Mechanical bank:The Original Big Wheel Action Coin Bank

In the 1960s, Ray Lohr, designer Louis Marx & Co., took apart a tricycle, mixed up the parts, and reassembled them into an upside down trike that handled like a race car. The new kind of trike owed its novelty and high performance to its design. On old steel tricycles, the rider perched on a seat above the drive wheel-and pitched over on sharp turns. And traditional tricycles did not have much speed. But the Big Wheel rode only a few inches off the pavement, allowing high-speed skid-outs on slanted or uneven surfaces. Molded plastic construction cushioned the jolts. Kids on Big Wheels sought out bumps, corners, and pavements where they could pick up speed. Even older children thrilled at the g-forces. Big Wheel also gave them mobility along with a measure of independence. This mechanical bank plays on the ongoing popularity of the Big Wheel design.