Bouncing Benny

Bouncing Benny Car: 1939. 7” long. The following description was taken from the Greenberg’s Guide to Marx Toys Vol. 2.

The most striking aspect of this pull toy is the large rubber wheels measuring approximately 2-1/2” in diameter, which dwarf the racing-style car. Since the rubber has the unfortunate tendency to harden with age, it is difficult, perhaps impossible to find the Bouncing Benny with wheels in their original soft rubber. An interesting feature of the toy is that both the upper and lower sides of the body are the same. The driver is made in two halves and is identical on both. The metal body of the car cannot be dropped on the floor because the over-sized wheels absorb the impact before the body does. The body of the toy is primarily red with yellow and black outlining, and “Bouncing Benny The Safety Car” and the Marx logo in the front of the open cockpit. A large “1” and “Made in the U.S.A.” in tiny letters are behind the driver. The sides of the car are lithographed with simulated exhaust. The small driver is a yellow figure with out any lithographed details. The car makes a clicking sound when moved and comes with a beaded pull cord.

The original box is lithographed in orange, black and white; it shows a child pulling, pushing, and dropping the Bouncing Benny toy; and reads “ The New Safety Car/ The Car With Nine Lives, Louis Marx & Co. 200 Fifth Ave., N.Y.C./ U.S.A..” “The New Safety Car/ The Car With Sponge Rubber Balloon Wheels/ It Will Bounce Around Like A Rubber Ball And Will Not Scratch Or Mar Furniture Or Floors. The Driver is Always Upright When The Four Wheels Are On The Floor” is on the box and “One Of The Many Marx Toys. Have You All Of Them?” in on the end. The car sold originally for 53 cents.

The patent for the toy is #2064309, filed February 1936. The patent drawing resembles the actual toy except the drawing shows flat radiator (the toy has a round radiator) and no markings. Excellent price includes original box. 

The following description was taken from the Grand Old Toys website. (http://grandoldtoys.com/toydb_Detail.php?id=486&S_keywords=pressed%20steel,car,pull-toy&Search.x=0&Search.y=0)

Unique and very difficult to find Bouncing Benny "The New Safety Car with Nine Lives" complete with extremely scarce original box. The car's unique and most striking feature are it's large donut size sponge rubber tires. Unfortunately the tires are also the main reason why it's so scarce. As rubber ages it hardens and breaks. This is only the second complete example in high grade condition that I've seen. Tires haven't any broken chunks or missing sections of the exterior "skin". 

In this case not only are all four tires complete and all original, but they're still flexible. That's not to say they haven't hardened. To some degree they have, but they still feel squishy when gently squeezed. The fantastic condition of the tires plus its excellent+ to near mint steel litho body are evidence that the toy was probably seldom played with. On top of that, to find it with its original box (which I've seen only once before) are most likely the reasons that the toy still exists at all.   

Benny is basically a pull toy with an internal clicker which makes a bouncing "boing" sound when it's in tow. For improved durability the torpedo shaped body was made from steel litho. The car is held together with 13 pairs of overlapping metal tabs. It's solid and heavy. The upper and lower halves, including the tin litho driver, are identical. So no matter which way it landed it was always facing right side up. It's beautifully lithoed in red with yellow grille, exhausts, and cockpit trimmed in black. The Marx logo and Bouncing Benny name were lithoed on both halves. This example also has a string and red wooden pull bead, which although correct in size and shape, are probably replacements.

Each donut tire measures 2½" in diameter and 1¼" wide. The "safety" aspect of the tires were to protect the car body and driver from hitting the floor as it bounced along. However, unless the floor was perfectly flat it would  still get dented and scratched. Eventually chunks of the tires would start to crack (or be chewed) off, and the seams would split. If it sat idle for a long period of time they could start to flatten out. These are the main reasons why it's so difficult to find intact.

The car sold originally for 53¢. 

The box is illustrated on both sides with a bucolic scene showing three toddlers at play. Benny is seen bouncing and clicking across (and onto) the floor and table. One of the kids is still in a high chair inferring that it's safe enough for pre-school-age play. It's advertised as "the car with nine lives" which is a nice catchy phrase, but totally meaningless. The side panels say that "it will bounce around...not scratch furniture....and is always upright". 

Size: 7¼" long x 4¾" wide.