Okay the last stroller line that we will review is the iCandy line - set to hit stateside in the Spring of 2009.

For all those waiting - after this begins our giveaway favorites! YAY!

Okay I have to be honest. . . 2 weeks out I can’t exactly remember what fruit was which.  Was this stroller and iPear or and iApple? Who knows!  I will tell you that the line is the type of stroller many of our US customers are looking for.  A one stroller does it all solution whether you have 1 or 2 kids, twins or siblings.  The iCandy line is built for incredible flexibility.

The iCandy strollers are currently sold in Europe but as some Americans have begun importing this stroller, they have sensed their is a market for their strollers in the US market.  The engineering of the iCandy strollers seems quite solid and very ingenius in the different configurations one stroller can have.

They have one stroller that is nearly identical the the Valco RAD.  According to iCandy, they have made upgrades to the Valco RAD stroller for a smoother fold and other aspects of usability.  I personally didn’t find the fold much easier but I have always been very fond of the Valco RAD stroller (now on SALE!) so I’m not opposed to seeing it have a second life. It has a great basket, narrow footprint and pushes beautifully.  It’s only downside is that it is on the heavier side with a fold that takes a little practice.

This stroller can take an attachment to fit 2 seats (which you need to buy in addition to the main seat) instead of one.  The only drawback to this idea is that similar to the Jane Powertwin, this fit smaller kids and siblings closer in age than initial main seat since the 2 seats are smaller and close together.

Their other stroller, due out in 2009 is a really a one-size-fits-your-family model. This stroller can either take one seat foward or rear facing, or it can take two seats, forward-facing, rear-facing or facing each other.  It can also take a bassinet in one or both spots so you can have twins in two separate bassinets or an older child in a seat (forward or rear-facing) and a bassinet in the other spot for the newest baby in the family.

It is a clever design that fits a remarkable number of configurations.  Although you do have to dis-assemble it a bit, the fold on the frame was very easy and definitely an improvement on the other iCandy’s stroller fold.

Okay, I have to admit, they showed in in the mauve color that I really didn’t like (and that is what the pictures all show) but they promised me there will be an array of much better colors when it is finally released, whew!

4Moms Listens to Moms (and Dads!)

When the Quinny Buzz was released in the States, everyone was talking about the hydraulic unfolding mechanism.  While it is cool, I consistently reminded customers that unfolding most strollers is not hard, what the market needs is a stroller that folds itself!  And everybody laughed.

Well apparently the brilliant folks at 4Moms have actually responded to this plea with a fully automatic stroller, the Origami, that opens and closes itself with the push of a button.  We were amazed!  While we only saw a prototype - so I can’t give feedback on steering and maneuverability -  the specs seems attractive.

This stroller is supposed to be 20 lbs, light enough for those of you lifting it in and out of the car as well as those who need to grab it for buses, trains or urban transportation.  It will not have full recline (only about 3+ months recline) but it will have a bassinet for those who want it for the newborn stage as well.

The basket on the unit is not determined yet either.   They were showing it with awful pannier like bags on the rear side of the stroller that hooked on and could be used as a diaper bag.  Honestly I don’t know who would want to carry that bag around as a diaper bag!  They were open to the idea of creating a basket instead, however which we think would be a big improvement.

The fabric was also still in the works as well as how the footrest would be easier to clean - different fabric? Coated fabric?.  The canopy seemed adequate but not huge but again they were still thinking about changing it to give more coverage.

It’s hard to say what the final product will actually look like but we will keep you updated. The potential for a great little in and out of the car, bus, subway stroller for busy parents is huge!

Last Up -  Maclaren

Okay, okay, I should have taken Maclaren photos. I didn’t.  I’m sure others did and you can find them online but we were remiss.

Maclaren’s big stroller release was a reversible stroller to enter that segment of the stroller market.  The stroller seat reversed easily and the stroller overall was easy to fold.  The basket was generous as well unlike most Mac baskets.  It even had a Strollometer built into the Console so you could see how far you and your baby have walked.  Great for Moms who want to increase their mileage and get back in shape.  The new Mac seemed to steer nicely but it wasn’t the light responsive touch of the Bugaboo, Quinny or Orbit either.

Why didn’t we like it?   I have to be completely honest and say for this weight and price point (think Bugaboo Cameleon!), we think it is just not worth it.  Although they said it was 30 lbs, we weighed it in at 33lbs! That’s a lot of reversible stroller folks!  Additionally - the styling on it had a lot of greenish plastic ala Graco.  It just didn’t seem to have the styling you would expect in a $900 stroller.   While there are colors galore on this new stroller, none of them are half as fun or stylish as a lot of the new Mac Quests and designer stroller lines.

What did we like about Mac? Many of their new colors/designs rock!  Their new Quest Mod patterns are stunning with little apples instead of dots like previous years.  The contrast colors on the line are fabulous and sophisticated.  The new Lulu Guiness is adorable, as is the new Kate Spade (finally! We didn’t like last years at all!).  Even the the Quest Sports come in fabulous new colors.  There are also some new designer lines including a furry-footmuffed, Juicy Couture - perfect for the LA, NJ and FL crowd!  If you are looking for a stylish lightweight umbrella, I don’t think you can find more beautiful ones than the Mac 2009 line.

Sorry for the break in reporting.  I was dealing with an unfortunately family issue and had to travel without my trusty computer.  I appreciate your patience and understanding.  So we didn’t hit Phil and Ted’s until the last day of the show but boy was there a lot to see there.

