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Longevity and greatness rarely go humanly together, but both are united in the life and lifework of Viktor Schreckengost. At age 94, he is one of the greatest industrial designers of the 20th century. A younger contemporary of Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes and Walter Dorwin Teague, Schreckengost is the last major surviving figure from the golden age of American industrial design. Over nearly 75 years, his creative skills touched on a variety of visual arts and design fields...His former students include current and former heads of major corporations and design firms including Ford Motor Company, Nissan, Fisher-Price and scores of others.
--"Viktor Schreckengost: An American Design Giant" by Mark Favermann, The Journal of Antiques and Collectibles, January 2001, pp 27-29
Millions of Americans have seen and used Mr. Schreckengost’s designs without ever knowing his name.... (Says Viktor,) "I think people will ask, 'Why did you do so many different things?'...But, why not?"
....Henry Adams, (curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art, which is hosting a retrospective exhibition on Viktor’s work), writes...that the phrase "industrial design" was not coined until 1927...."An amazing number of objects…did not exist until about a century ago....Other things…are utterly different....Few changes in human history have been so far-reaching and momentous as this change in 'ordinary objects.'"
--"A Glass Half Full: The Potter as Prodigious Pragmatist" by Jo Thomas, The New York Times, December 14, 2000, p 2E
"There would have been a 20th Century, even without Viktor Schreckengost. It just wouldn't have been as much fun to look at....At age 94, Schreckengost is finally getting his due....
It's hard to imagine a more diverse one-man show. The exhibition includes paintings, ceramic sculptures, dinnerware...bikes and toys, a lawn chair...(and) the first cab-over-engine truck.
"No one has put together that they were all designed by one person," says Henry Adams, curator of American painting (at the Cleveland Museum of Art)...."When pieces from Schreckengost's long career are brought together, similarities emerge, (such as)...the extraordinary clarity with which he gets to the essence of a problem--whether it's designing a new product or representing an animal."
--"From Punch Bowls to Fire Engines, This Designer Could Make Anything Fun" by John Affleck, Associated Press, *Chicago Tribune,* December 17, 2000, p 9
"Bicycle design is just a part of 99 year-old Viktor Schreckengost's long career as an industrial designer, but like every other facet of design he has touched, his impact has been substantial....
At the height of his career, Schreckengost was designing bikes under 108 different labels. 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....
What is perhaps most striking about Schreckengost's designs is how well copied they are today by manufacturers hungry for the retro look."
--"Schreckengost Inspires Many of Today’s Retro-look Models: The Million Bike Man" by Chris Lesser, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News, June 1, 2005; Vol 9, p 39
(Viktor Schreckengost’s)...creamy ivory china...makes him an all-American classic. Schreckengost's china is so typical of its time that…(an) American Girl doll (tea set from the 1940s)...is a copy of his "Flower Shop" pattern.
Schreckengost...explains...features of tableware he designed more than 50 years ago. The flat sides and tops on (some)...containers made them stackable and compact in refrigerators long before plastic containers were invented....(One) cup stands on three little legs but can still be stacked for storage. In 1956, it became the first teacup to receive a U.S. patent in more than 100 years because of its "dripless" design.....
"I designed these for men," Schreckengost said of the set, which has caveman drawings in biomorphic shapes...."There was never anything for men; it was always floral for women. Men liked these. But, of course, so did the women."
--"Designer Viktor Schreckengost beautified and bettered U.S. households for decades with his innovations" by Mary Abbe, Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), June 20, 2004, p 2F. Review of *Dinnerware Legacy of Viktor Schreckengost,* exhibition at Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, MN, June-July 2004.
American dinnerware...is enjoying a popularity spurt "and it’s not just Fiesta now," Ms. (Terry) Kovel says. Sought-after are mid-century pieces designed by…Viktor Schreckengost and his brother, Don, she says.
"Viktor was art director of 40 (pottery) factories and his Jazzville china...is an icon of the ‘30s," Ms. Kovel says. "Anything of his sells well."
--"Collectors think pink and politics" by Waltrina Stovall, The Dallas Morning News, January 26, 2001, p 1G
It was how he designed the pedal cars that made (Viktor Schreckengost) such a luminary in the field. 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.
--"Living Legend: Influence of Pedal Car Designer Viktor Schreckengost Still Felt Today" Toy Shop, June 10, 2005, p 12
A Murray Champion...was the quintessential pedal car - the kind you'd expect to see cruising around June Cleaver's neighbourhood.
