, the National Medal of Arts. Viktor Schreckengost, an immensely talented American treasure, passed away in 2008 at the age of 101.

The Artifact of the Month display is located directly inside the Turtle Bay Museum Front Entrance.