BABYZEN
BABYZEN sells one lightweight premium stroller model, the YOYO.
The YOYO debuted in 2012 as one of the first ultra-compact strollers. This was pitched to parents who frequently travel and want to store a stroller in the overhead compartment of an airplane (although the policies on this vary from carrier to carrier). Ultracompact strollers can be folded with one hand and often include a carry strap or travel bag.
BABYZEN was founded by a father-son duo, Jean-Michel Chaudeurge and his son, Julien Chaudeurge. Jean-Michel was a designer at the French baby gear company Baeba, for whom he designed the Babycook, the best-seller baby food maker. Julie, meanwhile, worked in marketing for Fiat during the same they re-introduced the Fiat 500 to North America.
As young parents in the early 2000's, Julien and his wife Claire were frustrated with strollers for their baby—they didn't fit in the small trunk of their vehicle, didn't pass through the gates of the metro subway and wasn't allowed in the overhead compartment of most airplanes. At the same time, father and son ran into Gilles Hendry, an engineer, who was struggling to sell a stroller prototype that folded in a compact form. “We saw his prototype: we immediately understood that it was exactly what we needed to make a hit,” said Julien Chaudeurge.[1]
BABYZEN was founded in 2009 in Aix-en-Provence, France and the YOYO was released in 2012. In 2019, BABYZEN reported selling its millionth stroller. In 2021, BABYZEN was acquired for an undisclosed amount by Stokke, the Norwegian baby gear brand best known for its Tripp Trapp high chair.[2]
Flagship Model: YOYO
The YOYO was named for the folding motion of the stroller, much like the namesake toy.
Aimed at urban parents who want a compact-folding stroller that works both for travel and narrow pathways, the YOYO is sold in several configurations. The most recent version (YOYO2).
While the stroller can be purchased as a frame and then customized, it is more common to see the YOYO2 as sold with a bundle designed for babies six months and older (the YOYO2 stroller 6+, 13.7 lbs). When folded, this stroller is 20.5" x 17.3" x 7.1".
The key features of the BABYZEN YOYO2 are:
• One-hand quick fold and unfold.
• Small wheels enable the stroller to navigate tight spaces.
• Upscale fabric and finish—for example, the handlebar is covered in faux leather.
• Reclining seat with multiple positions, canopy with UPF 50+ sun protection and all wheel suspesnion.
• Ability to be used from birth with optional bassinet (newborn pack). In recent years, BABYZEN added a feature to enable two YOYO strollers to connect (YOYO Connect), becoming a double stroller.
On the downside, the stroller includes no cup holder (one is sold separately as an accessory) or parent tray and the storage basket is rather small (there is a small storage pocket at the back of the seat). To make up for the lack of storage, BABYZEN also sells an accessory bag designed to fit on the back of the stroller.
The small wheels are also not designed for gravel or rough surfaces (but that is true for most ultracompact strollers). There is also no leg rest (again sold as an accessory).
The BABYZEN does not sell an infant car seat in the US, but sells an optional adapter that works with the following infant car seats:
• Cybex Aton Q
• Cybex Aton 2
• Nuna Pipa Lite
• Nuna Pipa
• Clek Liing
• Maxi Cosi Mico Max Plus
Safety Recalls
As of this writing, there are no safety recalls for BABYZEN strollers.