Indonesia's VW Beetle Club celebrates 23 years
Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
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)?
"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.
Of course, the Volkswagen Beetle Club does not gather solely to try and solve the kodok conundrum.
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.
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.
"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.
Herbie is a star in a series of movies about an overlooked Beetle, which, surprisingly, wins a Nascar race in the U.S.
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.
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.
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.
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.
"The owner of the convertible wants to sell the car for Rp 170 million," Didit said.
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.
Well, boys will be boys.
"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.
The club, according to Didit, has about 400 members nationwide.
Volkswagen e-groups and websites: www.kodoq.com www.vw-indonesia.com penggemar-vw@yahoogroups.com komunitas-vw@yahoogroups.com