We first met a Didicar in the hallway of the Bean’s house, some years ago. They do have a biggish (and conveniently wooden floored) hallway, which made it a good place to drive one and I was impressed at the fun that was had with what at first glance seemed to be just a ride on toy. I only looked closer when I realised that the 10+ kids were queuing up for a go with it. And then I had a go too 😉
We were lucky enough to be sent a couple of Didicars for review the other week. We don’t have a wooden hallway and our patio area is not huge, so I wondered what use they would get really but figured it was too good an offer to turn down 😆 I needn’t have worried though s they’ve been thoroughly enjoyed from Bene at 16 months to Fran at 15 years – as the photo above clearly shows. 😆
The Original Didicar works with a funny little motion (kind of wiggling) of the steering wheel that means a relatively large about of moving (which is somehow not terribly tiring) makes you move along at a medium but rather satisfying pace. I’m convinced it would be good for my waistline. Once you get the knack it is easy and lots of fun but because you aren’t scooting fast, a not huge amount of space is ample playing room. Bene is too small to propel it yet but all the others can, right up to Fran. I had a go too – but I vetoed the picture 😉 It can hold up to 120kg though, so still well above my weight, not bad for something which weighs less than 4kg itself.
I’m not sure quite how well I described that then; here is the official line! “The Original Didicar’ is a unique, self propelled ride-on toy for children of all ages, (however adults can ride too!) Simply turning the steering wheel left and right moves the didicar. There is no need for pedals, motors, batteries, or greasy chains. It’s a magical little (big) car that fuels the imagination while helping children keep fit and having fun.”
I could pretend this was a photo demonstrating how easy they are to lift and carry… in truth I think it was a dispute over registered ownership of the vehicle.
I’d say the Didicar was an unqualified success really. It’s been out into the street and ridden on the pavement and around our little play area, works fine in the garden and stores away easily in the garage. Hurrah! With a retail price of £49.99, it’s not the cheapest toy you’ll ever buy but I know that the one I’ve known for years is still going strong and I can see that this is a toy which is built to last. It’s made of strong plastic and while it clipped together really easily (Maddy made it on her own) everything stays in place really well and is built to last. An impressive bit of kit.
PS, Didicar would like you to know, according to their website, that there are no authorised sellers of real Didicars on sites like Amazon – since I approve of such sentiments highly, I suggest you pop along to their site if you might buy one, since they seem to have good deals.
At younger than 3, Bene wasn’t ready for the big car but did get his very own baby one to try. The Walk n’Ride is a simpler idea all round. It’s designed to be propelled by a half walking, half sitting child and the wheels are multi-directional, for a proper low stress experience. No getting stuck at the edges. It has a seat of the same sturdy, comfy plastic, though the rest of it is a more standard material and the handle is a perfect size and shape for small people. It’s more conventional and lacks the novelty of the Original Didicar but it’s a great indoor and outdoor ride on, light weight, easy to move and toddle about with and is clearly built to last. I like it. Again, Maddy built it easily and enjoyed customising it with stickers.
Disclosure: we were sent these two Didicar vehicles for the purpose of the review. All thoughts are my own and entirely without bias.
