Rabbit hole - toy tank and following the thread in online information

When looking for ads of the Baby Calculator, came across the Johnson Smith & Co company - sellers of novelty items. In a full-page 1930 ad, their toy tank description intrigued; what's the catch, how does this work?

The description claims it will move and climb obstacles, but "What makes it go is somewhat of a mystery, for there is no mechanism to wind up as is usually understood with mechanical toys,...".

In today's connected world with enormous amounts of information online, it was possible to find out about this! With the simple search for toy tank and "baby tank", some images from auctiuons over the past years were found to still be online. This shows the same toy, the below sold under the Animate Toy brand:

(Millers Auction Co - from a closed, ended auction)

The Johnson Smith & Co version more likely is a later, cheaper plain grey version; also still pictured at an antique store:

 
(Flying Tiger Antiques - from listing of item already sold)

This shows a picture of the drive mechanism underneath the toy - and a helpful patent date of June 20, 1916. With that date, the two patents that relate to this toy are easily found. These are US patents 1,187,659 and 1,187,660.

The first of these patents gives a very clear explation of the simple drive mechanism. The trick is to use a dampening material, instead of expensive gearing plus governor to slow down the spring unwinding. The single large driving mechanism is shown inside the housing of a toy bug.

The axle 2 is fitted firm in the housing, the flat (on the right) preventing its rotating. The fork 7 is fitted rigidly to the axle 2. The barrel 3 with wooden wheel 5 can rotate about this axle, and can wind and be driven by the spring. The barrel (tube 3 and end-caps 4) is filled with a molasses, pitch or tar-like substance that will sdampen and slow down the motion of the barrel against the fork 7. Very ingeneous and low cost.

The patents also give the name of the inventor; Edward S. Savage. Seeing the number of patents listing him as inventor, he was a prolific inventor - with about 50 patents, mainly for for toys.

   

Again the vast trove of online, scanned information yields more background; Mr Savage was featured in an illustrated article in an issue of Popular Mechanix of January 1939 - he even made the cover:

The full article can be read in the Mechanix Illustrated issue on The Archive. Pages 35 - 39, then 125 etc.

Mr Savage was a very active and also a very succesful inventor of toys - he's for example the inventor of the wobble-toys that are still made today.

At the bottom of page 39 of the Mechanix Illustrated magazine some toy bugs are pictured, those probably are the same toy that was drawn in the 1916 patent (applied for in 1914).

Again, specimens survive and get photographed when sold online, giving us color images. The pictures of one listing included a view of the bottom of the bugs, indeed showing the single drivewheel - one specimen perhaps lost its wooden wheel, or is a modified design with the end-caps (4) enlarged to also act as wheel. The cucumber bug still has its wheel, just as in the June 20, 1916 patent.

(Etsy - from listing of sold item)

So - the mystery of the drive is explained, and even revealed who created it. With portait and profile!

This little exploration, started by wondering about a line in the ad would have been hard to do a few decadeds ago, now easily possible through pretty amazing troves of online information!

Rabbit hole :-)