Hi there peeps! You may have noticed in my pics from our Disney trip Scarlett was rollin’ in a VERY sweet new lime green stroller. We recently purchased the Joovy Kooper. We wanted a light-weight stroller that was somewhere in between an umbrella stroller and a larger heavy-duty stroller. After doing our research, we had heard some great things about the Kooper, and we totally loved how it looked, so we went for it!
RIGHT NOW THE JOOVY KOOPER IS ON SALE FOR $99 and FREE SHIPPING!! HOLY SMOKES THAT’S A STEAL. The discount is only while supplies last, so if you like what you see, get it while its such a killer deal! (I’m jealous!! HAHA! I paid full price!)
Taking any stroller on a Disney trip puts any stroller to the test! Rockin’ and rollin’ around Disneyland is a much more intensive test, than say, a leisurely stroll around the block. We were hoping the Joovy Kooper would live up to our high expectations. And in many ways, it did.
PRO: GREAT LOOKING, BRIGHT COLOR. Isn’t it cute?! I love the way it looks. Joovy calls it their “euro-buggy”. From the moment we took it out of the box and popped it up were were all oooohs and ahhhhs. I totally love the bright lime green color, which Joovy calls “Appletree”. And MAN did that bright color come in handy at Disneyland. Spotting our stroller in the chaos of stroller parking areas was a snap!
PRO: ROLLS GREAT, STURDY, HIGH QUALITY WHEELS. And it rolls GREAT! The wheels seem super sturdy and high quality. It turns and rolls VERY easily. No complaints at all in the way the Kooper handles.
PRO: DURABILITY, CUSTOMER SERVICE. I can tell the Kooper is going to last us a long time. The fabric is super sturdy and all the mechanisms and parts seem really high quality (except for the basket snaps – keep reading – I’ll get to that). Plus, even though it seems sturdy and high quality, its pretty lightweight too! And it holds kids up to 50 lbs, so Scarlett can be rollin’ in her Kooper for a long long time! And I know if I ever have a problem, Joovy will help a girl out. When I’ve spoken to them on the phone, a real person answers! No waiting on hold forever, or getting lost in a maze of an automated system! They are really nice and always helpful.
PRO: KID COMFORT, MESH KIDDIE POCKETS. Scarlett always seemed really comfortable in it. I liked how wide the seat was. Plenty of room. Sometimes I think kids look a little squished in umbrella strollers, but not the Kooper. There are also really handy little mesh pockets on either side of Scarlett where we could tuck toys, sippy cups, etc. Its where we always stashed her pacifier so we always knew where it was!
PRO: GIANT CANOPY. And one of my FAVORITE features, the GIANT canopy. This hood is massive and really nice. It totally shades our fair-skinned babe AND also helped keep out some of the noise and goings-on when she was trying to sleep. Joovy is known for their giant canopies. I really like them a lot!!
Now for some things about the Kooper we didn’t love as much.
CON: BASKET BLUNDER. First up, and probably Josh’s #1 complaint, was the basket at the bottom. It’s an ok size, but the little tab that snaps it in place on the right side would NOT stay snapped. I don’t know if we got a faulty one or what, but every time we looked down it was unsnapped and our basket was about to fall off and dump all our stuff on the ground. It was very frustrating. Josh just informed me that it was actually both snaps that would come off. I only noticed the right side myself. A large safety pin would have solved the problem, but should’t your basket just stay on?! And its not like we had super heavy stuff down there that was pulling it off. It was just our camera, a baby blanket, and a baby sling. I’ll definitely be contacting Joovy about our basket!
Also, its a little inconvenient that you can’t access the basket underneath at all if the stroller seat is reclined. So if Scarlett was a asleep and I needed to get into the basket, too bad!
*UPDATE* I talked to Joovy and they quickly sent me a replacement basket. Again – Joovy’s customer service is SUPERB. They want happy customers!! They said I must have gotten faulty snaps, so this one is supposed to work. I’ve used it running errands and it hasn’t fallen off yet, but we’ll see if it stays on our next trip.
