Buddy L is an American toy brand and company founded in 1920 by Fred Lundahl as the Buddy L Toy Company in East Moline, Illinois. The all-steel products were pressed into toy cars, dump trucks, delivery vans, fire engines, construction equipment, and trains. The Lundahl's first and only child, Arthur, was nicknamed "Buddy L" to differentiate him from another neighborhood boy named Buddy. I imagine Arthur was the envy of the neighborhood as his doting father constructed numerous toy vehicles for him, some of which were large enough to sit upon and propel with his feet. Lundahl persuaded Marshall Field and FAO Schwarz to carry his line, which did very well until the Depression. He then sold the company and it has bounced around between different owners ever since, distancing itself from its original realism with each venture.
Note: The 1960 steel Buddy L pickup truck/camper pictured is identical to one I had. The active front spring suspension was mighty impressive. The hard plastic camper could be removed if one chose to do so. Eventually, I did so.
