Viktor Makes the News

Stories appear in Journal of Electronic Defense, Toy Shop, and Bicycle Retailer

As Vik turns the corner on his 99th year and heads into the milestone stretch of his 100th year, his artistic legacy is increasingly appreciated in consumer and trade publications. The Viktor Schreckengost Foundation tracks this media attention and may report articles of interest to collectors and fans. This month, articles on Viktor appear in the Journal for Electronic Defense, Toy Shop, and Bicycle Retailer and Industry News magazines.

The Journal of Electronic Defense recognizes Viktor’s contributions to military defense technology during World War II ("Viktor Schreckengost: Sculptor, Patriot," May 2005 issue, pp. 36-38; www.jedonline.com ). The article describes in great detail the artist’s development of a radar recognition program for the Navy and his invention of "techniques for producing highly accurate topographical maps and terrain models based on stereometric aerial photography." Viktor’s success in these projects is attributed to his understanding of sculptural forms, as are his post-war assignments in voice transmission through static, body container design, artificial limb fitting, and an extraordinary exhibition on naval training and naval science at the New York Hall of Science. The article includes photos of a young Viktor Schreckengost at work on Navy projects.

Toy Shop pays homage to Viktor in "Living Legend: Influence of Pedal Car Designer Viktor Schreckengost Still Felt Today" (June 10, 2005, p. 12, www.toyshopmag.com ). "It was how he designed the pedal cars that made him such a luminary in the field," writes author Tom Batsch. "Schreckengost pioneered uni-body construction that allowed for inexpensive production. This made the products more affordable, rather than just luxury pieces for wealthy families. Some have compared Schreckengost to Henry Ford, only in the pedal car industry, with his low-cost mass-production methods." The article includes photos of the Fire Chief and Pursuit Plane pedal cars.

The June issue of Bicycle Retailer and Industry News acknowledged Viktor’s continuing influence on bicycle design in its article, "Schreckengost Inspires Many of Today’s Retro-look Models: The Million Bike Man" (June 1, 2005; Vol 9, p.39 by Chris Lesser). The article cites the fact that over one-fourth of Viktor’s patents are for bicycles, tricycles or pedal cars. "At the height of his career, Schreckengost was designing bikes under 108 different labels," reports Lesser. "Under his stewardship, Murray for a time became the largest maker of bicycles in the world. For more than 30 years he led all aspects of bicycle design for Murray." Viktor radically redesigned both the construction and appearance of bicycles. He made them "adaptable to mass production" with a modular manufacturing system that allowed one frame to be the base for 42 different designs. The timing for Murray (and for Viktor) couldn’t have been better. German and Japanese toymakers turned their attention toward military production for World War II. "The toy and bicycle business skyrocketed for a time and Schreckengost soon found himself designing nearly every product the company made outside of military contracts." Viktor’s sleek designs became the status quo. Lesser acknowledges the timeless appeal of Viktor’s bicycle "look" both in the article title and in his conclusion: "What is perhaps most striking about Schreckengost's designs is how well copied they are today by manufacturers hungry for the retro look."