No. 671 - THE BEGINNER'S TOOT SCOOT

No. 671

Jim Davidson -- NEWSPAPER COLUMN

THE BEGINNER’S TOOT SCOOT

There is an old saying that goes, “He who does not toot his own horn, the same shall not be tooted.” There is a lot of truth in this saying, but the Bible tells us that we should let others do all or at least most of our own tooting. As I began to write this column I looked up the meaning of the word toot in the dictionary and it means “To blow a horn, whistle, etc., especially with short blasts.” This could loosely be translated, “get out of the way,” and this relates directly to what I want to share with you. Hopefully, you will find the following information interesting, especially if you have small children or grandchildren.
What I am talking about is a new product that has just come on the market called “The Toot Scoot.” The Toot Scoot is a bike intended for children ages 2-5. Designed by Buck Hale, it was created with no pedals or training wheels. Children sit on the seat while pushing off the ground with their feet, scooting themselves and the bike forward. The Toot Scoot teaches children balance and coordination. Because the children are not concentrating on pedaling, they are learning to balance first, as opposed to bicycles with training wheels. By learning balance first, the child will transition easily to a traditional two-wheel bicycle.
The Toot Scoot weighs exactly seven pounds and is constructed of steel tubing. Because the bike is so lightweight, it is easy for children to pick the bike up to carry anywhere and ride. This also makes them much more convenient to throw in a trunk or backseat of a car. There are chrome accents on the bike and round, rubber cushioned handlebar grips. The rubber helps to prevent scratching walls and protect the Toot Scoot when dropped. The wheels are made out of a durable plastic rubber material, which means there is no need to fill the tires with air. Also, the Toot Scoot has wider than normal wheels, making it easier for a child to balance on the bike. The handlebar and seat are both adjustable.
The original Toot Scoot was created by Buck, the founder of Buckale, for his 1-year-old son as a Christmas gift. Buck rides BMX bikes as well as races Motocross and wanted to see his son on a bike as soon as he could. Seth, Buck’s son, soon started associating himself with the bike, playing with the wheels and pushing around on the bike. Not long after this, Seth was a pro, whizzing around and constantly stealing attention at every park they went to.
With friends and passers-by constantly asking Buck where they could find a Toot Scoot for their child, or if he would make them one, Buck decided that this could be a successful product to market and sell. Always with the idea in the back of his mind, he contacted some potential manufacturers and began the process of the Toot Scoot. After nine months of fine tuning with the manufacturer over drawings and prototypes, the Toot Scoot was finally born.
When I received a press release, I thought it was a novel idea and something a lot of people across the country would want to know about. My only reservation was the excessive wear and tear that it might cause to a child’s shoes, while creating the power to keep tooting and scooting along. However, a company spokesman wrote to me and said, “From what we have seen and been told, the wear is no more than what an average child would put on his or her shoes by running around and playing outside, or by using any other ride or toy.” More information can be found at: www.tootscoot.com.
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(EDITOR'S NOTE: Jim Davidson is a public speaker and syndicated columnist. You may contact him at 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034. To support literacy, buy his book: “Learning, Earning & Giving Back.”)