Behind the Wheel of the Cozy Coupe


Little Tikes Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Car

In 2008, The Little Tikes Company sold 457,000 Cozy Coupes, making it the best-selling car in America. It even edged out Toyota Camry sales by 20,000. In fact, over the past 30 years, children have taken joy rides in more than 10 million of the little plastic vehicles. Here’s the skinny on what keeps this classic rolling off assembly lines.

ONE MAN’S VISION

Back in 1947, when he was still in college, Jim Mariol was designing car parts for Chrysler when he realized that he wanted to create a look entirely his own. It took more than 30 years, but in 1979, he made that dream come true. Mariol teamed up with Little Tykes and pitched his idea for a toy car that kids could power with their feet, Fred Flintstone-style. (The inspiration came from rolling around his office in a desk chair.) Little Tykes loved the concept and, within four years, its total sales skyrocketed from $15 million to nearly $43 million. The company has been raking it in ever since.

ONE WORD: PLASTICS

Part of the secret behind the car’s longevity is a manufacturing process called rotational molding. A plastic polymer is poured into a hollow mold, which is then heated and spun in multiple directions. As the plastic cools, it solidifies into a tough, durable shell. This might seem like a tree-hugger’s nightmare, but the cars are made using Code 4 plastic, which is easy to recycle. (Just drive it to the curb!) Still, Cozy Coupes are so durable that most are reused the old-fashioned way—handed down from one generation of little drivers to the next.

PIMP MY KID’S RIDE


By Hemi*Housewife | More at Craftster

If you’re not into the classic red-and-yellow look, there are plenty of other options. In the early 1990’s sales for the Cozy Coupe dipped, so the company expanded its line to include fire trucks, police cars, convertibles, and the popular pink-and-purple “Princess Coupe.” But if the expanded line doesn’t do it for you, there’s also a growing subculture of parents who soup up their kids cars on weekends, adding custom paint jobs, plush interiors, and even LCD screens.

HOOD WINKS

Last year, the 1979 model Cozy Coupe received a makeover for the 30th Anniversary Edition. It now comes equipped with cup holders and a handle on the roof, which parents can pull if the driver gets tuckered out. But the most obvious facelift is, well, a face. Two cartoon eyes and a toothy grin have been added to the hood. In June, the 1979 model and the 30th Anniversary Edition became part of the permanent collection of the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, taking their rightful place next to the Delorean, the Chevy Corvette, and the Model-T Ford.

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The article above, written by Rob Lammle, appeared in the Jan - Feb 2010 issue of mental_floss magazine. It is reprinted here with permission.

Don't forget to feed your brain by subscribing to the magazine and visiting mental_floss' extremely entertaining website and blog today!


I've been stuck inside one or two of those in my life!

I used to have a repeating bad-dream of being stuck inside one of those things shooting down a steep-hill near where I live - before waking up just before crashing into the railway arches.
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Am I the only one that hates the anniversary look? I wanted to get one for my son but I am hating on the face so bad I think I will find another car or head to a yard sale.
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Alex, you wrote, "handed doesn’t from one generation of little drivers to the next."

I think you mean, "handed down from one generation of little drivers to the next."

Thanks.
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I remember losing a toenail while in that thing. I'm pretty sure my sister did as well. Come to think of it everyone that ever played with one of these probably has been injured from it. It’s a great toy
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Zeezaxa, you most certainly are NOT the only one who hates the new version. The new one is worse than "New Coke", if you ask me.

Note to manufacturers: not every product marketed to children must be adorned with a cartoon face. A lot of kids prefer things that look "just like mom & dad's".
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Hate the new look. I was lucky enough to get my kids the previous generation. My 3 y.o. loves his and drives it whenever possible. I like the idea of the roof-mounted handle, but the rest of it bites.

Bring back the old coupe, with a handle, and leave it alone. Frisbee didn't add an MP3 player and slinky has no LED lights. Wanna add eyes and a goofy grin? Produce a second model, but leave the classic be.
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Awesome! My daughter got the 30th anniversary car for her 1st birthday last year.
I should also point out that you don't need to add the face to it....the mouth is a sticker and the eyes are a separate piece....(I'm not fond of the face either).
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Personally I dont mind the face that much. Uusally my son's are zooming around so fast in their little tikes coupe that I dont really have time to do anything else but pick up the shattering picuture frames, hit and run 'cat' (yes this did actually happen!) and cleaning up the numerous after affects of these things! But they are great fun and keep my kids busy for hours on end.
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