Phil and Ted’s Strollers

First of all, as you may have heard, Phil and Ted’s is releasing a Graffiti line of strollers.  There will be 3 Sport Graffiti strollers (Red, Blue, and Lime), 1 Dash Graffiti Stroller (Black) and 2 Vibe Graffiti Strollers (Black and Red).  What is a graffiti stroller you might ask?  Well it is literally a stroller that looks like the interior of the strollers has been painted by graffiti.

The cool thing about the Graffiti strollers are that each one is completely unique and so no two are the same.  Phil and Ted’s is building up their brand in the US and working on getting an edgy urban look in their newest line. At the show, the tagline for the Graffi line was “Yo MotherSuckers!”  which seems a little provocative to say the least.  We’ll see if they continue with that motto going forward.

The Graffit line will only be available packaged together with the doubles kit.  The Graffiti line should be available in the next couple of weeks!

What about the dash you ask?  Good question.  Turns out Phil and Ted’s were using multiple factories to manufacture the Dash.  One of which ended up having some quality control issues which resulted in some early breakage.  Regal Lager pulled all the US Dashes from the market.  If you have one that is broken - contact Regal Lager and they will get you a replacement.  The newly manufactured Dashes, with excellent quality control this time I am sure, will be hitting the US within the next 4-6 weeks!

Other new Phil and Ted’s Accessories:

Okay we can’t publish our photos of most of these due to a request by Phil and Ted’s but we’ll tell you about them. . .
Phil and Ted is working on a hard sided bassinet attachment for the Vibe named the Peanut.  This should be available first quarter 2009. There is also a soon to be released Lazy Ted Attachment for the Vibe stroller.  Yay!  Additionally there will be a Vibe Buggy Bag that attached to the rear axle and your basket for additional storage.  Lastly, Phil and Ted’s is also predicting a 2009 release date for their high chair and own carseat which will work with the Vibe.  We can never say never, but we are always cautious to pick up a new carseat line that hasn’t proven itself over years of safety testing.  Why can’t the Vibe just take the Graco or Maxi Cosi infant carseats like everything else?

Phil and Ted’s is also releasing a wriggle wrapper.  This is a harness product to hold children onto any chair to serve as a high chair (or restraint I suppose!). It also comes with an extension to hold children on their back to any bed.  I’m sure to prevent rolling out of an adult bed but we were hysterical at the notion of chaining your kids to a bed and having to crawl underneath the bed to make sure the entension was attached on both sides to hold a child on its back in bed securely.  I don’t think this will be our product of choice!

Phil and Ted’s Smart Buggy v2 is on the way!

We don’t have a date yet but this light (12 lbs) Smart Buggy is going to be a hard urban stroller to beat.  It folded easily, weighted almost nothing, had a great recline, and hard larger wheels for a very responsive push.  Of course we only saw a prototype but we were salivating to get our hands on the real thing.  I’m sure it won’t be an inexpensive lightweight but if it lives up to the stats, the performance and usability should be fabulous!

One of Regal Lager’s other brands, GR8-X is also releasing a self-inflatible nursing pillow.  We loved it! It rolled up small or travel, inflated in a second and had a fuzzy minky side up against baby.

If you are a nursing mom on-the-go like me, you’ll snap up one of these travel pillows right away!  This is also great to keep in the car or in your diaper bag if you don’t want to kill your back by leaning over while nursing.

EasyWalker Returns:

Okay we’ve had our fair share of issues dealing with EasyWalker in the past.  They have great products but their US staff was skeletal and constantly changing - making it hard to reach them with questions or issues.  This year, however they are releasing a revolutionary new product to the marketplace.

Their double DuoWalker Sky will take TWO maxi Cosi carseats at the same time. Until now there has been now side-by-side that takes two carseast -something twin parents are always asking for.  EasyWalker managed to stagger the carseats so one is above the other to give it enough room to hold the carseats and still pass though a standard 30″ doorway.

Will it only take the Maxi Cosi Mico?  Yes and I’m sure it will stay that way.  The Graco and Peg carseats are much wider than the Mico so if they were on the stroller it would be incredibly wide and not pass through doorways.  This attachment is not expected until the Spring of 2009.

Easywalker also debuted a 4 wheeled stroller, a parent console, an easier to remove bassinet, and a gorgeous Silver color.  We liked the Silver Color but were confused why the 4 wheeler was so great?  It was heavy and wasn’t reversible so we wouldn’t recommend it unless you just loved the look.

EasyWalker also promised us they were expanding their US operations for more consistent customer service. . .

Teutonia:

I have seen the US Teutonia line in their test market runs and liked them but as I learned about them at the show there was even more to love.

Teutonia is debuting strollers where you can customize your stroller in looks including the color, chasis, seat insert and even coordinating carseat.  They had a wide range of solids and patterns to choose from as well as some matching footmuffs and accessories.  The Teutonia carseat is an even higher end Graco Safeseat in fashionable colors but the strollers will also accept either Graco Snugride or Safeseat.  All of the strollers will be reversible and all have German-made engineering and manufaturing.  Unusual in this day and age to have strollers that aren’t built in China.

We were disappointed that Teutonia is removing their trademark handlebar rainbow insignia for the US market.  Can you guess why?

Expect to find their larger roll-out in a store near you in early 2009.