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Cheryl Georg
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October 16, 2007 - DFW, TX Children around the world may be eagerly awaiting Santas arrival on December 24, but at DFW Elite Toy Museum.com, the jolly old man has already arrived. Whether theyve been naughty or nice, visitors to the museum can enjoy a rare glimpse of Santa Claus behind the wheel instead of at the reins.


One of the things that is unique about this toy is that Santa is driving, comments Rodney Ross, curator of DFW Elite Toy Museum.com. You never see him driving anything but a sleigh, so this Tippco Santa car is certainly unusual.


But thats not all thats unusual about this foot-long tin car, which was produced in 1928 by German toy giant Tippco. A leader in tin cars, Tippco or Tipp & Co., as it is sometimes called manufactured the clockwork-driven Christmas car from 1925 until 1935. True to the times and the culture, the Santa portrayed in the car is a slimmer and more serious Saint Nick than our contemporary American incarnations. The antique Santa cars makers added such details as spoked wheels, Dunlop Cord tires, and black mudguards and running boards.


The lithographed finish on both sides of the vehicle depicts a parade of toys, and the Christmas tree mounted on the back was designed to light up.


That made it quite a luxurious toy back in 1928, notes Ron Sturgeon, owner of DFW Elite Toy Museum.com. They also had versions of the Santa car that allowed the Christmas tree to rotate as the car moved, so this really was quite a toy for its time.


Sturgeon has owned the exceedingly rare car for about 10 years. Its one of about 3,000 pieces in the museum, which began as a personal collection and just kept growing. With Christmas on the way and toys on the brain, theres never been a better time to visit the toy museum, Ross says.


Everyone who comes in, young and old, gets a big kick out of visiting our Fort Worth toy museum, he says. Parents get especially excited we hear, Man, I wanted that car when I was a kid or I used to have that one, but my mom threw it away It makes people remember the toys they had growing up. Its very cool to see how people respond to seeing all these vintage toys.


The Tippco Santa car can be seen along with the other rare and antique toy cars in the Toy Museum inside DFW Elite Auto Rental at 5940 Eden in Fort Worth. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, with weekend hours by appointment. In Fort Worth, call 817.838.RENT (7368); in Dallas call 214.247.4700. For more information, visit them online at www.DFWEliteAutoRental.com.
 
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