From 1916: Get a FREE Gocycle (silly hat not included)

This is another dandy advertisement from the August 1916 issue of Little Folks, a magazine for children.¹ (Back in February, I featured an item about Friend Soap and free baseball outfits.)

The Gocycle is what we would call the scooter or kick scooter these days. (Sarah loves riding her Razor.)

It's amusing to read the extensive advertising copy, which explains how safe the oak-and-iron Gocycle is and how it will help encourage children of 1916 to put down those nasty books (or whatever is keeping them inside) and go get some fresh air and exercise:

• "The Gocycle is an entirely new departure from anything on the market and will take the place of roller skates, eliminating all danger and providing a much more exhilarating exercise."
• "One shove on a level floor, sidewalk or street glides the rider forward for a remarkably long distance."
• "It will be enjoyed by the children for its sport, and appreciated by parents because of the health-giving out-of-door exercise it stimulates."

Footnote
1. For a bit more on children's magazines of this era, see "Secular Magazines for Victorian Children" by Siobhan Lam.