Cozy Coupe

Last updated

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe
Cozy Coupe Owners Club Meeting.... (32162355021).jpg
Multiple Cozy Coupe models and accessory gas pumps at Haynes International Motor Museum
Overview
ManufacturerLittle Tikes
Model years 1979-present
Designer Jim Mariol
Body and chassis
Class Toy car
Body style No door step-inside
Powertrain
Engine No engine, leg powered
PropulsionHybrid, operator leg powered or push from behind

The Cozy Coupe is a red and yellow toy car manufactured and distributed by Little Tikes, an American manufacturer of children's toys based in Hudson, Ohio. [1]

Contents

Design

The car's design, described as "a cross between a Volkswagen Beetle and Fred Flintstone's vehicle", was created by Jim Mariol of Cincinnati-based Design Alliance, who had worked as a designer at Chrysler starting in 1952 and engineered by Shirish Patel, Little Tikes' Vice President of Engineering and Product Engineer John Fawcett. [2]

Evolution

First sold in 1979 as one of the first molded-plastic toy cars sold in the United States, it was called the "world's best-selling car for much of this decade" by The New York Times in 1998, outselling the much more expensive Honda Accord and Ford Taurus. [3] By 1991, the Cozy Coupe was selling 500,000 units per year, making it the top-selling model in the United States, outselling the 399,000 Accords and 299,000 Taurus vehicles sold that year. [4] By 1997, its sales of 313,000 units in the US and another 100,000 sold in the United Kingdom in 1997, would have made it the fifth-best-selling car in the US among real vehicles. [3]

By 1998, Tom Murdough, the founder of Little Tikes who had left the company to start competitor Step 2, had pointed out that the Cozy Coupe's design was becoming dated, looking "somewhat like the VW Beetle in looks and design", reflecting what was "a great design for its time, but it also looks like it was designed in the '70s." Little Tikes had introduced a number of brand extensions in 1996, including a purple roadster that looks akin to a Plymouth Prowler, a blue minivan that looks akin to a Dodge Caravan, an SUV, two pickup models and the yellow and teal Grand Coupe. While overall sales for Little Tikes increased after the introduction of the new models, the Cozy Coupe lost its spot as the industry's top seller. [3]

By 1998, Little Tikes introduced the Cozy Coupe II, a redesigned model of its original classic that retained the red and yellow bubble-shaped exterior, while adding thicker pillars on the front roof, among other enhancements, including a remote control that makes sounds of doors unlocking, the horn beeping, the engine starting and a car alarm. J. C. Penney had included the updated car in its catalog starting in August 1998, with sales since its introduction doubling the sales in the corresponding five months of 1997. Total 1998 sales were expected to exceed 250,000 units. [5] In 2009 Rakesh Patel, the owner of the first Cozy Coupe ever made, donated the very first Cozy Coupe off of the assembly line from 1979 to the collection of the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum in celebration of the coupe's 30th anniversary. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acura</span> Luxury and performance vehicle brand by Honda

Acura is the luxury and performance division of Japanese automaker Honda, based primarily in North America. The brand was launched on March 27, 1986, marketing luxury and performance automobiles. Acura sells cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Panama, and Kuwait. The company has also previously sold cars in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Russia, and Ukraine. Plans to introduce Acura to the Japanese domestic market in the late 2000s did not eventuate due to the financial crisis of 2007–2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Taurus</span> Automobile manufactured by the Ford Motor Company

The Ford Taurus is an automobile that was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in the United States from the 1986 to 2019 model years. Introduced in late 1985 for the 1986 model year, six generations were produced over 34 years; a brief hiatus was undertaken between 2006 and 2007. From the 1986 to 2009 model years, the Taurus was sold alongside its near-twin, the Mercury Sable; four generations of the high-performance Ford Taurus SHO were produced. The Taurus also served as the basis for the first-ever front-wheel-drive Lincoln Continental (1988–2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vauxhall Astra</span> Motor vehicle

The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall since 1980. Over its eight generations, it has been made at several GM/Opel/Stellantis plants around Europe - however most versions have been sourced from Vauxhall's plant at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury (automobile)</span> Automobile marque of the Ford Motor Company

Mercury was a brand of mid-priced automobiles produced by American manufacturer Ford Motor Company between 1938 and 2011 with 1939 being the first model year. It stood as its own line within Ford until 1945, and thereafter formed half of Ford's Lincoln-Mercury Division. Created by Edsel Ford in 1938 to bridge the gap between the Ford and Lincoln model lines, its principal competition was General Motors' Buick and Oldsmobile divisions, and Chrysler Corporation's DeSoto and Chrysler brands.

The Rover Group plc was the British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate known as "BL plc" until 1986, which had been a state-owned company since 1975. It initially included the Austin Rover Group car business, Land Rover Group, Freight Rover vans and Leyland Trucks. The Rover Group also owned the dormant trademarks from the many companies that had merged into British Leyland and its predecessors such as Triumph, Morris, Wolseley, Riley and Alvis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Civic</span> Japanese compact car

The Honda Civic is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1972. As of 2023, the Civic is positioned between the Honda Fit/City and Honda Accord in Honda's global car line-up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Accord</span> Japanese mid-size car

The Honda Accord, also known as the Honda Inspire in Japan and China for certain generations, is a series of automobiles manufactured by Honda since 1976, best known for its four-door sedan variant, which has been one of the best-selling cars in the United States since 1989. The Accord nameplate has been applied to a variety of vehicles worldwide, including coupes, station wagons, hatchbacks and a Honda Crosstour crossover.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Fox platform</span> Motor vehicle platform