MINI-CON: DOESN’T FULL RECLINE. Speaking of reclining the seat, I was a little bummed that the seat doesn’t fully recline. It’s nearly flat, but not quite (I looked it up and it goes back to 149 degrees). Luckily, Scarlett didn’t seem to mind much and slept pretty good in it. But I do wonder if she would have napped better and longer had she been able to lie all the way back. My sister-in-law, who was with us on the Disneyland trip, said her baby would NOT have been able to sleep in a stroller that doesn’t lay flat. (MINI-PRO: UNLIMITED RECLINE POSITIONS. I do love how the strap mechanism lets me set the recline at any position you want.) One other thing – when reclining or sitting up the seat, the back flap with the zip pouch and water bottle holders always got caught up and tangled with the top of the seat. I had to always remember to watch out for that. I’m sure I’ll get used to it, but it was something I had to be conscious of with each seat adjustment.
MINI-CON: FOLDING. We had read that some people didn’t like how the Kooper folds up. But I didn’t really have a problem with it. I do wish it had an automatic lock when you folded it, but the little tab that you use to hook it closed is really easy and seems like its good quality and will last. It folds easily and to a pretty flat/small size. The wheels stick out pretty far, and make it a tight squeeze to fit in my trunk long ways, but you can pop the wheels off and that makes it much smaller. Granted, it’s not realistic to pop the wheels off every time you need to fold up the stroller though, so that’s something to keep in mind.
MINI-CON: HEIGHT. I’m 5’10” and Josh is 6’1″ so we were a little worried about having a stroller that is tall enough for us. Especially since we ordered it online and hadn’t actually pushed the thing around ourselves. But the Kooper is actually pretty tall. Do we wish it had an extra few inches? Sure. But its not terribly uncomfortable. But if you or your hubby is taller than 6’1″, the Kooper will definitely be a (literal) pain! When you’re pushing it, the room for your stride is limited by the height of the handles. We were wishing it was either a little taller or the handles came out toward you a little more just for a little bit more ease in walking. But all in all – the heigh is only slightly disappointing, mostly ok.
CON: BRAKE CABLES. There are brake cables near the bottom of the stroller and they are SUPER ANNOYING. I was constantly stepping on them, tripping, and yanking them out with my foot on accident. I don’t know if I’m supposed to position them differently or what, but they were definitely always annoying us as we walked. I’ll definitely be getting some zip-ties and trying to tie them up in a way that won’t let them be in my way!
*UPDATE* Upon further inspection, it looks like our stroller came with a missing zip tie on the left side, or a broken one that fell off. Not sure. The cables seem to normally be pre-zip tied up out of the way. But ours wasn’t. I’m going to contact Joovy today about getting another matching zip tie. I’m assuming normally this wouldn’t be such a problem when all the break cables are tied up as they should be. I’m positive Joovy customer service will rectify this issue promptly.
CON: BRAKES! I’ve never used a stroller with such difficult to use brakes. They aren’t your typical flip down, flip up brakes. They are big pedals you have to push really hard to lock and yank really hard to unlock. And you can’t really tell if the brakes are on or off. The wheels seem to rock a tiny bit even with the brakes on, so I was always a little confused if they were on (there’s no locking or clicking sound to help you know if they are on or what). AND if you’re a flip flop mom like I am, you won’t be able to use these brakes with your feet. Josh and I finally gave up and did the brakes with our hands. It’s possible we’ll get used to these difficult brakes, but I don’t know!!
All in all, the Kooper is a high-quality, excellent stroller. Like I said, I can tell its going to last a long time! There are just some things about it that Josh and I, being the picky parents we are, weren’t thrilled about. When you’re at Disney, in a hurry, running here and there, the little things like brakes, baskets, etc. seem to add up. So, while I wouldn’t say this is the dream Disney or travel stroller, I would say its a GREAT stroller for every day use. I’m REALLY looking forward to using it for walks around the block, to the park, the mall, etc!
Since returning from our trip, and speaking with Joovy about our “cons” list, they said to tell my blog readers that Joovy’s newest stroller “The Groove” could quite possibly resolve many of the issues we had with the Kooper. You can read all of the features of the Groove here. So keep that in mind!
And guess what!!! I have a Joovy stroller for one lucky winner!! The winner gets to choose between the Groove or the Kooper in the color of your choice. (I love Joovy’s bright color options!)
