Monthly Archive for January, 2010

Sad to say, but the most interesting and innovative prams and strollers are owned by Europe.  When researching said vehicles, a non-polyglot North American must rely on some kind of translator to interpret those languages the researcher failed to learn at school.

This can get quite amusing if you happen to hit the wrong button when requesting the translation.  After entering Bebe Confort’s Italian site into the URL box on Babelfish, I accidentally hit the button for ‘translate from French to English’.  (“Poussette” is French for pushchair/stroller;  I was thinking in French, even though I was actually looking at Italian, probably because “poussette” actually  appears in the Italian URL.)  Here’s what turned up:

“Idiot you, the vita E bleated.” Got my comeuppance, didn’t I? (I’m keeping a much closer eye on my vitamins now, just in case.)

Part of the problem, of course, is that advertising is inherently idiomatic, and automatic translators can’t quite get that right.  Here’s Babelfish’s translation if you push the correct ‘Italian to English’ button:

I like this one a lot better, but it’s not nearly as funny.

Here’s the original Italian, for those of you who read it:

In English, that sentence would better translate as “With you, life is beautiful.” But that phrase is a bit of a minefield itself, since, in English at least, it can’t help but recall the Roberto Benigni film about the Holocaust.  Which is perhaps not exactly the association you want if you’re selling a stroller.  Especially if you’re trying to sell it to people who might have found Benigni’s film offensive or insensitive.

I’m not sure it works even in Italian, cultural references aside, since it appears that the “you” referred to is the stroller, as in “With you, Loola, life is beautiful”.  Even I don’t talk to my strollers like this — but hey, that’s advertising.   I’m sure it looked good at the agency meeting. As it happens, the English site is completely different.  It’s just as well.

Conflating several languages is, of course, problematic in general.  For another example, check out this image of a power-mad infant.

Over three?  Love strollers?  Feeling left out?  Not to worry:   A desire to shop with a cart, an accident, or simply aging sufficiently may land you in the hands of one of the better stroller-makers once you are past toddlerhood.   Pushchair aficionados, does this frame remind you of anything?

I thought so.  I recognized its Combi-wonderfulness from across the room.  (Asian art museum, San Francisco, if you must know.)    Identifying it was another matter, but diligent web sleuthing turned up everything I needed to know.  Combi makes Savvy-like walkers/carts for the Asian market.  This one’s the Konbikyarisurun N (a version of the “Surun” or “Silver Car”):

Combi claims that it’s not necessary to remove the shopping when folding or carrying the cart; you can easily attach a cane or umbrella, and the front wheels can be fixed or remain in the swivel position, depending on the terrain.  See the little side bars below the storage pouch?  That’s where the seat rests if you need a break, are at a sporting event, or waiting for the bus.  Oh, and the handle height is adjustable.

It’s yours for 20,790 yen, which translates out to something over 200 USD, plus shipping from Japan, if you’re paying in USD.  For 27,090 yen, you can get it with “oil dampers braking”.

The front tires are curious:

They’re designed to go over curbs, hoses and miscellaneous bumps without causing a tumble.  Other models include variations on the shopping bag, including a thermal cooler under the seat.  You can see all the variations on this page.  (You may want a web translator, or the assistance of a Japanese friend while checking it out.)

The sad news is that it’s not available in the USA, and there are no plans, at least at the moment, to market them here.  (I emailed, and got a charming Engrish reply.  I can only hope my Japrish was half as good.)

So why am I posting this on a pram blog?  I’m glad you asked. Call it “industry trend-watching”.  Combi has historically made very compact, very portable strollers with a clever (and distinctive) fold, which are widely available in the US.  The international company acquired a “wellness” division, from whence these walkers/carts have sprung.  It’s not much of a stretch from strollers to walkers, when you think about it.  It’s all mobility, of one kind or another.

Combi is not the only corporation to hop on this particular bandwagon:  According to The Guardian (UK), Dutch stroller maker Bugaboo is also entering the disability market.  Target date for what The Guardian calls Bugaboo’s “pimped-up version of a walking frame” is 2012.  (It could have been worse; The Guardian could have called it a “Frog Walker”, which would have been REALLY unkind.)

It will be interesting to see how this develops; healthcare delivery is an economic sector that grows and grows as populations age; baby making tends to slow during economic downturns.  (Parental willingness to spend $1000 on a stroller does, too.)  Manufacturing strollers and walkers together looks like the same kind of business plan an enterprising small business owner might develop:   Lawn mowing, say,  in the summer, combined with snow blowing in the winter.  Smart.