Of course growing up I always had a buzzy bee toy – although it was always a very well loved toy with the paint fading and the click clack of its wings not quite so loud once it had been passed down from my older siblings to myself.

The Buzzy Bee™ is New Zealand’s most famous children’s toy.

This brightly coloured, wooden pull-along toy has been handed down from generation to generation and is now regarded as a major New Zealand icon. There would be few New Zealanders that don’t remember playing with this charming little toy in their youth.

The Buzzy Bee™ has endeared itself to millions of New Zealanders. An intriguing concoction of clackety-clack sound, quivering antennae, spinning wings and bold colour, this delightful pull-along toy has been produced in the hundreds of thousands since its first release in the mid-1940s and is now seen worldwide.

Such is New Zealand’s love affair with Buzzy Bee™ that it has appeared as the subject of paintings, sculptures, television advertisements, postal stamps, magazine covers, school murals and parades. Buzzy Bee™ is now often presented by New Zealand dignitaries to VIP’s with children who are visiting New Zealand. Notable recipients include the future King of England, Prince William, Princess Aiko from Japan and the Spanish Royal family.

 

Buzzybeeride