Want a gorgeous Groove or Kooper of your own? Here’s how to enter:
Post a comment on this blog post telling me the first place you’d stroll with your new Joovy Kooper.
Shipping is complimentary in the lower 48 states. Outside winners pay additional shipping costs. One entry per household please. All entries must be in by midnight (Mountain Standard Time) Sunday night (Dec. 4).
I’ll announce the lucky winner on Monday morning. GOOD LUCK!
WINNER ANNOUNCED! Congratulations to Sarah Bennett!!! She was our lucky randomly selected winner of a brand new Joovy stroller. YAY!
The first place I'd stroll with a new Joovy Kooper would be around our neighborhood.
Thanks for the awesome review! I'd love to take it out for a stroll around the park!
I'd take it anywhere and everywhere!! We could use a new stroller! 🙂
We are going to Disneyland in the spring and this would be great! That is not the first place I would use it though. I would walk around the neighborhood with my little one.
As a grandmother to a one year old this would be great to keep at my house when Addison comes to visit. I would take a walk along our local bike trail, maybe we'd get to see some ducks. Love the bright color options.
Love the bright colors and the big canopies too! Since it's almost Christmas, I'd probably break a new stroller in at the mall 🙂
I'd stroll my older 2 girls to school!
My oldest neice just surprised me last night with the news of her very first pregnancy….I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be able to give this to her! Thank you for the chance Britt!!
I have 3 kids and another on the way, due shortly before I move to a new house. The first place I'd take the stroller is around the neighborhood of my new home. Sounds like a great way to become aquainted with the new area and new stroller:) Thanks for the giveaway! I love the strollers bright color and features!
I'd stroll around the neighborhood!
What a fabulous opportunity! I would probably take Juno for a walk in the neighborhood as the first place, but would definitely use it when we take her to Walt Disney World.
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We would take it on our trip to Disneyland Paris 🙂 I love the bright colors it really would be handy trying to find it in the stroller areas after rides and shows thanks so much for the chance x
I would take it anywhere! After my last stroller that was a double and a pain to use I quit using one. I would love a stroller that is easy to use!
Thanks for the great giveaway! I would probably take it to the mall as that is where we use it the most.
The first place I'd use the Joovy is to our local zoo. We make frequent trips there and it sounds like it would be a great stroller for those trips. I love the style and colors, too.
My own driveway and dirt road. I'd love to have an improvement over our umbrella stroller!
Depending when it would come, I'd take it on our Disney trip in January!! great giveaway!
I would definitely cruise at Disney World! Wow! This is really great, thanks so much for offering this! Mwah!
How fun!! Well, I would say we would try out our new stroller at the mall! Gotta finish up that shopping! We have a double but our single stroller JUST broke the other day..thanks for the opportunity!
This would be so great to have since it will snowing here soon I have to say the mall would be the first place to use. Then on the Disney Fantasy in March. Wouldnt take be great!
Tammy S
I would like to say outside, but with the cold weather it would probably be the mall!
Cool, I'd love to try one out! And I think I'd try it first around the neighborhood or at a park… hoping the weather stays nice. 🙂 Thanks for the chance!
sarah8914 at gmail dot com
Just had a new baby and I would love to use this a ton next year. I would first use it when we travel to Wisconsin in Jan, the Chicago in Feb, Min in March and then Disneyworld in August!
My new niece or nephew will be born in January and I'd love to be able to give this to them, so they can stroll their first baby everywhere, lol!
I would guess that the first place I would use Joovy stroller would be to go to the library…we're their a couple times a week since it's so close and they have great children's programs.
Thanks for the chance to win this very cool looking stoller…just what I've been wishing for too, a suped-up umbrella stroller.
I'm due in January, so the first place I would stroll would probably be in the mall since it will be brrrrr cold in Indiana in January:))
I'm pretty sure the first place it would be strollin' is around the house so that each of the 3 older sibs could have a turn pushing baby sis around the house! Thank goodness for wood floors 🙂
Cool strollers! I would love one to take my little one on walks around the neighborhood. I really love the bright colors – they would make us easily seen by drivers and that is a huge safety plus!
Those strollers look amazing! The first place I'd stroll with a Joovy stroller would be everywhere that my little one got tired of keeping up with me =) Thanks so much for the chance to win!!
