The hugely popular Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle consisted of a replica Evel Knievel with his bike and a red box with a handle. The rear wheel of the bike plugged into the box and turning the handle spun a flywheel inside the box, which both made very cool revving sounds and spun the rear wheel of Mr. Knievel's bike.
At the time of its first release, Robert Craig "Evel" Knievel was an American motorcycle daredevil superstar, famous throughout the 1960s to the early 1980s. Evel Knievel's most famous stunts were televised in America and in 1974 he attempted to jump Snake River Canyon at Twin Falls, Idaho. Evel Knievel never failed to get back on his feet, even if he had fallen off his bike and broken several bones in the process! It was this death-defying nature that attracted lads the world over, and the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle was great for recreating some of his most famous stunts. The Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle was one of the most popular toy lines of the 1970s.
The Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle was Ideal Toys most successful toy. Included in the pack was a six-inch high Evel Knievel that was made solely of plastic, other than his head that was made of vinyl. In real life, Evel Knievel was usually seen in his trademark star-adorned white jumpsuit and white shoes, and the figure adorned the same gear. Of course, no bike rider would be right without his helmet, so the action figure also came complete with this accessory.
The action figure attached onto the bike by the feet so Evel Knievel was always stood up on his bike ready for action. But if you wanted him to really test his nerve you could also position the figure so that it rode the cycle whilst doing a back stand! Due to the design of the figure, when the bike went over bumps or landed after a jump it bent slightly to give the impression that he was really riding the motorbike.
To get the bike in motion it needed to be attached to a motorised starter that worked with a winding motion to get the wheels spinning. Once you'd got the screaming revving noise of the thing as high pitched as you possibly could you pressed and button and the world's greatest stunt cyclist was unleashed! The Stunt Cycle could travel for around one hundred feet if you got the 'gyro-motor' to rotate fast enough. Of course, you'd also need space adequate enough to play in to reach this distance too (probably less likely if you lived in a 70s semi-detached).
In the adverts he did wheelies, zoomed across the floor and sped up ramps to jump over a line of toy buses (although this was actually one of the televised stunts that Evel Knievel failed to achieve at Wembley Stadium in 1975). In your bedroom, however, he turned a quick half circle before falling over, ran straight into the wardrobe or fell over immediately and lay there wiggling about as the rear wheel spent its momentum and whirred to a stop.
Probably one of the most important factors in the success of the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle was that it was pretty sturdy. After all, what use would the toy have been if it broke after the first or second amazing housebound stunt! During its early years the Evel Knievel stunt range was available from around £7.50 to £9.95. As well as the Evel Knievel Stunt Cycle, there were also a few different other bikes and cars in the stunt range including a Evel Knievel Chopper, Scramble Van, Dragster (that came with a parachute to slow the vehicle down) and a Sky Cycle.
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FLM said:
I had a Stunt Cycle when I was a kid, but I think I broke it... otherwise I'd give it to my kids!
Tuesday September 9, 2008, 03:57 PM
Lesley said:
My brother had one of these but would never let me near it.
Thursday October 2, 2008, 12:47 PM
alex stewart said:
would you know of any places i could buy this
Wednesday July 1, 2009, 01:07 PM
Lesley said:
I think I saw a replica of these in Hawkins Bazaar, they are not original but almost the same packaging etc.
Monday July 6, 2009, 01:18 PM
jocelyn said:
I have one of these to sell and the Dragster anyone interested?
Wednesday October 28, 2009, 11:55 AM
mary said:
hi jocelyn, how much are you selling them for. if you still have them.
Thursday December 3, 2009, 06:08 PM
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