The Virtual Pram Museum's Carriage Gallery

Carriage-Stroller Combinations

In the 1940s and 1950s, several manufacturers made multifunctional systems for the nursery. The least elaborate of these were fairly simple stroller/carriage (or sometimes, in the '50s, stroller/carriage/car seat combinations), but several manufacturers developed elaborate lines which offered nearly everything but a nursery sink. The best-known of these were probably Stroll-O-Chair (later known as Babyland) and Babee-Tenda. Babyland has only recently gone out of business; The Pram Museum is fortunate to own a complete set of fixtures from the line sold in the 1990s.

The combination sold by Welsh is the one most people are familiar with. Such stroller/carriage combinations were widely manufactured and sold in the USA in the '50s. '60s, and into the '70s. Sears and J.C. Penney offered models in their catalogs, and they were standard stock in baby stores.

Babyhood Combination, USA (1990s)

	Babyhood, Carriage Version Babyhood's carriage was the flagship of its nursery line. The carriage body and base unsnapped from the wheeled frame to make a bassinet. With the base unsnapped, the body could be used as a car bed -- a practice which, fortunately, stopped once use of dynamically-tested car seats became mandatory. The carriage came with a removable hood and a storm shield. The wheels remove, the carriage bed collapses for travel or storage, and the frame folds. Our model is a dark blue velour.
	Babyhood Stroller Version The stroller, based on the carriage frame, consisted of a seat with various removable and adjustable parts. A fringed summer canopy kept the baby comfortable in summer. Originally, this seat was usable as a car seat, but more recently Babyland sold a separate, dynamically-tested seat which also snapped into the wheeled frame. The Pram Museum has both seats in grey vinyl.
	Babyhood Twin Stroller Version A frame accessory, available for $75.00 in the mid-1990s, combined with a second stroller seat, turned the standard wheeled frame into a stroller for two. The Pram Museum has twin seats in burgundy, but, unfortunately, did not acquire the twin frame accessory before Babyhood went out of business.
	Babyhood Table and Chair Version Snapping the stroller seat out of its wheeled frame allowed parents to use the seat by itself or anchored under the table top to make a high chair -- a separate, traditional high chair tray attached to the sides of the seat. Babyhood also provided a device which allowed the chair to be locked to the table when both seat and table were on the floor, and table and seat could be used independently, too. The table top tilted forward to allow for art play.

 

Welsh E-Z-Fold, USA (1950s)

	E-Z-Fold Carriage Version This combination is the most common type. The big, roomy carriage bed can be collapsed flat, and has a full hood with a convertible sunshade. The carriage bed would have been used as a 'car bed' in the '50s, and as a travelling bassinet. Our version is medium blue vinyl, with a white winyl interior. Wheels are large, spoked, and tires are black rubber.
	E-Z-Fold Stroller Version A separate stroller seat snaps onto the carriage frame. A steel foot tray (part of the support for the carriage bed) folds down, and the summer canopy snaps into the handle. The canopy and seat match the carriage body.

Pedigree (England)

This unusual Pedigeree carriage has an elliptically shaped carriage body, though the color, trim, hood and apron are as traditional as they could be. Lift off the carriage body and there's another surprise: a full-sized stroller! (Note the footrest at an angle on the left just behind the wheel.) Heavy and bulky, neither version is very portable, but the beautiful suspension and large wheels make this one of the smoothest-riding prams around.

Top

Home Page

   © 2000 . All rights reserved.