Cozy Coupe
Riding Toys
1979 (manufactured)
1979 (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The Cozy Coupe is a red ride-on car with a yellow roof, propelled by foot power, designed for children between the ages of eighteen months and five years old.
The ride-on car has been a highly desirable children’s toy almost since the invention of the automobile, with the first steel pedal-cars appearing around 1890. Young V&A's earliest collection examples of such ride-on cars are the Triang/Lines Brothers pedal car from the early 1920s (MISC.56-1969), and a photograph of a young boy in a pedal car from 1912 (MISC.2-1985). The Cozy Coupe distinguished itself from these heavy, expensive and complex ride-on cars in several ways:
First, the Cozy Coupe was easier for younger children to play with. The lightweight plastic structure and lack of complex pedals meant that children who struggled to operate the traditional metal pedal-car could drive around outside beside older children.
Second, it was more affordable and durable. Little Tikes were an early adopter of use of rotationally moulded polypropene for the manufacture of children’s toys. Rotational moulding produced a cheaper, lighter, and more durable product than the traditional complex metal pedal car. The ability of rotational moulding to reproduce large, complex shapes allowed the car to consist of very few parts, meaning less assembly time and a more durable final product, perfect for an outdoor toy. In 2016, Little Tikes expanded their rotational moulding business, setting up a division called LT Molding Solutions which provides rotational moulding design, consultation, and production services to external clients.
Finally, the Cozy Coupe was not modelled to look like a distinct car, a choice which has allowed the design to remain contemporary. Instead, it adopted a curved cartoonish shape with bright primary colours, pulling inspiration from the VW beetle and the car from the cartoon 1960s animation The Flintstones. Despite its simplicity the Cozy Coupe also mimicked the features of an ‘adult’ car. The driver climbs in through an opening door and sits in an enclosed cabin with a steering wheel and a working horn, a clicking ignition switch and an open-and-close fuel cap. The roof was deemed to be a particularly important part of the design, meaning that children felt secure, enclosed, and independent – sitting ‘in’ the car rather than sitting ‘on’.
The ride-on car has been a highly desirable children’s toy almost since the invention of the automobile, with the first steel pedal-cars appearing around 1890. Young V&A's earliest collection examples of such ride-on cars are the Triang/Lines Brothers pedal car from the early 1920s (MISC.56-1969), and a photograph of a young boy in a pedal car from 1912 (MISC.2-1985). The Cozy Coupe distinguished itself from these heavy, expensive and complex ride-on cars in several ways:
First, the Cozy Coupe was easier for younger children to play with. The lightweight plastic structure and lack of complex pedals meant that children who struggled to operate the traditional metal pedal-car could drive around outside beside older children.
Second, it was more affordable and durable. Little Tikes were an early adopter of use of rotationally moulded polypropene for the manufacture of children’s toys. Rotational moulding produced a cheaper, lighter, and more durable product than the traditional complex metal pedal car. The ability of rotational moulding to reproduce large, complex shapes allowed the car to consist of very few parts, meaning less assembly time and a more durable final product, perfect for an outdoor toy. In 2016, Little Tikes expanded their rotational moulding business, setting up a division called LT Molding Solutions which provides rotational moulding design, consultation, and production services to external clients.
