50 years Bobby Car: A ride-on car for generations

For many it is the first car of their life in which they can fight for glory on 4 wheels. First, sitting, later kneeling and as an adult lying down, the Bobby-Car inspires millions of young and old today. But this fame was not instilled in him from the beginning.

First an ugly duckling

The new children's slide car was presented in 1972 at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. It was invented by the toy manufacturer Ernst Bettag in the neighboring city of Fürth. His company was called BIG and so the new toy was given an English name: "Bobby Car", which translated into German means "rocking car".

The English name was deliberately chosen for an international career, because at that time there were only tricycles for small children. The Franconian wood sculptor Christian Meyer put the idea for this first set of wheels for small children into practice. But the hoped-for success did not materialize at first. The Bobby Car looked like a vintage car and was hardly inspiring. Even company boss Ernst Bettag described it as an "ugly duckling".

But then the ergonomics convinced

The Bobby Car is a small child's first set of wheels and is often the ideal present for their first birthday. In the signal color red, it naturally excites the children. But it is the ergonomic functionality that helped him achieve his breakthrough. Driving a bobby car is used to train the correct posture. It has a positive effect on the growth and especially the development of children's joints. This was scientifically proven back in the 1990s. Numerous kindergartens have been equipped with bobby cars for study purposes. It is used therapeutically for hip dislocations. In the past, children often had to wear spreader pants.

Always made in Germany

The little runabout was produced by the toy manufacturer BIG in Fürth right from the start. But a major fire in 1998 destroyed the factory. A new production site was then set up in Burghaslach above the A3 autobahn, halfway between Würzburg and Nuremberg. Here, around 140 employees still produce 2,000 Bobby Cars every day. It has now sold more than 20 million copies.

Meanwhile not only the classic, but also more than 100 special models - some even "tuned" by star designers. However, nothing may be changed on the body. It is made from 1.5 kilograms of thermoplastic material. The red polyethylene granules are softened with hot air and blown into shape. This always enables consistent, first-class quality. Plastic leftovers from this production process are recycled and made into wheels. In the meantime, especially low-noise ones, because whisper-quiet tires were a long-awaited wish for many fans.

A Bobby Car for all ages

Anyone who had a Bobby Car as a child will not forget it as an adult either. As a teenager you kneel on it and conquer fame on 4 wheels. As an adult you usually lie on it and race it in countless championships, even a world championship. The little racer reaches up to 80 kilometers per hour downhill without a drive. The world record with a converted bobby car is 119 km/h. However, braking is always done with the feet like in the original. That's why racing pros usually wear shoes with soles made of car tires.

Today in the Olympus of German brands

The Bobby-Car enjoys cult status today and is synonymous with children's push-along cars. Similar to Tesa, Tempo or Uhu, it has secured a permanent place in the German Olympus of brand names. It is, it is often said, the Ferrari of toys. That's why even the automotive industry congratulated the Bobby Car on its 50th birthday. Quite envious, according to the comments on social networks, because unlike many big ones, the little speedster is absolutely emission-free and therefore quite climate-friendly.

50 years ago the Bobby Car was presented for the first time at the toy fair in Nuremberg. Back then, no one could have guessed how successful the Fürth toys would become. Because initially the Bobby Car threatened to become a slow seller.

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