Comfy Lawn Mower of the Future
This lawnmower would have come straight out of The Jetsons if only the Jetsons had a front lawn at all. The Simplicity Manufacturing Company built this futuristic machine, called the Wonderboy X-100, in 1957. Though not practical for everyday use, it was the flagship machine of Simplicity’s first offering of riding lawn mowers to the public. The mower was featured on the 1958 cover of Mechanix Illustrated and had a five-foot diameter plastic sphere that allowed the rider to sit on an air foam cushioned seat. The machine had an electric generating system to operate running lights, a radio telephone, air conditioning, and even a cooling system for a chilled drink on a hot day. Simplicity promoted it as a lawnmower, weed remover, fertilizer spreader, insecticide sprayer, snow plow, and equipment hauler.