On December 31st, 1967, Evel Knievel made his not so successful jump over the fountains at Ceasers Palace. The popularity of this new dare devil struck a cord with the american public, and Ideal soon signed Evel to a contract. Ideal designers began working on what would later be called the "Gyro Powered Motor". An ingenious design which required no batteries, yet could propel the Stunt Cycle at break neck speeds. When the Stunt Cycle made its debut in 1973, it sold out in no time! With the success of the Stunt Cycle, Ideal decided to make an entire toy line based on Evel Knievel. Soon store shelves were packed with Scramble Vans, Trail Bikes and many other Evel Knievel related toys.
By 1977 Ideal had grossed over $350,000,000 on the E.K. toy line and was credited with saving the failing toy market. The future looked bright for Ideal and Evel, but soon it would come to an abrupt end. Upset over allegations printed in a book, Evel decided to confront the author with a baseball bat. After Evel's arrest, Ideal thought it was in their best interest to cancel their contract with Evel. Production was immediately halted and stores cleared out their remaining merchandise.
Although the E.K. line was about the most successful toy line in history, virtually no information exists on it today. A few websites contain brief mentions or photographs, but nothing indepth. This website was created to honor the most beloved toy in american history and provide the most indepth information for collectors and fans alike. Did you know that there are over 10 different variations of the Stunt Cycle alone? Or that some other Ideal toys were made from the E.K. molds? The E.K. line contains just as much history as it does fun. So why not takes a few minutes out of your busy schedule and go back to a simpler time when all we had to worry about was losing the Stunt Cycle down the sewer!
By 1977 Ideal had grossed over $350,000,000 on the E.K. toy line and was credited with saving the failing toy market. The future looked bright for Ideal and Evel, but soon it would come to an abrupt end. Upset over allegations printed in a book, Evel decided to confront the author with a baseball bat. After Evel's arrest, Ideal thought it was in their best interest to cancel their contract with Evel. Production was immediately halted and stores cleared out their remaining merchandise.
Although the E.K. line was about the most successful toy line in history, virtually no information exists on it today. A few websites contain brief mentions or photographs, but nothing indepth. This website was created to honor the most beloved toy in american history and provide the most indepth information for collectors and fans alike. Did you know that there are over 10 different variations of the Stunt Cycle alone? Or that some other Ideal toys were made from the E.K. molds? The E.K. line contains just as much history as it does fun. So why not takes a few minutes out of your busy schedule and go back to a simpler time when all we had to worry about was losing the Stunt Cycle down the sewer!
A Little History On Ideals Evel Knievel Toy Line...
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