My kids got to test the Cozy Coupe model,” he recalls. “Dad would take photos of them in the car to see how they fit into it.” Over the years, Cozy Coupe has been recognized as one of the most successful cars manufactured in the United States. In 2009, the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in Cleveland, which houses historically significant cars, airplanes and bicycles, acquired an original 1979 Cozy Coupe as well as a 30th anniversary edition for its collection. That was one of Jim Mariol’s proudest moments. Kirsty says her daughter Willow adored her surprise new wheels. “Our little girl absolutely loved her little car! We helped her in and she was grinning from ear to ear. She beeped the horn and turned the steering wheel, pretending to drive the car. Needless to say she did not want to get out!” There weren’t many moving toys for younger children,” she says. “Certainly none like the Big Wheel, which was designed for older kids. Cozy Coupe was an opportunity for little ones to experience what adults do. Kids love to mimic mom and dad. It was perfect for toddlers.” Old fashioned elbow grease, a couple of trips to Bunnings and a clever mum and dad have turned a bargain secondhand buy into a little girl’s dream first birthday present.

We painted the roof, the key ignition, the fuel cap, the steering wheel and the wheel centers with gloss white spray paint. Whilst they were drying, we taped around the car seat and sprayed that gloss white. We waited a day before doing any more to ensure it was dry. Kirsty and Caleb Northwood spent months planning their daughter’s special gift, after falling in love with the iconic Little Tikes Cozy Coupe car. In addition to the car and train, which was marketed in the 1980s, Mariol received patents for other popular toys he designed, including folding dollhouses with handles for carrying, activity sets, sand and water tables and the ever-popular Party Kitchen where little ones could practice their cooking skills. Before Cozy Coupe rolled off the assembly line, the inventor made sure the toy would be a perfect fit for young hands. John says his children were the “test dummies” to see if proportions were right for smaller bodies. The couple has been inundated with people asking how they completed their Little Tikes Cozy Coupe makeover.It took just a few months to go from drafting table to production. Soon after it turned up in stores in 1979, sales started to soar—first in the United States and then around the globe. By 1991, with an annual production of 500,000, Cozy Coupe was America’s top-selling automobile. Toddlers craved the cute car with a working door, trunk and independent rolling wheels. Even children who couldn’t walk squealed with delight as their parents pushed them around in it.

The little red car with the yellow roof that is propelled by foot power has been a hit with young children since its creation in 1979. Inventor Jim Mariol, who was granted a design patent for a “Toy Automobile” in 1982, was inspired to create the toy as he scooted around on his office chair one day. It was an “eureka” moment for the former automobile designer, who realized almost immediately that his functional yet fun car would be ideal for kids 18 months and older to scamper around in.We then taped the strip around the car and the front ‘V’ detail to spray gloss white. We waited another day for this to dry as well. Once dry, we placed tape around the car again to spray the bottom half candy pink spray paint.” Mariol blazed a trail into a new market for the toy industry. Prior to Cozy Coupe, there were few large toys that toddlers could enjoy. Most were smaller handheld playthings that didn’t provide the mobility of a foot-powered car. According to Michelle Parnett-Dwyer, curator of toys and dolls at the National Toy Hall of Fame, it was the right product at the right time.