The scooter strikes a nostalgic chord with adults who buy the toy for their children, Cutler says. Cutler says the sleek, updated scooter is the type of toy that retailers dream about. Not only does it look good, but it's built well. It's a high-quality, fun product. Safety also factors in for many parents who opt to give their kids a scooter instead of other wheeled toys that are perceived to be more dangerous, Jakab says.
Scooters are so easy to use, anybody can get the hang of it in a couple of minutes.
They're easier to stop, and they're easier to control than a skateboard or Rollerblades. Despite their perceived safety, scooters aren't without their perils. The Consumer Product Safety Commission said last week that scooters have sent nearly 9,500 Americans to emergency rooms this year. May. While Toys R Us, Huffy and other retailers and manufacturers recommend that scooter riders wear a helmet and knee, wrist and elbow pads, quite a few young daredevils opt out of the safety gear. The new Sharper Image catalog uses the image of a chipper young businessman scooting his way to work to hawk the the Xootr, a deluxe model designed for the urban commuter.