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| Home > News > Dissecting the Bugaboo Frog |
Since it debuted on "Sex in the City" in 2002 as Miranda's carriage of choice, the Bugaboo stroller has been the "it" stroller of the decade. Loved by the very starriest of celebrities - think Madonna and Gwenyth - the stroller crashed through price barriers, selling for a full $400 more than the next priciest brands. The company's first model, the Bugaboo Frog, retails for $729.
Who would pay that much for a stroller?
A lot of people, apparently, as sales tripled from 2003 to 2004. The Bugaboo has been joined by a handful of other $700+ strollers on the market, but it stands as the most popular kid in class. Owners swear by it, reviewers swoon over it and magazine editors can't print its photo enough.
So, is it really worth all the croaking? In a word, yes.
The Bugaboo Frog's design is a genius mix of function and form. Invented by an industrial designer and his physician brother in Holland, who created their own company in 1999 after being turned down by every major manufacturer, the Bugaboo stroller was created to appeal to both sexes. Women love its sleek shape and designer cache; men love its sturdy, minimalist design and solid patterns.
When we first tested a Bugaboo, we were prepared to push through the hype and even a little biased against it. We're Target moms, after all, and proud of it.
And while it was lust at first sight (the delicious solid colored fabric against the cool gray aluminum is such a relief from the 6000 muted plaid variations of other strollers), it was true love at first push. The Bugaboo surpasses every stroller we've ever laid hands on in terms of mobility, maneuverability and just plain modern marvelousness. It responds with the slightest touch. Drives as if on clouds. And offers flexibility the likes of which we've never seen.
Only having viewed them (jealously) from afar, we were surprised to learn that the Bugaboo strollers are actually comprised of many separate parts. The chassis is the metal frame of the stroller, and it includes the luscious handlebar and wonderful, giant, air-filled, shock absorbing wheels as well as the frame for the seat. You get two sets of fabric to attach to the frame: one makes a bassinet, the other makes a traditional stroller seat. There is also a carrying handle, sun canopy, rain cover, mosquito net and carrying bag. Accessories include foot muffs, wheeled boards so toddler can hitch a ride, travel bags, infant car seat adapters, and new and improved, larger sun shades.
Assembling the Bugaboo into its various forms is complicated at first, but easy to get used to. The most surprising thing to us was that the seat (or bassinet) has to be unclipped from the frame before the frame can be folded. Packing the stroller into your car means unclipping and storing a fully assembled seat, and then collapsing the frame - not easy in a parking lot in the rain. But this nuisance for the suburban mom - Bugaboo's were made for city dwellers and they are quite populous in major metropolises - is only a tad more inconvenient than collapsing any other travel system. And at 17 pounds, it's the lightest and sturdiest "workhorse" stroller out there.
We all agree it's beautiful, and after testing it, we're convinced of its superior performance, but what about that $700 price tag? Surely it's a budget breaker for the average mom. Then again, maybe not.
The Bugaboo is really 3 strollers in one: newborn stroller, toddler stroller and all-terrain stroller. (It is 2 pounds heavier than a classic umbrella stroller and doesn't fold as tightly, but we promise to live without the $200 Maclaren if we can have our Bugaboo!) The detachable bassinet can be brought into the house for a lovely Moses basket, and even the stroller seat can be used separately, great for feeding or to give baby a vertical view of the world.
So we added up the price of all the individual buys a Bugaboo would save us from having to purchase:
We know, we're as shocked as you. Who knew we were spending that anyway on products we didn't love and knew darn well wouldn't last from kid-to-kid? So really, at $729, the Bugaboo saves us $241! Unless, of course, we fall for its big brother: the Cameleon…
In 2005, Bugaboo introduced 2 new siblings for the Frog: the dressed down Gecko ($679) and the souped up Cameleon ($879!). For an extra $150 (no small potatoes, we know), the Cameleon includes a height-adjustable handlebar, roomier seat, more storage room, shock absorbing front wheels for an even smoother ride, a divine Aerosleep mattress for the bassinet, and new fleece fabric that's more breathable, hypo-allergenic, and offers even more scrumptious color options.
Our favorite feature of the Cameleon? Bugaboo sells the fabric alone, so you can change the entire color of your stroller for just $99. As much as we want to buy the pink stroller for our little angel, we always go with the moss green or navy blue, in case the next baby is a boy. How liberating to be able to flaunt our baby's gender in our fabulous stroller!
We can't afford the Hermes Birkin bag. We'll never drive a Bentley. But to discover that the cutest, most versatile and amazing designer stroller on the planet is actually the same price we're spending anyway on lesser quality products, was a great, great day for us middle class moms.
After we tested the Bugaboos, we went out and purchased one for our kids. Guiltlessly. We no longer stroll. We strut.
Oh, and those rumors that Bugaboo was retiring the Frog? While the company will only say they are "working hard on new products and next-generation strollers," our sources tell us that sales of the Gecko were not what the company had hoped, and to expect the Frog to re-emerge from retirement. We can't wait.
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