The Champion was designed by Viktor Schreckengost...and...was the first to feature frameless monocoque construction. It came on the market in 1951 and was a huge success.
By the early 1990s, the ravages of time, rust and abuse had diminished the Champion's numbers dramatically. Collectors paid up to US$1,200 for restored versions.
Now, thanks to an American named Mike Burns, the Murray Champion has been returned to the children. You can buy a brand-new one...The reproductions are considerably better than the original and feature stronger pedal mechanisms, smoother mechanicals with nylon bushings and a lead-free powder coated finish.
--"Schreckengost's classic toy fire truck pedals to the past" by Peter Bleakney, Toronto Star, December 8, 2001, p 29
Yesterday's toy cars are today's hot collectibles....Aficionados not only include automotive fans...but also nostalgia buffs, toy collectors and investors....Most are men, age 18 to 65, on a hunt for toy cars produced from 1900 to 1975....
Until the late 1940s, pedal cars were purchased mainly by affluent parents for their children to play with on sidewalks and at home. In the 1920s, a simple pedal car might run $10 to $12…a significant purchase. A model "with all the bells and whistles" such as hand-brakes and breakaway windshield, could run $50 or more.
Most experts say Murray Ohio was the largest (pedal car manufacturer)....The Murray Champion, the company's top seller in 1951, frequently is one of the first cars in a collection. The cute car has a molded body and head and tail lights stamped in and painted on. It sold for about $14 in the '50s, and now commands $500 to $1,500.
And though boys and girls were featured in pedal car ads and toy catalogs, most pedal cars were powered by boys.
But Viktor Schreckengost, 93, designer of the Champion and chief designer for Murray from 1937-1971, recalls that in the 1950s, Murray produced some pedal cars with feminine appeal.
One was a turquoise station wagon. "It had an open area in back so kids could haul things around, and it had a Swiss music box that played 'Whistle while you work.' Murray got permission from Walt Disney to reproduce the song," says Schreckengost. "We also made a pink and white ice cream truck--girls loved it."
--"Fancy Foot Work: Vintage Pedal Cars get a Toehold with Collectors" by Judy Marcus. Chicago Tribune, January 23, 2000, p 1
Viktor's Contributions in the Navy during World War II
Viktor (Schreckengost) was a major figure in the development of radar recognition on behalf of the US Navy during World War II.
(When Viktor joined the Navy)...radar had just been developed…The challenge of interpreting (signals) had not yet been mastered....Viktor...(came) up with a system of radar recognition that would predict the image radar will produce if it hit a plane of a particular type. Viktor also carried out practical experiments to determine the range of radar.
Viktor's (talents were put to use during)...the Battle of the Bulge. The US radar was not functioning properly, so Viktor was hurriedly flown to France....His help was needed to get the troops to read the radar returns properly and resite malfunctioning radar installations so that they would work. After a harrowing flight to Europe through blinding snow, he was sent out to the front. He quickly discovered that US forces were half-blind because of the way they had placed their radar….An exposed position was often vulnerable to enemy fire, and a thoroughly camouflaged one, hidden behind a screen of trees, was completely useless. The trick was to clear away the trees and other obstacles just enough to get a full image but still leave the site relatively protected.
--"Viktor Schrekengost: Sculptor, Patriot." Journal of Electronic Defense, May 2005, pp 36-38
Viktor's Influence as a Teacher
Over the past 70 years, there have been a number of graduates (from the Cleveland Institute of Art) who’ve made significant contributions to automobile and transportation design. Beginning with the double-decker bus and cab-over-engine designs of Viktor Schreckengost...(the list includes) George Walker, Betty Thatcher, Theodore Ornas, Gerald Hirschberg, Bob Barnes, Bruce Youngs, Dabid Ross, and Pat Murray....(Giuseppe Delena, chief designer at Ford Motor Company and a 1978 graduate of the Institute’s industrial design program) noted that nearly all of these designers studied under Schreckengost while students at the Institute. After describing the design lessons he and countless others learned through such assignments as Schreckengost's “dinnerware project,” Delena acknowledged him as one of the greatest influence on generations of designers.
--"Alum lectures on Industrial Designer’s legacy." LINK [Cleveland Institute of Art magazine], Vol 32, Issue 2, p 6
Schreckengost mural in Sebring