Nostalgia on four wheels
On your marks, get set... go! This is how the exciting KETTCAR race starts every year at the May festival in Warmbronn in Baden-Württemberg. The whole village has gathered here to watch the spectacle. From parents and grandparents to young and old siblings, friends and acquaintances. The KETTCAR race has become an annual tradition in many places since the seventies and eighties and is still held in a few places today. Many readers will remember the days of the iconic pedal car and reminisce nostalgically about their childhood. Now the sleek pedal car is back on the market for the first time! Founded in 2020, KETTLERShop is launching its new, modernised KETTLER KETTCAR Evolution in March. Will it bring back the hype surrounding the original KETTLER KETTCAR and also inspire the younger generations of today?
The KETTCAR race is the highlight of the weekend of the annual May festival in the small village of Wambronn. A total of 71 primary school children want to put their skills to the test on the manoeuvrable little racing car on this day. All that is needed for such a race of pedal and chain-driven pedal cars is a closed-off section of road or, at best, a traffic-calmed zone. This is also the case in Warmbronn. A spring day is ideal: relatively mild temperatures, the occasional refreshing breeze and, of course, blue skies. Today it is rather cloudy and a little rainy in Warmbronn. But the children are definitely not letting this spoil their mood or even the race. The prospect of the main prize and the fun of the race are the main motivating factors. The competition for first place begins punctually at 4 pm. You can literally feel the tension of the participants in the air. Everyone is waiting for the unmistakable, penetrating bang of the gun. Shortly before the start, it is now as quiet as a mouse on the edge of the race track. Who will pedal the fastest this time and be the first to cross the finish line? Every parent in Warmbronn is excitedly following their own child. The start takes place and the little racers pedal hard. As soon as the starting shot is fired, it gets much louder again. Cheers, clapping and loud cheers from the audience accompany the little riders on the track all the way to the finish line. In contrast to machine-driven races, there is no smell of petrol in the air here. The KETTCARs, which are powered by the children's own physical strength, are definitely not harmful to the environment. A seat, four wheels, a steering wheel, pedals and chain drive - the KETTCAR combines the toy car with the bicycle. An innovation that was right at the heart of the times, but also of today. The pedal cars are also suitable for longer distances. The comfortable bucket seat, pneumatic tyres and handbrake also make long distances on uneven terrain possible. The KETTCAR is the perfect companion for a day out in the fresh air!
The cult vehicle "KETTCAR"
Founded in 1949 by Heinz Kettler, the Sauerland-based family business KETTLER developed early on into one of the leading German companies in the leisure equipment sector. In addition to the KETTCAR, the KETTLER brand also stands for the invention of the KETTLER aluminium bike, for table tennis tables produced in Germany, children's toys, garden furniture and sports equipment. Since its development by Heinz Kettler in 1962, the iconic pedal car has been a source of great fun all over the world. According to KETTLER, it has been sold over fifteen million times in around 60 countries to date. In the era of the economic miracle and material prosperity, the invention of the KETTCAR came at just the right time. Many children from the seventies and eighties still have fond memories of their childhood on the KETTCAR. For many, it meant freedom, light-heartedness and lots of leisure fun. The word "KETTCAR" is a proper noun made up of the first syllable of the company name "KETTLER" and the English word for car, "Car". The term was even included in the Duden dictionary in 1980. Since then, it has been synonymous with pedal cars par excellence. This is certainly no wonder, given the great popularity that the KETTCAR has enjoyed since its invention.
The abrupt end of the traditional German company
In recent years, however, the traditional family-run company must have been like the children on one of the many fast-paced KETTCAR races: It went downhill far too fast and far too unchecked. After years of commercial success, the company suddenly went into decline. In 2015, the company had to file for insolvency under self-administration for the first time. As a result, the bicycle division is sold to the Cologne-based ZEG Zweirad-Einkaufs-Genossenschaft eG and a total of around 200 jobs are cut. However, even these measures did not help KETTLER to make a comeback. In July 2018, the company filed for insolvency again. This was followed in December by the takeover of the company shares by the financial investor Lafayette Mittelstand Capital. One year later, it was finally over and the employees were informed of the company's demise. From 2020, the KETTLER product areas were then continued individually. The widely used garden furniture is sold by KETTLER Home & Garden GmbH and the Swiss company Trisport secures the brand rights for the popular KETTLER sporting goods. The newly formed KETTLER Trading GmbH, better known as KETTLERShop, takes over the leisure articles division. This includes both the high-quality KETTLER table tennis tables and the extensive range of children's toys. This also includes the right to bring the original KETTLER KETTCAR back onto the market.
Can the KETTLERShop bring the brand back to life?
Founded in 2020, KETTLERShop is currently made up of five young women who are working together to bring the KETTLER brand back to life. Their online shop sells well-known, traditional KETTLER products such as tricycles, balance bikes and table tennis tables. However, they are also gradually launching completely new products on the market that have not previously existed under the KETTLER name. For example, there are now some baby products from KETTLER for the first time. The company is very similar to a start-up. The only difference is that the name KETTLER is familiar to many people from their childhood. This means that the company is also able to work with long-established KETTLER business customers. With a young, dynamic team, a lot of ambition and new ideas, the five women now want to bring a breath of fresh air into the somewhat dusty KETTLER product world. While part of the team is based in a small office in the heart of Berlin, the rest of the team works in Plagwitz, in the west of Leipzig. Most of the communication among the team takes place online, as is common for e-commerce companies these days. This requires a great deal of trust in the employees and a high degree of responsibility on the part of the individual employees. Especially in small teams, cooperation and consultation must go hand in hand and function well. Franziska Göhring is one of the two managing directors of the KETTLER shop and answers a few questions about her path to the KETTLER shop and her future plans. Franziska tells us that she actually came to the KETTLERShop by chance. She previously worked as a marketing manager in another company. There, together with her colleague Marleen Wysocki-Herrgut, she conducted the discussions with investors and got to know the KETTLER shareholders. They apparently saw potential in the two women and subsequently offered them the positions of Senior Marketing and Sales Manager and Senior Product Developer. In 2022, the two were then allowed to take over the management of the KETTLER shop. Franziska's vision is that there will soon be a KETTLER product in every household around the world. No matter whether it is a KETTCAR or a KETTLER table tennis table. She wants to give the KETTLER brand a new lease of life, modernise it and open up new sales channels and product worlds with it. That is why she is also paying close attention to the innovation and quality of the new products. Her new motto is: "Organise your leisure time the way you want it!". Fun, activity and exercise are particularly important to her. Instead of spending time at home in front of the TV or games console, she wants to get outside again, especially after the coronavirus pandemic. Franziska would also like to be able to offer products for leisure activities for all ages in the KETTLER shop, whether young or old.
