The very first buggy was designed by William Kent in
1733. His design caught on in high society, and the buggy started
appearing in the societies highest social circles. These buggy's were
quite decorative, and really considered works of art.
As time
went on, the buggy was redesigned to have handles. This was where the
buggy took its first step towards convenience for the parent rather
than amusement for the child.
On June 18, 1889, William H.
Richardson walked into a patent office with an idea that changed the
design of a stroller forever. He made several changes to the axles. One
of these changes was allowing each wheel to turn separately, allowing
for a much smaller turn radius. Before his changes, the front wheels
and back wheels turned together, requiring a large radius for turning
around. One of his other ideas was for a special joint that allowed the
bassinet to face outward or toward the person pushing; essentially
creating the first reversible stroller. Many of his ideas are still in
use in strollers today.
Shortly after World War I, there was a
baby boom. Manufacturers took advantage of this boom, and the stroller
market exploded as a result. It was during this time that safety recall
really became an issue, and safety features were added. The footbrake
became standard for all strollers, the basket in which the child was
held became deeper (thus more difficult to escape from) and the
stroller itself was made shorter, so that children who did escape their
strollers would have a shorter trip to the hard ground below.
In
1965, Owen Mclaren developed the first lightweight aluminum buggy that
could fold into a more compact shape after listening to his daughters
concerns about her large, awkward buggy. Because this stroller would be
transporting his grandchild, he made sure it could safely handle the
load placed on it. His design modernized the baby buggy into what we
commonly see as the stroller today.
The most recent renovation of
the stroller took place in 1980 by Phil Baechler. He was a running
enthusiast. He felt the plastic wheels on his child's stroller would
never withstand the running trips he planned. He decided to replace the
plastic wheels with bicycle wheels. After a couple renovations of his
design, the three wheeled jogging stroller was born.
From Kent in the 1700's to Baechler in 1980, strollers have really come a long way.