Although old news by now, the internet has been a-buzz over the past two weeks over the $1,500 Bugaboo Donkey Stroller. Everyone from mommy bloggers to print writers has an opinion on this product, but all come down to this final conclusion: Even designed with all the safety features possible, no stroller is worth $1,500.
Unless, of course, you’re specifically looking for a status item. The Bugaboo Donkey, apparently, has the brakes and suspension of a bicycle, is slim enough to fit down any aisle, and supposedly allows your child to sleep better. Even with these features, however, a $1,500 stroller is out of many parents’ price ranges. Should only those with money to burn have the safest strollers out there? Slate magazine’s XX blog seems to sum up this sentiment best:
It’s likely that the components that go into a Bugaboo Donkey or its predecessors, once laughably expensive at just $1,000 or even a tad less, raise the manufacturing costs well into three digits. Consider the braking and suspension on a higher-end bicycle, and concede that there’s (at least a little) more going on here than an artsy design and a price established solely for the purpose of making your neighbors’ eyes bug out. But even granting that Bugaboos are more than revamped $15 umbrella strollers, $1,500 seems a bit … extreme.
Plenty of strollers are out there, so why feel guilty if the Bugaboo Donkey does not fit in your budget? After all, not every stroller has a high-price for simply safety.
Take pram strollers, for instance. A common sight with celebrities a few years ago, prams have the design of old-fashioned baby carriages with all the features of a modern stroller. Prams, however, can range from $500 to $1,500, but as this type can be seen as a novelty or status item, the stroller’s design is primarily just for show.