HUGS,
Fonnetta
The first place I would stroll would be Target, why? Because I can't stay out of that store!! If not there then around the neighborhood with doggies 🙂
Thanks for the review! I am in the market for a new stroller. I'd take a stroll through the airport with this Joovy. We travel quite a bit and I need something between an umbrella and my big stroller for the airports.
enjoyed the review… we have the joovy caboose (also in lime green!) and i can't say enough good things about it.
The first place I would take a new Joovy stroller is on a walk down our new neighborhood! 🙂
What a perfect blog post – we were talking about getting a sturdier stroller – the only one she will sit in now is her umbrella – HATES her other one. First use would be either shopping or a walk around the neighborhood. Thanks for the chance to win one!!
We are planning a trip to DL in the next couple months and desperately need a new stroller! We would LOVE a new Joovy Kooper for our trip (and for the neighborhood, and the mall…)
Thanks for the chance to win!! <3
Awesome giveaway! The first place I'd go is around the block – as soon as I could! Thanks for the chance to win!
I'm expecting in Feb and need a new stroller! Prob would take a trip around the block first, and then to MANY soccer games in the Spring
You know I'd take it to Disneyland!
Surprisingly, we haven't had snow here in the midwest, so I'd take a little stroll around our neighborhood and enjoy the nice weather we're having.
Thanks for the awesome review! Our first trip would be to the park, unless it was raining, and then we'd head to the mall!
Ummmm…the first place we would probably stroll is the hotel The Gaylord Texan. We go right before Chrsitmas to look at all the Christmas lights.
Great stroller! The first place we'd take it would be the Atlanta Aquarium! We are going there with my sister right after Christmas!
Thanks for a chance to win!
I love how in depth your review was! I'm expecting again in March and this would be perfect. I've already been thinking about a stroller since the only one I still have is a double. As far as where I'd first go in it, it would probably be for daily walks to the post office. Thanks for the chance!
I will definitely use it in Yellowstone as soon as winter is over!!!
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Thanks for the thorough rewiew- I have actually been looking for a stroller. The first place I would take it would be our upcoming trip to Disney World!
I would love to have this stroller to use for our expected 6th Grandchild in & around WinterPark Colorado.
I would love to say that I would take it to Disneyland first, it would probably be Christmas shopping at the mall.
thanks for the very complete review.
Virgina airport! We are leaving for vacation in a few weeks and that would be the perfect size to stroll in a airport adn store on a plane. Thanks for the chance!!
The review is awesome!!! I think I would use it daily as I walk my 1st grader to school and back.
Great job on the review! I actually haven't seen these so this was helpful! I'd love to win as we are in pending status for infant adoption and a new stroller would be fantastic! Where would we stroll?? The local park! It has a pond you can walk all the way around and it is just beautiful! =)
Wow- what an awesome giveaway! the first place we would use it would be (of course) Disney World- where we are going this month! Woo hoo!!!
What a great giveaway! I would totally use it to keep my little one happy during all the fun christmas festivities this month!
This looks awesome!! The first place I would use it would be around our apartment complex. We have lots of parks and walking trails and it would really come in handy instead of taking the really big bulky stroller! 🙂 Thanks for the chance!!
I would love to say something like Disneyland or World, but more than likely it would be out grocery shopping. 🙂 Love that color and I could definitely see the Pro of finding it at Land!!!
My brother's graduation! =) I am studying abroad this year and just found out that my sister-in-law is pregnant. She's due a few days before my brother graduates from college, which is only two weeks after I return to the US! I'd love to be able to share this stroller with them and show off the new baby in the new stroller at the new daddy's graduation! =)
I just had a new baby and was on bed rest the entire time!! I would love to walk around our neighborhood and use my muscles again!
I actually would love to win this stroller, to give to a friend of mine who is trying to conceive! her and her husband have been going through a lot (including a miscarriage), and I know with the costs of invetro and fertility drugs (which they are in the middle of), they would LOVE to cut down on costs when they do finally get to hold their new little bundle! Thanks for the chance!
I would love to take my little one Christmas shopping in it! Thanks for the chance to win!
