Maybe you spotted them in the background of Agata's photos from the ADO Speelgoed exhibition in Apeldoorn, Holland. Or maybe you clicked through to see the rest of her pictures on her blog at Rafa Kids, including the one above, which,
HOLY SMOKES, PEOPLE, IT'S A GIANT, KID-SIZED, RIDE-ON ADO CAR.
Is such a thing possible? Obviously it is, but wait, there is another. Where and how are these things? Are they vintage? New? One-offs? Product? Above all, where can we get some more?
For these and other acquisitive questions, I first asked Agata, and yes, there were several actually playable, ride-able cars in the ADO exhibit at CODA, but no information on them.
The first clue was this sweet photo on the website of Jesse van Lienen, the architect who co-designed the exhibit with Eloi Koster. Sure enough, Jesse confirms that they created the ride-on cars for the museum so kids would have something to actually play with.
The car and truck are, he says, "almost exact enlargements" of ADO originals, and even have some aged, distressed paint features. The Apeldoorn cars were fabricated by Mark van Rooij and will remain in CODA's permanent collection. There is no plan to produce any more, or to make them commercially.
Which means you're on your own. Though they're modified a bit here and there for drivability, these giant cars look and sound close enough to the Ko Verzuu originals, that you, too, could use a little toy as a model/blueprint for your own kid-sized ADO car project, no matter the size of your kid. Looking through the online collection, though toddler-sized ride-in cars will require some adaptation, there are many ride-on options that look hammer-ready. Please send pictures.
Jesse van Lienen interior architect [kessevanlienen.nl]
Previously: ADO Speelgoed exhibit at CODA, Apeldoorn
ADO Speelgoed Ko Verzuu exhibition visit [rafa-kids]
