World's Largest Doodle Bug Scooter.

World's Largest Doodle Bug Scooter

Webster City, Iowa

The 1.5 horsepower Doodle Bug Motor Scooter was manufactured in Webster City for a few years -- 1946-48 -- where engineer Harry Mertz (1904-1976) is credited with inventing the "Little Red Bug" -- for the Beam Manufacturing Company.

A Doodle Bug scooter had a small kick-started engine, and could accelerate to up to 25 miles per hour. It was marketed to teenagers; some 40,000 were sold. The "Doodle Bug Super" was branded with a cartoon logo depicting an excitable insect with head lamp eyes, antennae, and speed lines spewing from its wheel.

The city's Doodle Bug Club of America keeps the dream of doodle buggery alive, with enthusiasts and factory worker reunions, a historical marker, and a big exact replica of the red scooter, unveiled on September 20, 2024 next to city hall.

World's Largest Doodle Bug Scooter

Address:: 748 Seneca St., Webster City, IA
Directions:: Downtown, on the southeast corner of 2nd and Seneca Sts.

Nearby Offbeat Places

Heartland Museum, Clarion, IA - 18 mi.

In God We Trust Menagerie, Jewell, IA - 15 mi.

Floyd of Rosedale: Famous Pig, Fort Dodge, IA - 17 mi.

In the region:

Fish - World's Largest Bullhead, Crystal Lake, IA - 52 mi.

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