Finally, the Cozy Coupe was not modelled to look like a distinct car, a choice which has allowed the design to remain contemporary. Instead, it adopted a curved cartoonish shape with bright primary colours, pulling inspiration from the VW beetle and the car from the cartoon 1960s animation The Flintstones. Despite its simplicity the Cozy Coupe also mimicked the features of an ‘adult’ car. The driver climbs in through an opening door and sits in an enclosed cabin with a steering wheel and a working horn, a clicking ignition switch and an open-and-close fuel cap. The roof was deemed to be a particularly important part of the design, meaning that children felt secure, enclosed, and independent – sitting ‘in’ the car rather than sitting ‘on’.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Cozy Coupe (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Rotational-moulded polypropylene, metal |
| Brief description | Ride-on toy car, 'Cozy Coupe', Little Tikes (USA), designed and manufactured 1979, rotationally moulded polypropene |
| Physical description | A ride-on children's car. The car's body is a composite of several rotationally moulded polypropene elements - a red base with seat, a yellow roof, and black tubes framing the 'window'. Four black rotationally moulded wheels are attatched onto a metal frame at the base of the car, and are controlled by a black rotationally moulded wheel in the 'interior' of the car. The Cozy Coupe was originally sold with headlight decals and other decorative stickers, however this example was not acquired with any. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Gift of the manufacturer |
| Object history | This Cozy Coupe is a 1979 edition, one of the first produced by Little Tikes. The car was gifted to the V&A by Little Tikes and sourced via their UK public relations firm Carousel PR. The curators approached Carousel PR in early 2021 with the intention of acquiring an early example of the Cozy Coupe to be displayed in the new YV&A Design gallery. |
| Historical context | The Cozy Coupe was designed by Jim Mariol (1939-2020), who spent the first years of his career as a car parts designer for Chrysler. After leaving Chrysler in the early 1970s, he and a university friend set up the Design Alliance studio in Ohio. It was here that Mariol designed an affordable foot-powered pedal car, inspired by a moveable toy box he had made for his son and from pushing himself around in his office chair. In 1979, Mariol approached Ohio based toy manufacturer Little Tikes with the design, which the company later named the Cozy Coupe. The design of the Cozy Coupe has been adjusted several times since the original design of 1979. In 1991, the A-pillars changed to yellow, the moulded seat design was altered, and the black wheels became white. In 2003, the proportions of the car changed significantly: the roof shrank, the A-pillars grew significantly, and larger front wheels raised the car higher off the ground. The headlight decals on the bonnet were also rounded, to give the car an anthropomorphic appearance. In 2009, the anthropomorphism of the Cozy Coupe was accentuated, with cartoon eyes and a smile added to the bonnet. However, the fundamentals of the design have remained the same. |
| Summary | The Cozy Coupe is a red ride-on car with a yellow roof, propelled by foot power, designed for children between the ages of eighteen months and five years old. The ride-on car has been a highly desirable children’s toy almost since the invention of the automobile, with the first steel pedal-cars appearing around 1890. Young V&A's earliest collection examples of such ride-on cars are the Triang/Lines Brothers pedal car from the early 1920s (MISC.56-1969), and a photograph of a young boy in a pedal car from 1912 (MISC.2-1985). The Cozy Coupe distinguished itself from these heavy, expensive and complex ride-on cars in several ways: First, the Cozy Coupe was easier for younger children to play with. The lightweight plastic structure and lack of complex pedals meant that children who struggled to operate the traditional metal pedal-car could drive around outside beside older children. Second, it was more affordable and durable. Little Tikes were an early adopter of use of rotationally moulded polypropene for the manufacture of children’s toys. Rotational moulding produced a cheaper, lighter, and more durable product than the traditional complex metal pedal car. The ability of rotational moulding to reproduce large, complex shapes allowed the car to consist of very few parts, meaning less assembly time and a more durable final product, perfect for an outdoor toy. In 2016, Little Tikes expanded their rotational moulding business, setting up a division called LT Molding Solutions which provides rotational moulding design, consultation, and production services to external clients. Finally, the Cozy Coupe was not modelled to look like a distinct car, a choice which has allowed the design to remain contemporary. Instead, it adopted a curved cartoonish shape with bright primary colours, pulling inspiration from the VW beetle and the car from the cartoon 1960s animation The Flintstones. Despite its simplicity the Cozy Coupe also mimicked the features of an ‘adult’ car. The driver climbs in through an opening door and sits in an enclosed cabin with a steering wheel and a working horn, a clicking ignition switch and an open-and-close fuel cap. The roof was deemed to be a particularly important part of the design, meaning that children felt secure, enclosed, and independent – sitting ‘in’ the car rather than sitting ‘on’. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.97-2022 |
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| Record created | April 30, 2021 |
| Record URL |
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