American National Co, Giant & American Toys

American National of Toledo, OH was formed in 1917 by the merger of two companies: American Metal Wheel Co & National Wheel Co. They both specialized in manufacturing wheels for various items including strollers, wheelchairs, wagons and more. They quickly added pedal cars to their lineup and were very well known for their quality and realistic looks compared to real automobiles of the time. American National entered into the pressed steel pull truck category in 1926 and continued through 1928. These were branded both as “Giant” and “American” and you will see identical trucks bearing these different decals. In some instances, the colors vary by branding. It is believed that American National purchased the dies to manufacture these toys from Toledo Metal Wheel Co. They had been producing identical trucks under the Toledo “Bulldog” brand since 1925. Both of these companies stopped producing pull type trucks in 1928 and it is believed that the Gendron Wheel Co, also of Toledo purchased their dies and began making their own line of trucks under the Gendron “Sampson” brand. The Gendron trucks utilized essentially the same truck beds but introduced a completely new modern cab design. You can find out more about them by clicking on Gendron in the manufacturer list.