Customise a Scooter with Handlebar Heroes
Last month I attended the annual Toy Fair in London, it was great to meet lots of my favourite toy brands and, also, see some companies that I hadn't come across before. One of these was Handlebar Heroes who provide the perfect way for children to funk up their bicycle or scooter - with the addition of a friendly horse's head!As soon as I saw the horses, unicorns and dragons adorning the Handlebar Heroes stand I knew I had found a product that Bud would love. He loves animals and horses are amongst his favourites. The dragons are a new product coming soon but horses and unicorns are avaiilable in their website shop.
The lovely Handlebar Heroes people gave me a horse to take home to Bud and find out what he thought of it. We received Fudge, a brown horse, with a white shock of hair. The Handlebar Hero is supplied flat, in a plastic bag, for home assembly. In addition to the main horse's head you also receive the eyes, a shock of white hair for the front of the mane, and three nose bands, with clips, so you can choose your favourite. We were warned during our chat of a few common mistakes that people make when assembling a Handlebar Hero:
- Both eyes go in, the directions might only show one but you repeat for the other, apparently some people didn't work that one out!
- The logo faces outwards at the back of the horse
- Follow the instructions and assembly is quite straightforward!
I had to assemble our horse in a hurry as we were going out and Bud decided he must scoot and he must have his horse on there! I did find it a little tricky to assemble, mainly working out how it attaches to the main scooter stem. I did find it a little fiddly but managed it easily once I worked out how to thread the holes. I was really amazed by the design actually. The horse is made from foam and, if you're anything like me you'll me amazed at the ingenuity of the design and how, with just two press studs, two pins and a plastic tube, you can assemble a horse's head! This video shows the assembly much better than I could describe it. I'd really recommend you watch this before assembling, unless you like the challenge of working it out for yourself like me. I had the biggest grin after I got past the initial confusion with the design, the assembly was a pleasure and so clever.
I found it quite straightforward to attach the Handlebar Hero to Bud's scooter. It's worth pointing out though that, if you are attaching it to a bicycle, you need to ensure that the handlebars have a solid stem, and no gap in between it and the top bar. There's a video on the website to show this too, if you are struggling.
Bud loves his Handlebar Hero. He's been completely delighted with it since he first saw it. There are small things which make it great - the foam is water resistant so you can leave it attached and keep your scooter or bike outside. When Bud's scooter falls forward, instead of his horse taking a nose dive and squashing it's face, the head falls forward and lies flat on the floor looking upwards. Great design. At £9:95 they are pocket money prices really. We've had a few comments out and about asking us where we have got our Handlebar Hero from and saying how great they look. You only need to buy one as you can transfer it between scooter and bike if needed. Sadly Bud's bike has the wrong type of handlebars for this so his stays on his scooter. Handlebar Heroes will soon be selling shields to hang on your wall, meaning that children who are especially attached to their new friend can take the head off their bike and scooter and hang it on their wall instead of trying to take their scooter to bed with them.
I'd definitely recommend Handlebar Heroes. The new dragons coming soon are absolutely fantastic, and the range offers something for all children with the horses, jousters and unicorns. You can even buy mini Handlebar Heroes, scaled down versions of the full size heads, which can be clipped elsewhere on your bike or scooter, on to bags or coats. They are super cute.
The full size Handlebar Heroes start at £9:95, with the minis starting at £3:50. I think this is a reasonable price for a quirky customisation and one that children can really bond with and enjoy. You get free delivery if you buy two big heroes, or spend £18 too!
Disclaimer: We received this item in exchange for an honest review
