A big wheel is a low-riding tricycle, usually made of plastic, with an oversized front wheel. Introduced by Louis Marx and Company in 1969 and manufactured in Girard, Pennsylvania, the big wheel was a very popular toy in the 1970s in the United States, partly because of its low cost and partly because consumer groups said it was a safer alternative to the traditional tricycle or bicycle. It was marketed primarily to boys between eight and ten years of age, and thus significantly bigger and older than with traditional tricycles.