Anyone under the age of 40 has likely piloted a Cozy Coupe. The iconic red-and-yellow plaything made by Little Tikes famously became the undisputed best-selling car on the planet by 1991, when it was revealed that it had sold over 500,000 units in that year alone. Its charming simplicity and accessibility have meant continued success in the decade since.
With a giant hole in the floor meant for kids to stick their feet through and propel the Cozy Coupe, the mini-car has always technically been human-powered. But for years, Little Tikes has offered a fueling station accessory to connect to the car’s onboard gas cap, alluding to the idea that if the Cozy Coupe had a powertrain, it would use gasoline.
For the first time in nearly 50 years, that’s changing. Little Tikes has just introduced a new electric charging station as an accessory for the Cozy Coupe, meaning that, in the imaginary world of Cozy Coupe propulsion, the car is now available as an EV.
It’s called the Cozy E-Charging Station, and it’s a standalone piece that you can buy separately from the Cozy Coupe. It features a plug that slots neatly into the Coupe’s standard fuel door, meaning you don’t have to make any modifications to the car to accept electric power (I truly wish it were that easy for real cars). And thanks to a set of three AA batteries, the station can even power on and flash lights and sounds towards the user.
There’s even more news for commercial users running job sites in their backyards. Little Tikes says the E-Charging Station is compatible with any Cozy Coupe-style vehicle it sells, which means it should make converting vehicles like the Cozy Truck and Cozy Ice Cream Truck to electric power a breeze.
The company also says using the charger “raises environmental awareness,” which I’m not totally sold on, seeing as how the action of plugging it in is the same as using the longstanding “Cozy Pumper,” the name of the fuel pump accessory, and the car remains foot-powered no matter which accessory you pair it to. In the world of role-playing, I guess it makes some sense. If your kid sees you plugging the family Mustang Mach-E into a charger rather than filling it up at a gas station, they might be a bit confused about filling up their toy car with gasoline.
Weirdly, this isn’t the first time that Little Tikes has introduced the Cozy Coupe to electric power. As The Bishop pointed out back in 2024, the company also sells a floating, inflatable boat version of the Cozy Coupe that comes equipped with two electric motors and a remote control, so parents can lead them around the pool. The remote can also mount to the dash for in-cabin control, if you’re the type of parent to trust your kid with that sort of power.
Whether this means Little Tikes will eventually start selling motorized versions of the original Cozy Coupe isn’t clear—it’s never done that since the product’s inception, and it would likely make the toy more expensive and complex. With EV demand for real cars flattening out, I wouldn’t be surprised if Little Tikes puts that idea on the back burner for now.
Top graphic images: Little Tykes; Redbubble
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