Joy-Rider

The Joy Rider is not a rare toy but it is difficult to find one on very good to excellent condition and even harder to find with a nice box. Sometimes when I purchased a toy it comes with a story. 

             A couple in Hoyt, KS adopted a little 3 mos. old boy and fell completely in love w/him.  He was well taken care of and they doted on him, however when he was 2 yrs. old he became ill and died. I was told they kept all his clothes, shoes, and various other items that belonged to him.

This particular Joy Rider came to me in excellent condition, the box in particular is in outstanding condition, it is not often that a box retains its original colors like this one has. 

The description below is from Greenburg’s Guide to Marx Toys Vol. 2 

“Joy Rider: 1928. 8” long X 5-1/2” high. As advertised in the 1928 Montgomery Ward catalog, the Joy Rider sold for 48 cents. In the ad, several words appear on the cars hood. 

Although most are difficult to distinguish, “your” and baby” are legible. Because the actual car is different from the car shown in the ad, it is possible that variations exist.

The Joy Rider is a black car with lithographed wheel spokes similar to the “Funny FLIVVER”. The driver of the Joy Rider is also the same as the funny flivver, however, he is dressed differently in a red jacket, a white shirt, and a red and green hat. Among the most detailed of all the eccentric car drivers, the Joy Rider’s face has a creased brow and a toothy smile.

The red trunk and suitcase have lithographed labels marked with the names of cities from all over the world. The license plate reads”7-11 N.Y.” “The Ride’m  “Rough Tire Co.31 X 1” is on the wheels; “Use no Hooks”, Thanks for the Buggy Ride”, “Don’t Bump Me Ill Go” and “ I don’t choose to Run” are in white on the car; “ Joy Rider” is on the cars radiator; “ Louis Marx & Co., N.Y..,U.S.A. Patent Pending” in on the back of the drivers seat.

The box illustrated shows a hug, rearing car with a driver. It is knocking over the top of a building while tiny people, including a policeman, run around in panic. 

The words “ 4 Owners All Broke” beneath the trunk are difficulty to read without disassembling the car. This suggests the Joy Rider was originally made with out a trunk. However the trunk is necessary to balance the car when it tips back on its rear wheels. The car performs this “eccentric” feature when a gear engages the axle of the rear wheels, causing the wheels to turn alternately forward and backward. Most of the cars weighs is concentrated in the rear because of the trunk, the motor and the driver. As a result of the forward and backward motion and the heavier weight in the rear, the car tilts up on its rear wheels. It comes to rest on a ½” strip of metal that protrudes from the trunk bottom. This strip has made into the license plate.