Pedal horse
The dream of Soviet children. Production history.
The horse is pedal.
This horse is familiar to many, whose childhood was spent in the USSR. The pedal horse, like various pedal cars, was the dream of many Soviet children.
Such horses in the USSR from the 50s to the 80s were produced at several factories of the defense and metalworking complex in the line of consumer goods. For example, at the Moscow plant "Salut" and at the Omsk aviation plant "Polet".
In the 70s and 80s, the price of this toy was 21 rubles. 50 kopecks (Average salary 80-120 rubles.)
Few could afford to buy such a toy. For some reason, in many parks a horse or pedal car could be rented. True, the rental units were far from always in good condition, which may be why many have not very pleasant riding impressions in their memory.
They write that the horse was terribly uncomfortable, clumsy and squeaky. Therefore, the expression "pedal horse" even arose, denoting, to put it mildly, a hard-to-understand person.
As far as I remember, it was really more difficult to drive it than a pedal car, for how the horse fiddled with its legs, as if it really was running. It was absolutely delightful.
It turns out that the "pedal horse" is not at all the development of Soviet engineering minds, but a direct descendant of the English Victorian rocking horses. That's it.
In England, this model of bicycle horses appeared in the early 50s of the last century and bore the name Nizefella... In honor of the horse - the legend of British equestrian sport, which repeatedly won the kankuru competitions in the 40-50s. True, the outwardly metal horse had nothing to do with its prototype. The real horse was dark (most likely a black color), and toy manufacturers made their horse light, because this color was more popular with buyers, it was tested for years even on wooden predecessors.
Well, let's go in order.
Until the 1970s, Britain's largest toy manufacturer was G & J Lines, which even in the Victorian era became famous for its wooden rocking horses.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, it was already a large factory, which, in addition to horses, included carriages, bicycles, soft toys, dolls, etc.
At the dawn of the last century, cars began to squeeze horses on city streets, this was reflected in the production of toys.
The factory began to produce pedal children's cars in the 1920s and 1930s (then the products came out under the Tri-ang brand). At first, these were models with a wooden case, then they set up the production of stamped metal models.
Wooden horses continued to be produced. For the British, this is a cult toy and they were not ready to exchange it for a newfangled car just like that. But after World War II, against the background of increased demand for toys (the post-war baby boom and the departure from the scene of Germany as the main competitor in the field of toy production), it became necessary to focus on conveyor production. Stamped metal toys were easier to manufacture than wooden ones. They decided to make the horses metal, taking as a basis the technology for the production of pedal cars. The manes and tails of natural horsehair were replaced with molded rubber elements.
This is how the metal rocking horse appeared Nizefella.
Photo from the book “The rocking horse” by Patricia Mullins:
The legs of the metal horses were stamped separately from the body and then bolted on. The swinging stand was also metal.
Then, on the basis of the same body, a model of a running horse with a cart (the same “pedal horse”) was made.
In England, this model was released for a short time. The G & J Lines factory tried to keep up with the times and constantly updated its product range.
I have no information about how the horses ended up in the USSR. It is likely that the technology and equipment were purchased and introduced at several factories across the country, where they were produced into the flesh until the beginning of the 90s. Horses produced in the 50-60s still have design elements typical of their English prototypes - wheels with metal spokes, a black saddle with a blue outline.
Horses of a later release, to which my horse belongs, already had plastic wheels, a less detailed smoothed body due to the stamping of old shapes and a simplified coloring (black saddle).
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Pedal horse
And this mythical creature, the illegitimate cousin of the centaur and pulling, arose from the desire of Soviet industry to give all the best to children. The brightest minds have been cast to create the perfect wheeled horse / bicycle hybrid. The mutant received the official name "pedal horse" and was put into mass production in the late 1950s.
The children and parents were ecstatic. The kids could not ride a bunk, as usual pushing off with their feet: protruding pedals interfered. And twisting tight and clumsy pedals also did not work - a rare muscular child could overpower a distance of several meters, after which he usually fell safely, since the structure did not suffer from excessive stability either. A few years later, the designers were forced to admit their fiasco, and the pedal horse disappeared from the shelves, but remained forever in the people's memory.
Ovation
Derived from the Latin word meaning "sheep". Why did this peaceful and lethargic animal come to symbolize a big hit? Because for successful military leaders and other persons who accomplished outstanding civil exploits, the Romans used to arrange "triumphs" - ceremonial processions with obligatory sacrifices. During a great triumph, bulls were slaughtered, and during a small triumph (for slightly less achievements) sheep went under the knife.
