Push-along toys made of wire are popular throughout Africa, especially in the southern African countries of Malawi, South Africa, Botswana and Zimbabwe. This long-legged ice cream seller is from Zimbabwe. It is made from recycled wire, foam, plastic and wood and is a brilliant piece of design.

The maker needs to have a clear idea of how the toy is going to move before beginning to design the component parts. If you think about it, often the ice cream cart is in the front of the bicycle frame as it is in the Playmobil version. In this case, the ice cream cart is mounted on the extended tricycle frame. The frame and the push-along handle are made of wire, the bicycle wheels are made of wire with an extra wrapping of wire to create the rough texture of tyres, the body and front mudguard are made of foam, the jacket and hat are made of plastic, and the cart is made of wood – all materials found and reused. The tyres, painted white on the inside, allow the toy to be pushed on a rough surface. The cart is painted white with a painting of a cow with full udders on green grass to advertise the fact that it is ice cream that is being sold by this street vendor.

The structure of this toy, with the long bike frame and elongated limbs and face of the seller, is elegant, appealing and shows the maker’s sense of fun. Toys like this now sell well in the international market and are often the source of income for the makers through various fairtrade schemes. However, simple push-along toys (sometimes called galimotos, the word for car in Chichewa, the language of Malawi) are still seen enjoyed by children in African countries, most frequently in rural areas.