The Nattou Trotty combines three movement toys in one
With the Trotty from Nattou, a lightweight and versatile ride-on and rocking toy will be launched in 2027. Other manufacturers are also showing that colorful rigid foam is a trending material.
What is that? While walking through the exhibition halls at the Kind + Jugend in Cologne, the chubby Trotty catches my eye at the Nattou booth. Instead of looking like a classic rocking horse, it looks more like a hippo snout sitting on a curved rocker. The structure is so light that I can effortlessly dangle it in front of me at arm's length.
Like the colorful play blocks in the background of the picture, it is made of a rigid foam, the benefits of which I learn more about at the Belgian company's booth.
Expanded polypropylene (EPP) looks like Styrofoam: many small beads fused together. However, it has different properties. Instead of being rigid and brittle, it is elastic. Furthermore, it is completely recyclable and manufactured without toxic substances. It consists of over 90 percent air anyway.
You might know the material from thermal boxes, child car seats, or foam rollers. In the toy world, it has been popularized primarily by the German company Stapelstein – and is even featured in design exhibitions.
It remains a petroleum-based plastic, but at least one with many positive properties. The Trotty uses them in three different ways.
Function 1: Rocking
The toy comes out of the box as a kind of rocking hippo. It is firmly connected to the base by two star-grip screws that I can tighten and loosen by hand. I don't find any critical corners or edges; it is advertised for children from twelve months old.
At most, the wooden handle has the potential for unpleasant encounters with a child's face. Otherwise, you don't have to worry about furniture or baby teeth when your child pulls the lightweight toy through the apartment. The ends of the handle are also well padded.
Function 2: Ride-on car
If you unscrew the base and place the top part on the floor, the Trotty turns into a ride-on car. There are four wheels on its underside. The two front ones can rotate 360 degrees, which makes the vehicle agile – children can turn around on the spot with it. There is practically no ground clearance. This minimizes the risk of tipping, but even small thresholds become difficult obstacles to overcome.
Thanks to the elastic material, it doesn't matter if your child drives the Trotty into a table leg with momentum. It is one big crumple zone – unlike, for example, a Puky Wutsch, which my children used to maltreat the apartment with. They have long since outgrown that age. But even older children can have fun with the third function of the Trotty.
Function 3: Balance board
The curved base serves as a balance board: one foot on the left, one on the right on the raised part, and just start rocking. Officially, the manufacturer recommends the Trotty for children weighing up to 20 kilograms, which is why I hesitate to stand on it myself.
"No problem, the material can withstand up to 120 kilograms," I am encouraged at the booth. So I step on it – and stand flat on the floor without it creaking or breaking. As soon as I step off, the balance board springs back into its shape as if nothing had happened.
Not only Nattou relies on 3-in-1
A few booths further on, I stumble upon a product that could have served as inspiration for Nattou's Trotty. At Scoot and Ride, the MyFirst ride-on is no longer the specific focus. It has been around for a good three years and uses a similar principle for smaller children from six months old.
The underside of the MyFirst detaches with one movement. On one side, it has wheels that work on the same agile principle as the Trotty. On the other side are sliding pads that turn the vehicle into a walker for those first steps. Children can also use the base separately as a scooter board, the recess of which offers some space for toys.
Although the product from Scoot and Ride is not a rocking horse, I would call it a pioneer – Nattou has supplemented the principle with a wooden handle and the rocking function, making it interesting for an older target group. In terms of price, the Trotty should be in a similar range. It will be launched on the market at the beginning of 2027.
Simple writer and dad of two who likes to be on the move, wading through everyday family life. Juggling several balls, I'll occasionally drop one. It could be a ball, or a remark. Or both.
From the latest iPhone to the return of 80s fashion. The editorial team will help you make sense of it all.
Show all
