The first BUDDY L Volkswagen Bus toy was introduced in 1966 in the mostly recognized white over red version. All factory versions are 23 window Samba VW Bus models with a body made of pressed steel. The body is made in two sections; a roof with cut out windows snaps in place on the lower body that has stamped details such as "V" front, door lines and lights. The opening side doors were initially removable and later changed to a welded steel hinge. The chassis is molded plastic and includes front and rear “Euro” bumpers as well as a rocker panel side trim. Three steel rivets hold the chassis to the body. The wheels are made of indestructible plastic with chromed steel hub caps that are held in place by a removable white wall insert. These wheel assemblies are pressed on strong steel axle shafts. All models have a clear tinted sliding sunroof and matching plastic windows. The seats are made of three separate plastic pieces forming a fixed front bench seat and two folding rear seats that change into a flat loading area. Most versions came with chromed plastic headlights that look like normal VW equipment, but some were offered with an odd looking pan shaped headlight.
In 1967 the Ski Bus was introduced, always in white with dark blue chassis, bumpers and roof rack. This version also came with two soft plastic skiers with movable arms. These figures would seat inside the VW Bus or could be outfitted with the provided skis and poles that are carried on the roof rack. The side door had a BUDDY L Ski Lodge sticker and the front logo was replaced with a snowflake sticker. Seats were light blue, headlights are chromed plastic and the window tint was always blue.
Next are two “blue” versions of the VW Samba Bus with no theme. The medium blue always had a white chassis and white seats, whereas the lighter blue version had a grey chassis and red seats. These both came with the traditional BUDDY L chrome over red “B” logo in front just as the initial white over red version had.
The two final “70s” versions are the “Flower” or hippie VW Bus in white over lime green and the “Sun” Bus in orange over pink! What a statement of the times they were! These versions were adorned with their own flower and sun stickers on the sides and front logos, and the chassis and interiors were always white.
Custom versions of the famous BUDDY L VW Bus can be found in the Vintage Restor-Version Toys section of this website.
