A gas-powered scooter called the Doodle Bug was made in Webster City for only three years just after the end of World War Two and many decades later, the two-wheeled devices remain highly-coveted.
Gerald Huisman is one of the organizers of the Doodle Bug Club which is holding its annual reunion in Webster City this week. The event is bringing in devotees of the scooters from across the country.
“They were built there in the years 1946, ’47, ’48. There were about 40,000 of them made during that time,” Huisman says. “Amazingly, in 1946, the first production, you could buy one for $69.95, and then as inflation hit, by 1948, they were $149.95.” Restored Doodle Bugs today cost between $3,000 and $6,000.
Kevin Rosen has made the trek to Webster City from Riverside, California.
“My 81-year-old father had one as a kid and he had one restored here in town so it brought us here to the reunion because of that bike and made friends with everybody,” Rosen says. “It’s almost like a family reunion more than a bike reunion and we’ve been coming ever since.”
A sculpture celebrating the Doodle Bug was dedicated last year in Webster City. Weather permitting, owners will ride their scooters around Webster City. Events at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds run today through Saturday.
(By Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)