Out of place
This expression has become so familiar and understandable that its strange meaning is completely not felt by those who pronounce it. But at one time, about 150 years ago, it made a lot of noise. The entire enlightened society of Moscow and St. Petersburg laughed at the would-be translator, who, having undertaken to copy a fashionable French novel into his native language, made a bunch of mistakes there. Even in such a widespread expression as "n" etre pas dans son assiete "(" not in his usual position "), he managed to confuse similar words -" position "and" plate "and, without really thinking about what happened , decided that it would do well.
Loaf
Dr. Ferdinand Justus Christian Loder, who opened an "artificial mineral water establishment" in Moscow at the beginning of the 19th century, certainly hoped for success, but the reality surpassed his wildest expectations. The coachmen and footmen, who had been waiting for their masters for three hours, who were lying under umbrellas in sun loungers with mugs of mineral water, created a word that accurately described the aforementioned occupation. “They've been chasing a bum ever since noon,” they sighed to each other, and dejectedly scratched their curled beards, soaked with sweat.
Tragedy
The word "tragedy" means "song of the goats." In ancient Greece, plays of divine content were called tragedies, which were accompanied by performances of a choir dressed in masks depicting the heads of these divine artiodactyls. By the way, there could well be no sadness in these plays, although, of course, the intervention of the gods to the good of the heroes usually did not lead. So in the end the word "tragedy" began to mean something like: "And now a sea of blood will be shed, at first everyone will suffer for a long time, and then they will die in terrible agony."
Ball skier
The word appeared at the very beginning of the 19th century, shortly after the Napoleonic campaign. The remnants of the French army, as you know, were retreating along the Smolensk road, deprived of any supplies. They supplied themselves - through raids on nearby villages. Moreover, they rarely attacked with weapons: it is not easy with frostbitten hands in hungry delirium to brush aside a pitchfork with scythes. Therefore, the locals were addressed timidly and affectionately: “Mon sher ami! Dear friend, can you find something to chew on, because all people are brothers and you really want to eat! " "Sher Amyg" somehow fed, and they went on to themselves, populating the vastness of our country with a new wonderful expression.
Give two!
The phrase, which in recent years everyone and who is not lazy, has been chasing the tail and mane, in fact, the end of the once very famous anecdote, which completely sounds like this:
- Girl, how much do you have this porcelain kitty with a mustache?
- This is not a kisya, but Marshal Semyon Mikhailovich Budyonny!
- Fuck! Give two!
Let's go back to our rams
This phrase is 537 years old. In 1469, the famous medieval farce "Lawyer Pierre Patlen" was staged for the first time. The plot of the farce is incredibly convoluted (that's why it is a farce), but its central part is the scene in the courtroom. A man is being tried, suspected of having stolen a herd of rams from his patron, but the trial is constantly getting confused, due to the fact that all its participants quarrel, scandal and accuse each other of various sins. So the judge has to say the phrase ten times: "Revenons a nos moutons!" - "So let's get back to our rams!"
Stupid as a cork
Why a cork is more stupid than a fork, a chest of drawers or, say, ontognoseology, can only be explained by that highly erudite citizen who knows this proverb in a full, non-truncated version, which sounded like this: "As stupid as a cork, where you stick it, it sticks out there." The end of this very common phrase was gradually ceased to be pronounced (why? And so everyone knows what’s next) and reduced to the point that now almost no one remembers why the traffic jam was so offended.
Confusion
Cats and Vasya have nothing to do with it, although sometimes there is a lot of noise and trouble from both. This funny word for the Russian ear has the most pompous ancient origin: it is from the Greek language, and even straight from the church service. It means "convergence" and describes the moment when, in some solemn services, two choirs (kliros) descend from their seats to the center of the temple, merge into one and sing together. Even after long rehearsals, this convergence did not always go smoothly, so it is not surprising that "katavasiya" began to mean confusion, bedlam and confusion.
Will heal before the wedding
Nobody remembers what exactly should heal before the wedding. But in vain. Because it does not heal before the wedding - this is a medically established fact. But this anatomical moment was unknown to the uneducated village young ladies, to whom the depraved lads whispered these words in their ear, trying to lure the villagers to the hayloft. By the way, "nothing, everything will grow together" - from the same opera, and not at all about broken arms and legs.
Fly like plywood over Paris
At the beginning of the era of aeronautics in France, an action took place - the flight of the airship "Flaner" over Paris. In those days, any events of this kind were necessarily accompanied by numerous newspaper comments, so that for several days the whole world followed with interest the fate of the "Flaner" and discussed its flight over evening tea drinking. The device flew safely and was forgotten, but the expression remained. True, since no one already remembered about any "Flaner", at first it became Russified, turning into "Flanera", and then somewhere it lost the letter "L." As a result, the image that excites the imagination with its mysteriousness has turned out - "plywood over Paris".