The Ford Fox platform is an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company. Introduced for compact sedans in the 1978 model year, the Fox architecture was utilized for a wide variety of configurations for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury vehicles. In its original form, the platform was used through the 1993 model year; a substantial redesign of the Ford Mustang extended its life into the 21st century, ending production in 2004. Produced across 26 model years, the Fox platform is the second-longest car architecture ever designed by Ford Motor Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Panther platform</span> 1979–2012 motor vehicle platform from Ford Motor Company

The Ford Panther platform was an automobile platform that was used by Ford Motor Company from the 1979 to 2012 model years. Following the downsizing of the General Motors B-bodies and C-bodies by two years, the Panther platform marked the end of production of sedans unencumbered by downsizing. Originally slated for discontinuation during the early 1980s, the Panther architecture was used for 33 model years, making it one of the longest-produced platforms in North American automotive history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercury Sable</span> Motor vehicle

The Mercury Sable is a range of automobiles manufactured and marketed by the Mercury brand of Ford Motor Company. Introduced on December 26, 1985, as the replacement for the Mercury Marquis, the Sable marked the transition of the mid-size Mercury product range to front-wheel drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Fusion (Americas)</span> Motor vehicle

The Ford Fusion is a mid-size car that was manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. From the 2006 through 2020 model years, two generations of the Fusion have been produced in gasoline, gas/electric hybrid, and gas/plug-in electric hybrid variants. The Fusion was manufactured at Ford's Hermosillo Stamping and Assembly plant in Sonora, Mexico, alongside the Lincoln MKZ, and formerly the Mercury Milan, both of which share its CD3 platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Playart</span>

Playart was a toy company owned by Hong Kong industrialist Duncan Tong (唐鼎康) that specialized in die-cas toy cars, similar in size and style to Hot Wheels, Matchbox or Tomica. Cars were well done, but were often diecast seconds from other companies like Yatming or Tomica. Cars were made from 1965 to 1983 at the factory in San Po Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Plastic cars and trucks of 1:43, and 1:24 scale were also made, while trains and other theme toys also appeared.

Motorcars first arrived in Mexico City in 1903. Since then, several vehicle brands have been especially successful. A number of manufacturers make vehicles in Mexico, and many brands have been and continue to be available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Granada (North America)</span> Motor vehicle

The North American version of the Ford Granada is a range of sedans that was manufactured and marketed by Ford over two generations (1975–1982). Developed as the original successor for the Ford Maverick, the Granada shares its name with Ford of Europe's flagship sedan. The model line was marketed as a luxury compact vehicle, expanding the segment in the United States.

A world car is a car platform designed to suit the needs of global automotive markets with minimal changes in each market where it is sold. The goal of a world car program is to save costs and increase quality by standardizing parts and design for a single vehicle in a certain class, in hopes of using the cost savings to deliver a superior product that satisfies expectations for quality, appeal and performance of automobile buyers worldwide. Examples include the Ford Mondeo and Focus, modern no-frills cars such as the Fiat Palio, Dacia Logan and VW Fox along with luxury cars such as the BMW 3 Series and Lexus LS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ford Taurus (first generation)</span> Motor vehicle

The first-generation Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable are automobiles produced by Ford as the first of six generations of the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable. Launched on December 26, 1985, as a 1986 model, the front-wheel-drive Taurus was a very influential design that is credited with saving Ford from bankruptcy, bringing many innovations to the marketplace and starting the trend towards aerodynamic design for the American automakers in the North American market. Ford of Europe had launched the 1980s move to aerodynamic design for the company with the 1982 Ford Sierra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Tikes</span> Manufacturer of childrens toys

Little Tikes is an American manufacturer of children's toys, with headquarters and manufacturing located in Hudson, Ohio. The company also has other manufacturing and distribution facilities in Asia and Europe. Little Tikes' products are mostly low-tech molded plastic toys aimed primarily at infants and young children, for indoor and outdoor use, including its party kitchen and turtle sandbox.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Accord (North America eighth generation)</span> Motor vehicle

The North American eighth generation Honda Accord is a mid-size car introduced in August 2007 for the 2008 model year. It is also marketed in parts of Asia and Australasia, and as the Honda Inspire in Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda Crosstour</span> Motor vehicle

The Honda Crosstour is a mid-size crossover SUV with a sloping rear roofline manufactured by Japanese automaker Honda. It is based on the North American eighth-generation Accord. Sales began in November 2009 for the 2010 model year, and the vehicle was discontinued after the 2015 model year due to slow sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Honda Motor Company</span> American automobile distributor

The American Honda Motor Company, Inc. is the North American subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company. It was founded in 1959. The company combines product sales, service and coordinating functions of Honda in North America, and is responsible for distribution, marketing and sales of Honda and Acura brand automobiles, Honda Powersports products, Honda Power Equipment products, Honda Engines products, Honda Marine engines, and the HondaJet aircraft.

References

  1. "The Little Tikes Company History". Little Tikes. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  2. Zeff, Patricia (April 17, 1994). "Move Over, Taurus Best-Selling Car Comes In A Small Package". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  3. 1 2 3 Leimbach, Dulcie (October 21, 1998). "Very Big Seller in a Very Small Market". The New York Times . p. G2. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  4. "Hottest-Selling Auto Runs on Foot Power Little Tikes' Cozy Coupe Owes Its Enormous Success to the 5-and-Under Set". Akron Beacon Journal . November 29, 1992. Retrieved March 28, 2009 via NewsBank.
  5. Leimbach, Dulcie (January 15, 1999). "A New Look They'll Drool Over". The New York Times. p. F1. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
  6. Freeman, Laura (May 27, 2009). "Cozy Coupe Enters Automotive History". The News Leader. Macedonia, Ohio. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved May 27, 2009.