Feel like a racing driver for once
The KETTCAR has left its mark on generations of children, who now all look back nostalgically on their childhood and fondly remember their times on the KETTCAR. Georg Goralczyk from Bochum, for example, describes his personal memories of the KETTCAR in a letter to the KETTLER shop: "Dear Kettler team, even today, after almost 60 years, I still get misty-eyed when I think back to my carefree childhood. My red Kettcar was my one and only - it had to be laboriously carried to the 2nd floor of our small flat. We didn't have a children's room and my two sisters and I slept in my parents' bedroom. I couldn't sleep without my Kettcar behind the bedroom door!!! Oh what a simple time it was when we were happy with so little!!! I also remember later experiences with Kettler products with quality and stability. I wish you and your employees all the best and a successful future, even in difficult times!!! ....Now I have learnt that my goddaughter is going to have a son! Three guesses what the soon-to-be citizen of the world will get from his great-uncle:-)))).... a Kettcar!!!! In grateful fond memories, best regards, Georg Goralczyk from Bochum" The KETTLER shop receives messages like this quite frequently. For many people, the KETTCAR is associated with beautiful and, above all, carefree childhood memories. With a feeling of freedom and independence. The different KETTCAR variants used to be named after international city names. For example, there was the KETTCAR "Barcelona Air" or the KETTCAR "Melbourne". However, the bestseller par excellence was and still is the "Daytona Air". Thanks to its low profile and pneumatic tyres, this pedal car can also be used off-road. Over hill and dale - the KETTCAR Daytona Air defies all bumps. Prior to the design, development and production of the new KETTCAR, the KETTLER shop called on its customers to describe their own wishes and ideas for the new KETTCAR. There was a competition in which participants could send old pictures of themselves on the KETTCAR to the company by post, email or via social networks. This gives them the chance to win the new KETTLER KETTCAR "Revolution" as soon as it is on the market.
The revolution of the KETTCAR
In March 2023, the time has finally come. The KETTLERShop launches the new KETTCAR Evolution and fulfils nostalgic childhood dreams. The well-known KETTLER KETTCAR now shines in a modernised and contemporary design, but still with the well-known KETTLER quality and innovation. Managing Director Marleen Wysocki-Herrgut focussed on this during the design phase. It was particularly important to her that the production of the KETTCAR remains in Europe. She is quite proud that the KETTCAR Evolution is manufactured exclusively in Germany and Austria. This means that production errors can be detected and rectified in good time. It was also important to her to be able to maintain the high quality standard of the KETTCAR. To this end, she extensively weighed up a wide range of materials against each other. For the wheels of the new KETTCAR, for example, she opted for the plastic material "solight ecco", which is produced in Germany and is said to be virtually indestructible. Marleen also says that she spent about a whole year developing and realising the new KETTCAR. The new KETTCAR Evolution was actually due to be launched on the market last year, but the coronavirus pandemic caused a number of delivery problems. But one reason for Marleen to bring it back onto the market today is the following: Some of the generation of children who grew up with a KETTCAR now have their own families. So if the parents remember their childhood on the KETTCAR, this could have a positive influence on their decision to buy. The fact that the seat of the KETTCAR Evolution can be adjusted in 6 positions means that the KETTCAR not only grows with the children, but parents can also take it for a short test drive. After the coronavirus pandemic and the many restrictions, it is just as important to Marleen to encourage children to play outside again. Away from the TV and mobile phones and out into the fresh air. This has been neglected in recent years. The KETTCAR should make a decisive contribution to this. Many children are probably only familiar with scooters, tricycles and bicycles at the moment, so the KETTCAR is something completely new for the younger generation. For this reason, Marleen has opted for a sporty and modern Formula 1 design for the product design of the KETTCAR Evolution. This means that the KETTCAR can also keep up with the current play products on the market. Children can feel just as comfortable on the KETTCAR as little Formula 1 racing drivers. Even former Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel started his career as a four-year-old on a KETTLER KETTCAR. If that's not a role model for many little racing drivers!
The KETTLER KETTCAR Evolution - revolutionary or long outdated?
It remains to be seen whether the new KETTCAR can trigger as much hype as it did back then. One thing is for sure: the KETTCAR has long since ceased to be a fixture in German children's rooms. The competition in the gaming world is also fierce and never sleeps. The KETTCAR will have to assert itself against scooters, tricycles and all other children's vehicles. But that's not all: it will also have to hold its own against the ever-growing range of media games on offer. However, the new KETTCAR may also bring about a revolution in leisure activities, in keeping with its new name. In any case, it can't do any harm if children spend more of their leisure time in the fresh air instead of in a stuffy room in front of a laptop. The KETTLER shop team continues to do everything in its power to get children spending their leisure time outdoors again. We are excited!
