Doodle Bug scooter

The Doodle Bug was a motor scooter built from 1946 to 1948^[1] by the Beam Manufacturing Company^[2] of Webster City, Iowa, US.^[1] They were sold through the Gambles store chain to compete against Cushman scooters being sold under the Allstate brand by Sears.^[2] Gambles sold the Doodle Bug under the "Hiawatha" name.^[3]

A Doodle Bug scooter in the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum

Overview

Doodle Bugs were powered by 1½ hp engines from Briggs & Stratton or Clinton.^[1][2] The Doodle Bug Standard Model B was the only Doodle Bug series powered by Clinton engines; one thousand or less of these were built, all during the first production run of ten thousand scooters. All other Doodle Bug scooters, including the Standard Model A that was produced alongside the Model B during the first production run, used variants of the Briggs & Stratton NP engine. Four production runs of ten thousand scooters each were built.^[1]

An annual reunion of Doodle Bug owners and restorers is held in Webster City.^[4][5]

See also

• PGO Scooters