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In 1924, Murray Ohio purchased a factory on 152nd Street in Cleveland. The factory would be used to manufacture pedal cars and other pedal toys under the trade name “Steelcraft.” The Steelcraft line was a good seller and helped sustain Murray Ohio through the Depression.In 1941, the Steelcraft Company made the most significant advancement in pedal car design and craftsmanship with the introduction of the three wheeled Pedal Airplane and peddle plane.
The patriotic Army Pursuit and Corsair Navy Patrol planes became extremely popular as U.S. war sentiment grew. Pedal planes featured authentic features such as a propeller that turned when the plane was pedaled. Machine guns and cannons mounted in front of the peddle plane windshield caused sales of the military style pedal planes to soar. In 1942, pedal plane production was left waiting in the wings as Steelcraft's facilities made war production a priority. The Pursuit pedal plane, thought gone forever, came back in the late 1940's, this time manufactured under the Murray name. It was offered until 1951, as a Super Deluxe Pedal Airplane with Navy Patrol graphics.
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