When I was younger I thought my red wagon was the coolest thing since sliced bread. It was the only vehicle I needed, but apparently current car manufacturers have a different idea and are taking aim at your kids!
Over at NotCot, they've taken a look around their local auto show and it was a doozy. Not only were there glamorous cars to ogle, there were these smaller pint-size versions as well.
Now I'm all for cool stuff, but I'm guessing these vehicles will take the same spills and rough and tumble falls down the driveway or neighbor's backyard and wonder if they'll be worth their cost. Although I don't know the price yet, I'm guessing they won't cost the same as my red wagon did. Would you buy a matching kid's car that went alongside your own? Do you need dualing Audis? Check out more images over at NotCot.
(image: NotCot)
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I have the Porsche bobby car and a 'normal' red bobby car for my daughter (22 months). And guess what? She prefers the normal one by far! Mainly because it is slimmer than the Porsche car which makes it a lot easier to ride... I hope she'll be able to use the Porsche car when she is a little taller - it is daddy's dream that his little girl drives a Porsche as well ;-)
The previous comment illustrates my point perfectly. Children could care less about an emblem in their car - a toy car is made of plastic, no matter what the emblem is. These products appeal to the egos of males that love their cars. I like several good cars, I do not own a car and could care less if I never drive one till the day I die, BUT, there are parents out there that a car is their other baby... so they have to inflict this onto their children and the manufacturers are catering to that...
Only the parents will ever care about this sort of thing, being that they're obviously made for toddlers who just don't understand this sort of thing yet. I drive an old Saturn anyways, so not only will there never be a car to match mine, but also, hopefully my lack of interest in flashy cars will rub off on my son! I'm sure that he'll never look back at his early photo albums and say "Jeez, mom, you made me drive a brandless ride on car? Thanks for nothing". :P
I think they're pretty adorable, but would not bother. Most toddlers would not know or care about the difference. But I do understand that it's fun for some parents whose interests are things like cars. This could ring true for many childrens' products, really. Our interests are going to rub off on our children as we are their prime examples.
@Anusha73 I'd be careful throwing around the statement "These products appeal to the egos of males that love their cars.". While this is true, it's not just males with egos. It's adults with affinities for certain things. There are plenty of people (male & female alike) who enjoy all things cars.
I'm a chick and I like cars!
That baby Audi is awesome. Love the little passenger wagon it pulls behind it.
My Dad works for BMW and surprised us with a little ride on BMW about four years ago. We've had several ride on toys in that time but they have all come and gone (including a Fisher Price that snapped right in half and left a huge cut on my baby's forehead). It has a nice little (non obnoxious) horn, lights (even blinkers) and most importantly it drives great. The biggest problem with it is keeping the BIG kids off- everyone wants to ride this guy! Our kids know to take care of and respect it and I like that as well. It's trite but you really do get what you pay for. That said, would I fork out the cash for this myself? Nope! But I've loved EVERY minute of it (and am confident they'll be many, many more to come!)
My son has a Porsche and he loves it - it was a gift for when he turned 2 so I have no idea how much it cost. He knew many car brands even before and it was a huuuge deal for him that it was a Porsche.
How is this different from parents making little "mini-me's" out of their kids in other respects, like having them wear favorite rock band shirts that the toddler obviously doesn't understand or even making them actively participate in activities that are near and dear to the parent like camping.
I think this is cute. A hefty price tag always makes it a bigger deal, but parents wanting to instill in their kids parts of themselves and things that hold meaning to them is just part of parenting. Yes, cars are a materialistic thing, but it means a lot to some people. Why not use is as just another opportunity to expose your kid to another thing that you find of value? Are you a more shallow adult because you drive the real version of these things? Possibly. But not necessarily.