I'm trying to get pregnant! The first place I'd use the Joovy is taking my little one to the playground. Thanks for the review and this great opportunity!
I would love a Joovy to walk around the neighborhood and motivate me to walk off those baby pounds.
Looks like an awesome stroller. I have to get one if I do not win because we named our two month old Kooper! We would have to stroll around indoors at the mall because it is freeezing cold here in Idaho! Come this summer tho we are def strolling around outside!
Looks like a great stroller for the zoo! Thanks for the review and the chance to win!
Thanks for the chance to win! I love the color of the green one! Anyway, I would use this at the mall, stores, etc while out Christmas shopping and then, I'd LOVE to use it at our next WDW trip next fall…thanks!
Oh my goodness… an Apple Green stroller how awesome (and cute) is that!
I would take that baby and my cute baby girl for a day of shopping at the mall to test out both the cuteness and the comfy ride. It looks like an amazing stroller! Thanks for the contest!
The very first place I would take it would be a shopping trip to see how it handled then it would be on a family weekend trip! Thank you so much for the chance to win!!!
Hi Britt! I am mexican and I live here in North part of Mexico (Yes, where all the shootings are happening) If I win this I will donate it to a poor mexican family in need of a stroller for their kids, you would make a kid very happy for christmas! Thank you for the opportunity fo this great giveaway!
The first place I'd stroll with a new Joovy Kooper is the zoo. I love the colors of these strollers! hickenfam at hotmail dot com
Wow- this would be so great! My son and daughter in law are expecting our first grandchild this month. This sounds great to use at the mall. It looks like it would be easy to get in and out of the car and maneuver in the stores.
Hmm…. I don't see a way to leave my email without it being published.
Expecting our fourth and final little one – it would be great to have this wonderful stroller! Our third child will only be 19 months when the fourth is born, so it'll be the ubiquitous child-corralling mechanism, heh heh heh.
Thanks for the opportunity to win one! (And great review, Britt)
hi_c74 at hotmail dot com
OK- I'll spell out my email to go along with my post that is just above.
kbkbk at ameritech dot net
thanks for the chance to win.
The first place would be to the mall. My 9 week old is growing out of some of his 3-6 month clothing already! Crossing fingers and toes!
I would totally go strolling to the park! We love being outside, and this would be awesome! I hate our umbrella stroller!
We would love to use this Joovy Kooper stroller at Downtown Disney. We are planning to walk around the shops and eat with our three kids. Thank you for the great review and a chance to win!
I just had our second baby…so I would stroll around the neighborhood during his fussy time of day!
Oh Britt, I was totally entertained reading your awesome review of the Joovy Kooper in my inbox! I love that you gave both the pros and cons 🙂
I would love to stroll through the foothills of Northern California (where we live)with my grandbabes doing some sightseeing and shopping at quaint little shops along the way. We'd be cruising in style 🙂
Thanks for such a generous giveaway and Happy December to all!
I would love to take my grandkids to the store to try it out.
Hmmm…sounds like a reliable stroller. I would be walking the neighborhood or walking the bike path at the park. Oh or maybe the mall! Thanks for the giveaway and the honest review.
Ooh I am on the hunt for a great stroller like this but my husband would kill me if I bought another one in my search for the perfect stroller! 🙂 how I would love to win this!! Park walks, the mall, so many places!
Oh wow! First place we'd take it is the bike trail near our house! It would be fantastic for our Disneyland and NYC trips too though!!
ive been looking for a smaller stroller that is a little bigger than the basic umbrella stroller. this looks perfect!! Super cute too! I would take it for a stroll around the block. my little boy LOVES walks but our stroller is rather bulky. this looks like it would be a nice change! 🙂
I would stroll on the boardwalk at the Jersey Shore – where we go for XMas! Thanks for the chance and what cute pics of beautiful Scarlett!
it'd be so nice to have a more compact stroller (anything is more compact than the one we currently have)! i'd love it for all the holiday festivities we're doing this month (& next). it'd definitely fit in some smaller spaces. thanks for the chance tow in!
SavannaH – going to be there very soon.
We would use ours to visit Santa's village very soon! Love that color!
I would stroll with my still as yet unborn grandniece/nephew around the awesome zoo here in my hometown! Kim