Ksiva
This slang word is at least three thousand years old. It was the ksivs who asked the Jerusalem guards from Christ and his apostles, because in Aramaic this word means “papers”, “documents”. And it came into Russian jargon with the help of educated Jewish bandits and swindlers, who at the beginning of the 20th century constituted a considerable part of the criminal world of Odessa and Kiev. Jewish origin (from Yiddish and Hebrew) generally has about 10 percent of the words of the thieves' dictionary - for example, "boy", "shmon", "shmot", "shukher", "raspberry", "blat", "parasha".
Hunger is not aunt
And again we have an example of how, having cut off the tail, everyone happily forgot about it. Why "not aunt", but at least not "not uncle"? But because, in general, the phrase had a completely understandable meaning: "Hunger is not an aunt, she will not slip a pie." That is, unlike a kind-hearted female relative, who even stealthily feeds, hunger knows no indulgence.
Stay with your nose
Why is staying with a nose bad? Is it better without a nose, or what? No, the creators of this phraseological unit were not at all fanatics of no-nose. Just 300 years ago, when it arose, the word "nose" had another meaning, almost as important as the main one. It meant "bribe", "offering", that is, something without which it was impossible to take a step in Russia at that time (and not only in that time). If the person who bribed the bribe could not get along with the official, he, accordingly, stayed with his nose and felt unimportant about this.
Hamburg account
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the world was seized by the fever of the French struggle. In all circuses, the second section was assigned to mustachioed strongmen in striped tights, who, to the delight of the audience, savoredly drove each other through the sawdust with their muzzles, performing all these delightful tricks: soup, roulade, tour de bra, nelson, parterre. Champions were more popular than singers, actors, and princes; the names of Poddubny, Buhl and Van Riel were known to every self-respecting child over three years old. But very few knew that this whole struggle was a complete fiction like modern wrestling. Fight scenarios were signed in advance, and entertainment was much more important than sports. The impresario of the wrestlers sold the tournament results of their wards, and fortunes were made on pseudo-totalizers. And only once a year the best wrestlers came to Hamburg, where they rented an arena and secretly, almost under cover of night, in fair fights, they found out who of them was actually the best, and who was just a striped mustache doll.
Like humans, they have their own pedigrees. And just like humans, these pedigrees are hazy and confusing.
For example, the phrase “pedal horse” appeared and took root in Russian speech. It seems to be a neologism, but no one really knows what it means. What kind of horse, where did the pedals come from? In general, all this is strange, but the phrase stuck! After all, no one knew the meaning of the word "utopia" before Thomas More, but now it is used by everyone and everyone.
Recently, talking with a friend on the phone, the son gave out a phrase like: “Huh, Ivanov? Yes, he is generally a pedal horse ... "
Quite often, this seemingly ridiculous phrase is used in relation to a person known for his narrow-minded mind, stupidity and stubbornness. Or other unpleasant personality traits. For example, her husband's wife sent for bread, and he returned drunk, without money and without bread - well, who is he after that? A worthless fool and a loafer, a pedal horse.
Meanwhile, the pedal horse is a very real character in the Soviet history of "toy building". It was designed in the depths of the defense industry in the 50s of the last century, in response to a government call to give all the best to children.
The idea was this - to combine in one product a popular horse on wheels and a children's bicycle, which was super-scarce at that time. Some clever guy strained himself, and now a marvelous hybrid was launched into production, and then on sale - the product was named "Pedal Horse".
The mechanism was like a jockey's cart with a horse harnessed to it - in miniature, of course. One wheel was under the horse's chest, two more supported the "seat".
What color "pedal" ones were produced is now difficult to establish - specimens that have come down to our times, as a rule, have been repeatedly repainted, the horse is iron. Unless, according to old photographs and vague childhood memories of the then happy owners, one can assume that they were gray with apples.
Child-loving customers were delighted at first, and then fell into a stupor. The new unit was gorgeous in appearance, but absolutely not functional. The kids could not ride it, as usual pushing off the ground with their feet - the pedals sticking out on both sides interfered. Turning these pedals also did not work - they were too tight, and they were located far in front of the makeshift saddle. The most stubborn riders, with great difficulty, overcame several meters, after which they fell exhausted to the ground along with the bunk - due to the imperfection of the general design. And this is on smooth asphalt! What can we say about other roads, difficult to pass even for real carts with real horses, not pedal ones.
A few years later, the toy was still taken out of production - the "constructors" admitted their fiasco, and the "pedal" ones disappeared from store shelves. And the name itself "went to the people", becoming one of the symbols of human stupidity.
