The longboard stroller will be suitable for kids nine months old to about 4 1/2 years old, or a maximum weight of 15 kilograms.
Like any invention that melds two things you would never think to combine, you can imagine the light-bulb moment behind the longboard stroller. A dad needs to cruise with his kid to the corner store to get some milk; he looks at his longboard then looks at his stroller, looks at his longboard then looks at his stroller, until – Eureka!
Except the brains behind the idea isn't some random dad. It's Quinny, the Dutch manufacturer of high-end strollers. (Think Bugaboo with a hang-ten spirit and a Euro sense of design.) The company has hired Antwerp-based designer Peter Van Riet to create one of the extra-long skateboards with a child's seat attached to the front.
"Quinny is really trying to imagine the future of mobility with kids," Van Riet says. He's been working on prototypes since he was approached by the company last fall. The current version features handles at the front and a braking system, although Van Riet is still working out the best way to strap kids into the stroller.
Skating with a kid on-board might make some parents jittery, but safety is "our biggest concern," Van Riet says.
The stroller will be suitable for kids nine months old to about 41/2 years old, or a maximum weight of 15 kilograms.
A generation of parents who grew up skateboarding and are fans of the butter-smooth, mellow ride of longboarding will probably be stoked by the idea of a longboard stroller. Van Riet says it's unknown still, however, how much it will cost or when – even if – it will hit the market.
If and when it does, don't take it out expecting to ollie off curbs or pull rad moves. "The day somebody drops into a pool with it, we have a problem," Van Riet says.
Dave McGinn