Indonesia's VW Beetle Club celebrates 23 years
<p>Indonesia's VW Beetle Club celebrates 23 years</p><p>Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta</p><p>Twenty-three years of organizing intermittent gatherings of
Beetle lovers are apparently not enough for the VW Beetle Club to
solve a riddle: While Americans call it the "Beetle" or "Bug" and
Germans call it Kaefer (which also means "Beetle"), why have
Indonesians gone a different way by calling it the Kodok (Frog)?</p><p>"We have been trying to get the full story on it, but we
haven't reached any conclusion as to why we call it the kodok.
It's an interesting point," Didit Soedarto, a long-time member of
VW Beetle Club, said, laughing.</p><p>Of course, the Volkswagen Beetle Club does not gather solely
to try and solve the kodok conundrum.</p><p>Since June 6, 1982, the club has organized Beetle expos, city
convoys and, along with the umbrella club, Volkswagen Indonesia
(which comprises Volkswagen clubs for any type of VW model),
carried out a lot more activities.</p><p>The latest activities were held at the end of June through
early July this year, when the club gathered again after a two-
year hiatus.</p><p>"We are trying to revive the club after a break.
Coincidentally, we heard that Disney wanted to premiere the
latest in the Herbie series early in July in Indonesia," Didit
added.</p><p>Herbie is a star in a series of movies about an overlooked
Beetle, which, surprisingly, wins a Nascar race in the U.S.</p><p>Begun in the 1960s, when the German "people's car" was at the
height of its popularity in the U.S., the Herbie movie, The Love
Bug, was a hit with U.S audiences, particularly children.</p><p>However, in Jakarta last weekend, four theaters in Cilandak
Town Square (Citos) in South Jakarta, were packed not only with
children but also Beetle-lovers, who were mostly in their late
20s or 30s.</p><p>After watching the movie, about 40 Beetles in a variety of
colors, types and modifications convoyed from Citos to Nikko
Hotel near Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Central Jakarta.</p><p>In the lobby of the hotel two Beetles were on display; one was
a 1964 blue convertible and another a 1963 white Beetle that
looked just like Herbie.</p><p>"The owner of the convertible wants to sell the car for Rp 170
million," Didit said.</p><p>The club also organized a Herbie look-alike contest, in which
some of the members decorated their Beetles with iconic Herbie
paraphernalia, stickers with "53" imprinted on them and others
with red, white and blue stripes.</p><p>Well, boys will be boys.</p><p>"Not all the members are male; some of them are women too. But
yeah, men outnumber the women, of course," added Didit, who acted
as coordinator at the latest gathering.</p><p>The club, according to Didit, has about 400 members
nationwide.</p><p>Volkswagen e-groups and websites:
www.kodoq.com
www.vw-indonesia.com
penggemar-vw@yahoogroups.com
komunitas-vw@yahoogroups.com</p>
Beetle lovers are apparently not enough for the VW Beetle Club to
solve a riddle: While Americans call it the "Beetle" or "Bug" and
Germans call it Kaefer (which also means "Beetle"), why have
Indonesians gone a different way by calling it the Kodok (Frog)?</p><p>"We have been trying to get the full story on it, but we
haven't reached any conclusion as to why we call it the kodok.
It's an interesting point," Didit Soedarto, a long-time member of
VW Beetle Club, said, laughing.</p><p>Of course, the Volkswagen Beetle Club does not gather solely
to try and solve the kodok conundrum.</p><p>Since June 6, 1982, the club has organized Beetle expos, city
convoys and, along with the umbrella club, Volkswagen Indonesia
(which comprises Volkswagen clubs for any type of VW model),
carried out a lot more activities.</p><p>The latest activities were held at the end of June through
early July this year, when the club gathered again after a two-
year hiatus.</p><p>"We are trying to revive the club after a break.
Coincidentally, we heard that Disney wanted to premiere the
latest in the Herbie series early in July in Indonesia," Didit
added.</p><p>Herbie is a star in a series of movies about an overlooked
Beetle, which, surprisingly, wins a Nascar race in the U.S.</p><p>Begun in the 1960s, when the German "people's car" was at the
height of its popularity in the U.S., the Herbie movie, The Love
Bug, was a hit with U.S audiences, particularly children.</p><p>However, in Jakarta last weekend, four theaters in Cilandak
Town Square (Citos) in South Jakarta, were packed not only with
children but also Beetle-lovers, who were mostly in their late
20s or 30s.</p><p>After watching the movie, about 40 Beetles in a variety of
colors, types and modifications convoyed from Citos to Nikko
Hotel near Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, Central Jakarta.</p><p>In the lobby of the hotel two Beetles were on display; one was
a 1964 blue convertible and another a 1963 white Beetle that
looked just like Herbie.</p><p>"The owner of the convertible wants to sell the car for Rp 170
million," Didit said.</p><p>The club also organized a Herbie look-alike contest, in which
some of the members decorated their Beetles with iconic Herbie
paraphernalia, stickers with "53" imprinted on them and others
with red, white and blue stripes.</p><p>Well, boys will be boys.</p><p>"Not all the members are male; some of them are women too. But
yeah, men outnumber the women, of course," added Didit, who acted
as coordinator at the latest gathering.</p><p>The club, according to Didit, has about 400 members
nationwide.</p><p>Volkswagen e-groups and websites:
www.kodoq.com
www.vw-indonesia.com
penggemar-vw@yahoogroups.com
komunitas-vw@yahoogroups.com</p>