At a later time, Soviet children, mainly boys, acquired another unique vehicle - a pedal car. Unlike the horse, the little car, despite its cumbersomeness, moved quickly, had some maneuverability, and was even equipped with an "electric" - a sound signal and headlights that could be turned on and off. My guys drove it to the point of stupidity, the elder was driving - the younger was on the hood. The car was yellow-orange, but we could not remember the brand - it seemed like "Moskvich".
Then, when the knees no longer fit "in the car", we passed this unit "by inheritance" to the kids from another family, but in vain - we had to save it. If you believe special sites, then Soviet pedal cars are highly prized by collectors. Although it is unlikely that my adult sons would want to part with their favorite toy.
And here's another. There is a legend on the Internet that the predecessor of the famous Bucephalus, the beloved horse of Alexander the Great, was also a pedal horse, designed and built by skilful Greek engineers on the instructions of Papa Philip II. A wooden horse with wheels was driven by pedals using a belt drive.
Moreover, the legend says that pedal horses were also made for the playmates of the heir to the Macedonian throne; in children's equestrian battles, the future commander and his comrades-in-arms allegedly perfected the martial art.
Whatever it was, but the "pedal horse" is with us today, becoming a household name, expressing a contemptuous attitude towards fools.
From December 12 to January 25 in Bryansk in the Tkachevs Museum there is an exhibition "World of childhood: dolls of grandmothers and mothers". On display are toys and dolls from my humble collection. And on January 8, the regional issue of "AiF" wrote about the exhibition, about me, about dolls ...
Yesterday, in the middle of the working day, a call. Colleagues are passing the phone, they say, it's you, for toys ...
“You know, I read an article in the newspaper about toys,” they say on the other end of the line. - And I remembered that at work in the garage there was a rocking horse from the 60s. You need?
Still would! I don’t need it) We agree on how and where to meet to pick up the horse.
“I checked,” the man hastens to add. - Real Soviet iron, not some kind of China.
- Iron?
- Yes, the horse is iron.
I hang for a split second, but then I get an insight:
- Is the horse white? With a cart?
- So this is a pedal horse!
- Ha ha ha ... How did you say?
- The horse is pedal. Do not think, I do not swear. That's what it's called!
At lunchtime, we chase the horse ... Now it stands at my house, in the corridor. Pets have nothing to say - they are in slight shock (a familiar state). All I had time to do was take some pictures early this morning, getting ready for work.
The steed has losses. He got it from life. And in the tail and in the mane ...
From history (found on the Internet)
Quite often, this ridiculous phrase is used in relation to a person known for his narrow-minded mind, stupidity and stubbornness. For example, her husband's wife sent for bread, and he returned drunk, without money and without bread - well, who is he after that? A worthless fool and a loafer, a pedal horse.
Meanwhile, the pedal horse is a very real character in the Soviet history of "toy building". It was designed in the depths of the defense industry in the 50s of the last century, in response to a government call to give all the best to children. The idea was this - to combine in one product a popular horse on wheels and a children's bicycle, which was super-scarce at that time. The product was named "Pedal Horse".
The mechanism was like a jockey's cart with a horse harnessed to it - in miniature, of course. One wheel was under the horse's chest, two more supported the "seat". What color "pedal" ones were produced is now difficult to establish - specimens that have come down to our times, as a rule, have been repeatedly repainted, the horse is iron.
Child-loving customers were delighted at first, and then fell into a stupor. The new unit was gorgeous in appearance, but absolutely not functional. The kids could not ride it, as usual pushing off the ground with their feet - the pedals sticking out on both sides interfered. Turning these pedals also did not work - they were too tight, and they were located far in front of the makeshift saddle. The most stubborn riders, with great difficulty, overcame several meters, after which they fell exhausted to the ground along with the bunk - due to the imperfection of the general design. And this is on smooth asphalt! What can we say about other roads, difficult to pass even for real carts with real horses, not pedal ones.
A few years later, the toy was still taken out of production - the "constructors" admitted their fiasco, and the "pedal" ones disappeared from store shelves. And the name itself "went to the people", becoming one of the symbols of human stupidity.
From the history
It was designed in the depths of the defense industry in the 50s of the last century, in response to a government call to give all the best to children. The idea was this - to combine in one product a popular horse on wheels and a children's bicycle, which was super-scarce at that time. The product was named "Pedal Horse". The unit was gorgeous in appearance, but not entirely functional. A few years later, the toy was taken out of production - the "constructors" admitted their fiasco, and the "pedal" ones disappeared from store shelves.
