Most of my friends who know me well, will tell you that I am basically a seven year old trapped inside a 52-year-old body.  I love toys; always have.  Even today I have a hard time going to a Wal Mart without spending at least a couple minutes perusing the toy aisle to see if there is anything that might catch my eye.  I loaded up when Kenner came out with the Starting Lineup figures back in the 80’s.  For the most part they all looked alike.  You really had to depend on the name on the back of the uniform to determine who the player was actually supposed to be. Then in the 90’s Todd McFarlane came out with a series of baseball figurines, which were supposed to rival the Starting Lineups.  Even though the company did not have MLB approval and therefore couldn’t put actual team logos on the uniforms, their size and detail did indeed force the Lineups off the shelf.  Fast-forward a few years to find that not only did McFarlane finally get MLB approval; they also made a concerted effort to create the most realistic action figure available today.

But even before the creation of the Starting Lineups there was a myriad of baseball-oriented toys for the kids, collectors, nerds…whatever.  G.I. Joes were always my favorite toy.  I remember back in 1964, after having my tonsils removed, getting a blonde-headed sailor “Joe” as a get-well present from my parents.  A very simple 12 inch action figure with dark blue pants, a light blue shirt, the little white cap and those impossible to remove black plastic boots. And the many afternoons when after being teased by my older sister about playing with a “doll”, my Joe would seemingly come to life and kick the living crap out of her Ken doll.  Ah, the innocence of childhood.

Tinker Toys, Erector Sets, Lincoln Logs.  Loved ‘em all.  But the one toy that eluded my possession during my formative years was the pedal car.  I always wanted one but mom and dad could not justify the purchase as I had established a history of perhaps not treating my toys as nicely as I should.  I hold to the notion that Ken, ratted me out!

It was this past Christmas when my lovely wife surprised me with not one, but two pedal cars under the tree. They were sweet! One, a fire truck, it was decided would be retired to the attic only making an appearance each Christmas as a decoration and as a reminder of our youth. The other would take permanent residence in my den. The only problem was that a yellow checker taxicab did not fit well with the predominant theme of St. Louis Cardinal baseball.  You see, those same friends who describe me as a seven year old will also tell you that I am probably the biggest Cardinals fan they know.  Somehow, there had to be a way to combine my two passions.

All I had to do was to find a few talented people who were as passionate about sports as I was. First stop Hammer’s Autoworks.  I reintroduced myself to an old acquaintance, owner Perrie Stone and explained what I’d like to do; totally redo my yellow checker taxicab into a one of a kind St. Louis Cardinals pedal car.  “I’m in!” he explained without blinking an eye.  “This project sounds way too cool!”

So a week later I found myself leaving Hammer’s with my shiny white pedal car in tow.  Before I even got to my office, I called John Short, one of the best commercial artists anywhere. I asked him about painting the Birds on the Bat across the hood.  “Bring it over, we’ll get ‘er done”.  While John had the pedal car, I called a friend of mine in Branson, Kelly Pannetta, a graphic artist for SignsNow Branson.  I explained to Kelly that although I could purchase standard Cardinal stickers to place on the car, I wanted a few decals that were not readily available.  We talked on the phone for three minutes and three days later I received my custom made decals in the mail.  I love it when a plan comes together.

Thanks to Perrie, John, and Kelly, the one of a kind St. Louis Cardinals pedal car is now on display at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.  It will remain there until the end of baseball season.  Drop by and see what we’ve done.  I might have a few others of my toys on display as well.